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Lifeguard: A Love Story
An unforgettable memoir from New York City’s first female lifeguard chief, this coming-of-age story plunges into the rough-and-tumble, sun-soaked world of Rockaway Beach in the 1970s and 1980s.
The first time I ever saw a lifeguard get horned was in the summer of 1974.
So begins the singular story of Janet Fash, the first female lifeguard chief at Rockaway Beach. Janet never expected to be a lifeguard, but when she got recruited by a friend to join the New York City lifeguarding corps, she never looked back. Rockaway Beach, her first post, had it sun, sand, and the imperative to be the best. After all, people’s lives are on the line.
A Love Story is a singular memoir about Janet’s life on the beach. Rockaway is considered the most dangerous post in the city, with unpredictable rip currents and packed beaches. But it’s also the envy of lifeguards everywhere—a beach where all the action happens, where you’re as likely to save three lives before lunch as you are to stop the hot dog vendor from getting robbed. Janet started as a lifeguard there in 1976, making it through the customary hazing and binge drinking at Connolly’s, the local watering hole. She met and made friends with the surfers, who could always be counted on to help with a rescue. She met her husband on the beach and made sure her children, once they came along, were ocean-swimmers-in-training. Her fellow lifeguards showed up to her wedding and family funerals, and became her lifelong friends. Soon, forty years had passed and she’d spent almost every summer with a whistle around her neck. Lifeguard is an evocative picture of how a place as special as Rockaway Beach has changed over four decades. Yet at its most essential, it’s a coming-of-age tale, detailing what it was like to be a woman rising through the ranks in a male-dominated field, details of the legendary “Caveman Conventions” on the beach in the 80s, an inside look at the persistent union corruption that has plagued the corps, and a poignant through-line of grief, as the stakes of the job are life and death.
A Love Story is about how a job can become something like a vocation, if you love it enough.
The first time I ever saw a lifeguard get horned was in the summer of 1974.
So begins the singular story of Janet Fash, the first female lifeguard chief at Rockaway Beach. Janet never expected to be a lifeguard, but when she got recruited by a friend to join the New York City lifeguarding corps, she never looked back. Rockaway Beach, her first post, had it sun, sand, and the imperative to be the best. After all, people’s lives are on the line.
A Love Story is a singular memoir about Janet’s life on the beach. Rockaway is considered the most dangerous post in the city, with unpredictable rip currents and packed beaches. But it’s also the envy of lifeguards everywhere—a beach where all the action happens, where you’re as likely to save three lives before lunch as you are to stop the hot dog vendor from getting robbed. Janet started as a lifeguard there in 1976, making it through the customary hazing and binge drinking at Connolly’s, the local watering hole. She met and made friends with the surfers, who could always be counted on to help with a rescue. She met her husband on the beach and made sure her children, once they came along, were ocean-swimmers-in-training. Her fellow lifeguards showed up to her wedding and family funerals, and became her lifelong friends. Soon, forty years had passed and she’d spent almost every summer with a whistle around her neck. Lifeguard is an evocative picture of how a place as special as Rockaway Beach has changed over four decades. Yet at its most essential, it’s a coming-of-age tale, detailing what it was like to be a woman rising through the ranks in a male-dominated field, details of the legendary “Caveman Conventions” on the beach in the 80s, an inside look at the persistent union corruption that has plagued the corps, and a poignant through-line of grief, as the stakes of the job are life and death.
A Love Story is about how a job can become something like a vocation, if you love it enough.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 23, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
July 15, 2026
yall know i’m normally not one to rate nonfiction, but this was a bit different than i thought it would be! i just wanted more about actual lifeguarding, which you do get! and is fun and fascinating hearing the stories of crazy lifeguard parties in the 70s & 80s, but for a 200-ish page book it fell flat.. kind of felt all over the place? still glad i listened to it since it was on my tbr ◡̈
July 7, 2026
Well intentioned but tedious.
