Nonfiction Navigators discussion

To watch your own home crumble within seconds; to arrive as the first Battalion Chief at the North tower of the World Trade Center after the hit by Boeing 767; to walk into a burning building with uncertainty of the journey ahead; this is what makes an ordinary person become a true hero. Joseph Pheifer embodies the meaning of patriotism and bravery through his actions on September 11, 2001. The nonfiction memoir Ordinary Heroes begins its story with the Engine 7, Ladder 1, Battalion 1 Duane Street firehouse performing the more humdrum jobs as an FDNY firefighter, like checking out a possible smell of gas or a slight fire, just hoping for something exciting. Though these firemen got what they wished for, they were in no way prepared for the sight they would see as they made their way down to the World Trade Center that morning. This memoir follows people like Pfeifer, his brother Kevin, French brothers at the firehouse filming a documentary Jules and Gedeon, and Joseph’s wife Ginny in their own experiences of the infamous day. Even with his 20 years of experience of being an FDNY officer, nothing could prepare Pheifer for the battles he would have to face physically and mentally. This book does a phenomenal job of capturing true feelings and emotions of people who experienced that day first hand. A true story about the unbreakable bonds between family, whether those bonds are tied by blood or by relationships made with friends. Ordinary Heroes is a tough story to be told, but it is a story worth reading to further understand the reality of 9/11. Before even hitting page 100, I was entrapped in the story and the way Pfeifer describes the smoke and rubble of the tower, the people from the top of the building who jumped as their last option, and the heartbreak of a brother to brother connection, and having to leave family behind. This book is an excellent choice for the younger generation of Americans, the ones who were not able to experience this day first hand. There is an element of richness and truth told in this story that is hard to come across with any other book. Whether you are a die-hard American patriot, a sucker for a rich family oriented story, or even a practicing historian, Ordinary Heroes is a book worth reading.