Seen through the eyes of four generations of a firefighter family, Five Floors Up is the story of the modern New York City Fire Department. From the days just after the horse-drawn firetruck, to the devastation of the 1970s when the Bronx was Burning, to the unspeakable tragedy of 9/11, to the culture-busting department of today, a Feehan has worn the shoulder patch of the FDNY. The tale shines the spotlight on the career of William M. Feehan. “Chief” Feehan is the only person to have held every rank in the FDNY including New York City’s 28th Fire Commissioner. He died in the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. But Five Floors Up is at root an intimate look at a firefighter clan, the selflessness and bravery of not only those who face the flames, but the family members who stand by their sides. Alternately humorous and harrowing, rich with anecdotes and meticulously researched and reported, Five Floors Up takes us inside a world few truly understand, documenting an era that is quickly passing us by.
Brian McDonald was born in the Bronx and grew up in Rockland County, New York. He is a graduate of Fordham University and the Columbia University School of Journalism, contributes frequently to New York City newspapers, including The New York Times, and has taught writing and journalism at several schools, including Fordham University. He is the author of the nonfiction works My Father's Gun, Indian Summer, Safe Harbor: A Murder in Nantucket, and Last Call at Elaine's. He co-wrote, with Malachy McCourt, Death Need Not Be Fatal, and his latest non-fiction work is Five Floors Up: The Heroic Family Story of Four Generations in the FDNY published by Grand Central Publishing. Brian lives in New York City.
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Book is also available in downloadable (9781549186172) and e-book formats (9781538753194)