Sadly this book is not really about lifeguarding, or at least not primarily so. This is largely about the author’s battle against union and municipal corruption, and while I admire her willingness to fight for what she believes in, it doesn’t make for good reading.
The bits of this that are truly about lifeguarding are intriguing, and Fash even gets you interested in her more personal, memoirish content that relates to growing up in Rockaway Beach and how that dovetailed with her decision to make a career out of being a beach lifeguard. Unfortunately, none of that ends up being the primary focus of the book.
There is a lot of full name dropping of people you’ve never heard of, most of whom seem to be Fash’s professional enemies. I understand her desire to set the record straight and it certainly seems like she was in the right, but this reads like an airing of grievances and perhaps as a sort of revenge against those who made her job difficult. I imagine penning this was quite cathartic for the author, but it’s a tough hang for the reader unless you’re deeply interested in municipal corruption.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Sadly this book is not really about lifeguarding, or at least not primarily so. This is largely about the author’s battle against union and municipal corruption, and while I admire her willingness to fight for what she believes in, it doesn’t make for good reading.
The bits of this that are truly about lifeguarding are intriguing, and Fash even gets you interested in her more personal, memoirish content that relates to growing up in Rockaway Beach and how that dovetailed with her decision to make a career out of being a beach lifeguard. Unfortunately, none of that ends up being the primary focus of the book.
There is a lot of full name dropping of people you’ve never heard of, most of whom seem to be Fash’s professional enemies. I understand her desire to set the record straight and it certainly seems like she was in the right, but this reads like an airing of grievances and perhaps as a sort of revenge against those who made her job difficult. I imagine penning this was quite cathartic for the author, but it’s a tough hang for the reader unless you’re deeply interested in municipal corruption.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
July 7, 2026
This is a story for ocean lovers, for the swimmers, and anyone who can appreciate a story of fighting back against corruption. I was fascinated by this tale of 40 years of lifeguarding and the inner workings and politics of New York City beaches.
Source: purchased Kindle e-book
Source: purchased Kindle e-book
June 28, 2026
Lifeguard: A Love Story was such an unexpected read. I had no idea there was so much behind the scenes of the lifeguarding world—from politics and union drama to corruption and the pressures that come with the job.
What I appreciated most was how the book shines a light on everything lifeguards do that most of us never stop to think about. They’re responsible for so much more than watching the water, and this story gave me a whole new appreciation for the people who keep our beaches safe.
It was eye-opening, entertaining, and gave me a perspective I never expected. If you’re looking for something different with real-life insight and plenty of drama, this one is worth picking up.
All Booked Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
#LifeguardALoveStory #BookReview #BeachReads #NonfictionBooks #AllBookedBookClub
What I appreciated most was how the book shines a light on everything lifeguards do that most of us never stop to think about. They’re responsible for so much more than watching the water, and this story gave me a whole new appreciation for the people who keep our beaches safe.
It was eye-opening, entertaining, and gave me a perspective I never expected. If you’re looking for something different with real-life insight and plenty of drama, this one is worth picking up.
All Booked Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
#LifeguardALoveStory #BookReview #BeachReads #NonfictionBooks #AllBookedBookClub
July 24, 2026
A very flat 3
Where was the love story at
Where was the love story at
June 28, 2026
First few chapters of her lifeguarding experience was like reading my own memoir of my time as a lifeguard in Hilton head lol. I loved this book - Janet Fash is an incredible woman and advocate
June 25, 2026
First time author, Janet Fash pens a well-written ‘tell-all’ in chronological order. The content is real. Her courage and perseverance are unwavering throughout. She is humbly honest as she shines light on years of bureaucratic corruption within the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation’s lifeguard system.
August 9, 2026
🎧/📖 I learned so much about the lifeguarding world reading this memoir by Janet Fash, the first female chief lifeguard of New York City. The majority of the book delves into Fash and her colleagues tirelessly fighting back against the corruption within the city’s male-dominated lifeguard system — fascinating but def not what I expected when I picked this one up; I was hoping for quite a bit more about lifeguarding (especially on a city beach) itself. Mostly, I enjoyed reading about how Fash has dedicated her life to leaving her profession better than she found it by properly training young lifeguards and providing people with access to water safety education.
“Something almost enchanting happens when New Yorkers get to Rockaway. People living different lives in different boroughs — families from the Bronx, Wall Street guys, gangs, schoolchildren, top chefs from Manhattan — all set up their beach tents next to one another and enjoy the day together.”
“Something almost enchanting happens when New Yorkers get to Rockaway. People living different lives in different boroughs — families from the Bronx, Wall Street guys, gangs, schoolchildren, top chefs from Manhattan — all set up their beach tents next to one another and enjoy the day together.”
July 11, 2026
4.5 rounded to 4. Fast-moving, enjoyable and insightful audiobook experience narrated by the author - lifeguard - chief sharing her 40+ years growing up and working in/on NY’s Rockaway beach community. Being the same age as Janet and also growing up as a competitive swimmer, lifeguard, aquatic teacher, and swimming pool manager, in a time when female guards and managers were uncommon, I felt a kindred bond with her experiences. Many young women and men of the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s timeframe may also relate to the struggles against corrupt authorities (& lack of accountability) while striving for justice and doing what’s right.
July 19, 2026
Full disclosure, going into this book I didn’t know a single thing about life guarding. What attracted me to this story, was that I loved reading memoirs about lifestyles different from my own, and in this book I learned so much.
I never realized how political life guarding could be, and how terrible the conditions were for women decades ago. This was really eye opening to learn about the things female lifeguards went through, and also the corruption within the union.
This is a really fascinating read and would recommend it to other memoir readers!
Thank you so much to Simon Books for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!
I never realized how political life guarding could be, and how terrible the conditions were for women decades ago. This was really eye opening to learn about the things female lifeguards went through, and also the corruption within the union.
This is a really fascinating read and would recommend it to other memoir readers!
Thank you so much to Simon Books for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!
July 26, 2026
(Audiobook) (4.5 stars) I got a lot more out of this one than I originally figured I might. For one, you don’t necessarily think of Long Island/New York as having much of a beach scene, yet there are more than a few beaches in that part of the world, and they tend to be very popular. Also, you don’t think of the lifeguard position as being one that people can make into a full-time career, but yet, in New York, that was certainly the case. Hence, you have Fash, who describes over 40 years of lifeguarding in New York City. It is a personal memoir, starting when she first started to lifeguard as a teenager in high school. Yet, all through college and into the start of her professional life, lifeguarding is the main constant. She effectively was a full-time lifeguard, doing that all through her adult life, even as she gets married and raises two kids. Yet, it is not all positive. The experience of the female lifeguards in the 1970s-1980s were a bit rough to survive, and while she managed to dodge the worst of it, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard. Then there is the big villain of the saga: The lifeguard union. In particular, the head of the lifeguard union, Peter Stein, grows into a major force in Fash’s life, for better and worse. In particular, Fash holds that Stein’s grip on power was such that he would endanger swimmers in order to maintain his power, reducing lifeguards at key locations if said guards did anything he felt was a threat to his power. The second half of the book becomes more an attack on Stein and how Fash and her colleagues tried to fight his corrupting influence. It can read like a book of grievances, but given what lifeguards have to do and some of the unfortunate results, it is not without merit.
Overall, a very intriguing work and one that was both interesting and educating. You can gain a bit more respect for lifeguards after reading this work, but it can also show that sometimes, people can get in the way of safety for the worst of reasons. The rating is the same regardless of format.
Overall, a very intriguing work and one that was both interesting and educating. You can gain a bit more respect for lifeguards after reading this work, but it can also show that sometimes, people can get in the way of safety for the worst of reasons. The rating is the same regardless of format.
Review of advance copy
Thanks to LibraryThing, the author, and the publisher for this ARC.
What a perfect time to be reading this book about a woman professional lifeguard. It's the first for me obviously and not even sure if I've ever heard of one professionally -- only the teenage lifeguards I remember from growing up swimming in my local pools, which is why I wanted to read it.
She comes from a family of 7 kids and she's the 3rd oldest. Her sister followed her into lifeguarding and they were stationed at the same place for a while and her brother Alex was one too. Of course at Rockaway Beach but it's pretty long so you could be assigned anywhere.
She was 15 when the book began in 1974. She was 19 when she first signed up to become a lifeguard. Lifeguards take their jobs seriously but there was a lot of drinking, etc. but after hours of course. When she graduated college, she was undecided if she wanted to go back to lifeguarding. However, the head of the lifeguard's union promoted her to lieutenant; her and another female. I really think, and she did too, that they wanted to meet their quota of female lieutenants.
I learned that there are two types of lifeguards. Those who do it as a college job, from the age of 16 until they graduate high school and those who are lifers. If you were a lifer, you had to find another job for the off-season. Teaching is the real choice of job because of their schedules except when it overlaps in May when school was still in session and lifeguarding season started. The second was the surfers. They lifeguarded all Summer and when season was over, they collected unemployment and went off to someplace warm. She became a teacher and a regular substitute.
It takes you through the decades, and in the 1980s, when tragedies happened in her family when her brother John was killed when he lost control of his jeep and overturned. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Then their mom died of cancer. However, Janet met Bob, who she met through a lifeguard friend. He was a former lifeguard and now a firefighter, did get married.
In 1998, she was promoted to the first female chief position. A lot of politics were involved and backstabbing. In 1991, she gave birth to a son and took childcare leave (maternity leave). In 1993, when she was pregnant with her daughter, she went back to her lifeguarding job. There weren't that many lifeguards with kids of their own. Her kids grew up on the beach and the lifeguards there knew them and watched out for them and the kids liked them too and they got to know them.
it ends in 2025 when she and Bob move to Puerto Rico, after she retires of course.
I really did learn a lot about lifeguarding, lifeguards, the ocean, and many more things.
What a perfect time to be reading this book about a woman professional lifeguard. It's the first for me obviously and not even sure if I've ever heard of one professionally -- only the teenage lifeguards I remember from growing up swimming in my local pools, which is why I wanted to read it.
She comes from a family of 7 kids and she's the 3rd oldest. Her sister followed her into lifeguarding and they were stationed at the same place for a while and her brother Alex was one too. Of course at Rockaway Beach but it's pretty long so you could be assigned anywhere.
She was 15 when the book began in 1974. She was 19 when she first signed up to become a lifeguard. Lifeguards take their jobs seriously but there was a lot of drinking, etc. but after hours of course. When she graduated college, she was undecided if she wanted to go back to lifeguarding. However, the head of the lifeguard's union promoted her to lieutenant; her and another female. I really think, and she did too, that they wanted to meet their quota of female lieutenants.
I learned that there are two types of lifeguards. Those who do it as a college job, from the age of 16 until they graduate high school and those who are lifers. If you were a lifer, you had to find another job for the off-season. Teaching is the real choice of job because of their schedules except when it overlaps in May when school was still in session and lifeguarding season started. The second was the surfers. They lifeguarded all Summer and when season was over, they collected unemployment and went off to someplace warm. She became a teacher and a regular substitute.
It takes you through the decades, and in the 1980s, when tragedies happened in her family when her brother John was killed when he lost control of his jeep and overturned. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Then their mom died of cancer. However, Janet met Bob, who she met through a lifeguard friend. He was a former lifeguard and now a firefighter, did get married.
In 1998, she was promoted to the first female chief position. A lot of politics were involved and backstabbing. In 1991, she gave birth to a son and took childcare leave (maternity leave). In 1993, when she was pregnant with her daughter, she went back to her lifeguarding job. There weren't that many lifeguards with kids of their own. Her kids grew up on the beach and the lifeguards there knew them and watched out for them and the kids liked them too and they got to know them.
it ends in 2025 when she and Bob move to Puerto Rico, after she retires of course.
I really did learn a lot about lifeguarding, lifeguards, the ocean, and many more things.
July 20, 2026
Picked this book up after reading the NY Times review. Like other reviewers I thought the book would be mostly an interesting/illuminating/entertaining look at what it was like to be a female lifeguard at the Rockaways in the 1970s and 1980s. While there is a good bit of that in the first half of the book (along with some side stories about what Park Slope was like back then - hint, very different!!!) the second half pivots into a story that is more about how the author had to deal with misogyny, corruption, terrible bosses and a bureaucracy that seemed designed to keep it all going. While at times this part of the book could feel more like someone just getting a lot of bad stuff off their chest I do not fault the author for wanting to do so - she dealt with A TON. And if even part of her story is to be believed it would appear that she, and others, tried to make people in the Parks Dept and the Lifeguard Union aware of all the issues with the way Lifeguards were managed for 20+ years and no one, not even the Commissioner, did anything about it. So good for her getting all this off her chest. I found her vivid recollections of (sadly) several drowning victims to be the most impactful. You could tell her crusade for change stemmed from having to watch people die year after year - and so many felt preventable. I hope those in power in NYC Gov't (especially) the Parks Dept read this book and look to make some changes in how the Lifeguard program is run.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This breezy but insightful summer beach memoir about the heyday of the 1980s Rockaway Beach in New York City is an appealing story told by its first female lifeguard chief, Janet Fash. Fash grew up in Brooklyn, lured by the waves into the male dominated lifeguard community, where she proved herself to be one of the best lifeguards on the East Coast. Narrated in her dry Brooklyn accent, Fash details the city corruption and coverups of the 80s and 90s by men in power with thoughtful insight and wry indignation. Her tough exterior is proven in her account as she details how she stood her ground against her would-be assailants in dive bars and on the beaches alike. She raised herself up from the hazing and bullying surfing culture to run her own lifeguard teams by treating her lifeguards with equality and fairness. While her voice occasionally deadpans when she details difficult subjects like the death of her younger brother, this is a heartfelt and compelling summer memoir that keeps the listener engaged. Recommended for listeners who enjoy athletic memoirs by female authors such as The Longest Race or Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man’s World.
July 20, 2026
“As a lifeguard, it was clear who we served – the public. When we were on duty, we were doing something both mundane and extraordinary. We were the difference between life and death.” 🏊♀️
Good lord this book was difficult to read. There is no place for your male ego in water safety SIR. Ughhh. Stein is a pos.
I feel so educated now, though! I had no idea that lifeguarding was a career. How amazing is that?! Here here for the strong tenacious women (like the author) that fought hard against the system before society decided that it was a worthwhile cause to back.
I feel viscerally angry at decisions made by some of these pompous men mentioned by the author. When you really break it down, you’re putting you life in the hands of mostly teenagers when you go to the beach. So why would the powers that be not want those teenagers skilled to the best of the their abilities?! Huh? Why? Why would you cherry pick your friends and allow people to die due to lack of staff or skill? No breaks even with the concentration needed to keep the public alive despite themselves is wild. I just can’t comprehend.
Thank you @SimonBooks #SimonBooksBuddy for the free book.
Good lord this book was difficult to read. There is no place for your male ego in water safety SIR. Ughhh. Stein is a pos.
I feel so educated now, though! I had no idea that lifeguarding was a career. How amazing is that?! Here here for the strong tenacious women (like the author) that fought hard against the system before society decided that it was a worthwhile cause to back.
I feel viscerally angry at decisions made by some of these pompous men mentioned by the author. When you really break it down, you’re putting you life in the hands of mostly teenagers when you go to the beach. So why would the powers that be not want those teenagers skilled to the best of the their abilities?! Huh? Why? Why would you cherry pick your friends and allow people to die due to lack of staff or skill? No breaks even with the concentration needed to keep the public alive despite themselves is wild. I just can’t comprehend.
Thank you @SimonBooks #SimonBooksBuddy for the free book.
July 9, 2026
My summer of reading memoirs by people with interesting jobs continues. This one - which spans Janet Fash's decades working as a lifeguard in Rockaway - was more substantial than the initial few chapters led me to believe. As she rose in the ranks and faced more and more corruption, I found her storytelling and her own personal journey really interesting.
Dinging it for two reasons: the first is that I think she let herself off the hook a little too easy w/r/t all the sexual misconduct and assault that was going on. I don't blame Janet for the actions the various male lifeguards took, but I do believe turning a blind eye is not excusable. I wish she had been a bit more honest with herself and the reader here.
Also - towards the end of the book (which I did on audio) she references a 911 call her sister made. She says 911 the normal way first, but then says "the nine eleven operator..." Which leads me to believe at least some of the audiobook recording was accomplished with AI and that really bums me out.
Dinging it for two reasons: the first is that I think she let herself off the hook a little too easy w/r/t all the sexual misconduct and assault that was going on. I don't blame Janet for the actions the various male lifeguards took, but I do believe turning a blind eye is not excusable. I wish she had been a bit more honest with herself and the reader here.
Also - towards the end of the book (which I did on audio) she references a 911 call her sister made. She says 911 the normal way first, but then says "the nine eleven operator..." Which leads me to believe at least some of the audiobook recording was accomplished with AI and that really bums me out.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Afraid I did not see this memoir as a love story, although I understand author Janet Fash loved her career as a lifeguard at Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York. No, I saw it more as a boozy and depressing story. Drinking was apparently a big part of lifeguarding life, as was hazing and sexual abuse. Add to that, the entire NYC lifeguarding system was totally corrupt due to totally corrupt city officials and union leaders.
The book goes into great never-ending detail about all that corruption, including how it led to beachgoers drowning due to lifeguarding negligence. It's understandable Ms. Fash wanted a permanent written record of all that was wrong, since those like her were almost always totally ignored for decades whenever they tried to get needed changes made. Yet it made for bleak and tedious reading after a while.
(Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.)
The book goes into great never-ending detail about all that corruption, including how it led to beachgoers drowning due to lifeguarding negligence. It's understandable Ms. Fash wanted a permanent written record of all that was wrong, since those like her were almost always totally ignored for decades whenever they tried to get needed changes made. Yet it made for bleak and tedious reading after a while.
(Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.)
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I received this ARC from the publisher for an honest review. I know the Love story part of the book is about her love of the job and the love of the ocean, but this is not a wimpy romantic love story. Janet is tough, especially when speaking truth to power and taking on the corruption that put beach goers and her fellow lifeguards at risk. Rockaway Beach in New York does remind me of some of the Southern California Beaches I grew up around, but it is definitely more edgy and intense. That she was able to continue her job for 40 years, become the first female Lieutenant Lifeguard, get married and have 2 kids is a testament to her strength. I have an appreciation for lifeguards because I got pulled out of a rip current by one and my late husband was a surfer and as a teenager a junior lifeguard. Good summer read.
July 6, 2026
As a native New Yorker, I loved reading about how lifeguards protected the city’s beaches. I also enjoyed learning that the author attended both CUNY and SUNY schools, which made the story feel even more relatable. The book felt as though it had been written by a friend, making it warm, engaging, and easy to read.
The stories of the rescues and the dangers of the water were fascinating. I was amazed by how these lifeguard shacks operated and the responsibility placed on those who worked there. Many of these guards were very young and inexperienced. It was definitely a book I couldn’t put down.
The only reason I didn’t give it five stars was that I felt there was too much emphasis on political corruption. While that aspect of the story was interesting, I would have preferred to read more about the day-to-day experiences and challenges of the lifeguards themselves.
The stories of the rescues and the dangers of the water were fascinating. I was amazed by how these lifeguard shacks operated and the responsibility placed on those who worked there. Many of these guards were very young and inexperienced. It was definitely a book I couldn’t put down.
The only reason I didn’t give it five stars was that I felt there was too much emphasis on political corruption. While that aspect of the story was interesting, I would have preferred to read more about the day-to-day experiences and challenges of the lifeguards themselves.
July 7, 2026
The first half of this book is about the author's personal journey as a lifeguard and teacher in NYC in the 80s and 90s. She definitely captures the vibe of that time, even though I knew basically nothing about lifeguarding. The second half is the story of her struggle against the corrupt union boss who controls the conditions of her employment, and in this case, life and death safety issues. I knew there was a shortage of lifeguards in NYC after COVID, but I never put it together that union and city mismanagement was the reason. She doesn't hold back about the union guys who were running the show: sexual harassment, embezzlement, threats of retaliatory violence, etc. There is a lot going on in this book but the reviews have understandably focused on the first female lifeguard/ beach component. It's an interesting story and her own voice comes thru.
August 5, 2026
Listened on three drives to and from southern Colorado this past weekend and then today to Taos. I love learning about universes I know nothing about. The utter shit Fash had to eat as the first chief lifeguard at a New York City beach is breathtaking and her nemesis and boss for decades, Stein, will go down as an epitome of the patriarchal, sexist, conspiratorial boys club. If I was a personal injury attorney, I would find the names of every family member who lost a loved one to drowning on a New York City beach during Stein’s six decade tenure so they can sue the City of New York Parks Department for his gross negligence, rape, sexual and physical assault, and terror. Fash is an American original, the daughter of immigrants, a lover of water, and a hard-as-nails artist of saving lives. As she says she has “iron ovaries” and not balls of steel.
July 14, 2026
Great book to listen to
Trailblazing Career: Recruited to the NYC lifeguarding corps in 1979, Fash navigated male-dominated waters, rose through the ranks, and was named the city's first female chief lifeguard in 1988.Life on the Beach: The memoir details the intense realities of Rockaway Beach—known as the most dangerous post in the city—as well as legendary beach subcultures like the 80s "Caveman Conventions".Advocacy and Reform: Fash spent years battling persistent union corruption and mismanagement that led to chronic lifeguard shortages and preventable drownings.A Labor of Love: Beyond the controversies, the book is a love letter to the vocation of lifeguarding, the Rockaway community, and the camaraderie of the beach.
Trailblazing Career: Recruited to the NYC lifeguarding corps in 1979, Fash navigated male-dominated waters, rose through the ranks, and was named the city's first female chief lifeguard in 1988.Life on the Beach: The memoir details the intense realities of Rockaway Beach—known as the most dangerous post in the city—as well as legendary beach subcultures like the 80s "Caveman Conventions".Advocacy and Reform: Fash spent years battling persistent union corruption and mismanagement that led to chronic lifeguard shortages and preventable drownings.A Labor of Love: Beyond the controversies, the book is a love letter to the vocation of lifeguarding, the Rockaway community, and the camaraderie of the beach.
July 24, 2026
For a short time I was an ocean lifeguard at Wildwood Crest in NJ and this memoir was eerie to read because it captures the experience so accurately. I felt like I knew Janet Fash- I felt like I had heard the same stories and jokes- I felt like I attended the same parties as her.
Luckily the beaches I worked on and near were not nearly as corrupt nor dangerous as the NY city beaches where Fash worked. (Although the sexual harassment and macho culture were very real in NJ). This part of the memoir is terrible and yet Fash’s determination to keep guarding the beaches while fighting the system demonstrates the love lifeguards feel for the ocean and for serving the public.
Thanks to Heather for recommending this- it was a trip down memory lane for sure.
Luckily the beaches I worked on and near were not nearly as corrupt nor dangerous as the NY city beaches where Fash worked. (Although the sexual harassment and macho culture were very real in NJ). This part of the memoir is terrible and yet Fash’s determination to keep guarding the beaches while fighting the system demonstrates the love lifeguards feel for the ocean and for serving the public.
Thanks to Heather for recommending this- it was a trip down memory lane for sure.
July 21, 2026
The early portions of the book, wherein Fash describes what it's like to be a NYC beach lifeguard (think Rockaway, in Queens), are quite interesting. Crowded beaches, many rescues each day, the ins and outs of hundreds and lifeguards and miles of Atlantic beaches.
The second half of the book, where she starts to battle back against the incredibly crooked people running both her union and the lifeguard portion of the NYC Parks Department (and yes, it's absurd the same folks were running both), is quite dreary. We shouldn't be surprised about malfeasance in that world, but I can't say I'm all that interested in reading about it.
The second half of the book, where she starts to battle back against the incredibly crooked people running both her union and the lifeguard portion of the NYC Parks Department (and yes, it's absurd the same folks were running both), is quite dreary. We shouldn't be surprised about malfeasance in that world, but I can't say I'm all that interested in reading about it.
June 29, 2026
This was a pleasant quick read. I know many people who were lifeguards in their teenage years at local pools but that’s about the extent of my knowledge of lifeguards. It was interesting to hear about people who make a career out of life guarding. I’m disgusted but not surprised to hear the author discuss how there were issues with unchecked male authority reigning over the lifeguards in her area. And definitely not surprised to hear about the sexual harassment. I was surprised to learn about the hazing.
July 9, 2026
Wanted to like this book and author more than I did.
First off, author narrated her own audiobook with that awful Long Island accent.
This just seemed like a book full of complaints. On and on and on. There of course is graft & sexual harassment by the men above her (and union issues), and that too goes on and on and on. And it doesn’t get resolved. If you’re waiting for a “big” denouement, where the Bad Guy gets his comeuppance, you’re wasting your time.
This would have been better with a better editor and a 4 hour book (vs 6 hr).
First off, author narrated her own audiobook with that awful Long Island accent.
This just seemed like a book full of complaints. On and on and on. There of course is graft & sexual harassment by the men above her (and union issues), and that too goes on and on and on. And it doesn’t get resolved. If you’re waiting for a “big” denouement, where the Bad Guy gets his comeuppance, you’re wasting your time.
This would have been better with a better editor and a 4 hour book (vs 6 hr).
July 18, 2026
Listened to the audiobook. Narration was very good. Wow. This book is full of corruption and favoritism and drinking and partying. It was very eye-opening. I was quite enraged to learn about the people who were supposed to save lives and yet consistently came to work drunk and completely unqualified. I also wondered why Janet remained a lifeguard for 40 years when little changed and why she kept saying she wanted to make things better and at the same time repeatedly said she didn’t want to lose her job. I found this to be a fascinating yet frustrating story.
August 7, 2026
I enjoyed this look at a career lifeguard on audio and really appreciated how she advocated for lifeguards to be considered first responders. Her argument was convincing! But there was a bit too much inside NYC baseball, especially regarding unions and the park service. However, Janet Fash's commitment to routing out corruption is inspiring, and NYC's perpetual avoidance of the issue - and the drowning deaths it has caused - is horrifying. Leaders must do better, and swimmers unfortunately must know that they cannot rely on lifeguards to save them. That's disappointing.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Let me start with the fact that I had never seen a book written by a lifeguard about lifeguarding. This thoroughly intrigued me, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book.
Janet Fash did not disappoint! There were so many interesting things in this book, and it was so fun to read about the lifeguards and their escapades. It gave me a whole different view of lifeguards, how they do what they do, and why.
Janet Fash did not disappoint! There were so many interesting things in this book, and it was so fun to read about the lifeguards and their escapades. It gave me a whole different view of lifeguards, how they do what they do, and why.
August 2, 2026
I loved this book for its conversational side of a life guard's profession and the challenge the author took on to fight really 21st century union corruption. Just when you think union corruption is relegated to big name unions and private companies, the reality is that public unions are just corrupt and getting away with it. I knew nothing about life guarding going into this book but a lot about union corruption, I learned a lot. Easy to read and short book, lots of fun.
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