Rowan's Reviews > Ordinary Heroes: A Memoir of 9/11

I recently watched the Nat Geo docuseries 9/11 One Day in America. It was powerful, gripping and heartbreaking to watch. It took me right back to that day twenty years ago. The experiences shared by Chief Joseph Pfeifer were some of the most intense. When I discovered this remarkable man, the first FDNY Chief at the scene, had recently released a memoir, I immediately had to read it. It didn’t disappoint.

Ordinary Heroes is a great book about terrible events. The first fifty pages throw the reader straight into events on that fateful day, concluding with the Towers collapse. It’s anxiety-inducing to read. Joe Pfeifer accurately transports the reader into those buildings, alongside the brave men and women among first responders.

“We were going to the biggest fire of our lifetime, the biggest fire since the FDNY was founded in 1865.”

Pfeifer draws heavily from the documentary,9/11, (made by French brothers Jules and Gedeon Naudet) as he recounts details from his perspective as one of only four surviving fire chiefs. He doesn’t shy away from the reality of events.

“Within minutes of arrival, bodies of several people landed near the rig, only recognisable as bone, tissue and blood after the fall of over a hundred stories.”

All these years later, it's still hard wrapping one's head around the horrific events of that day.

“We positioned a firefighter outside to watch for falling bodies and warn new arrivals to look up before entering the building.”

Bravery. Comradery. Resilience. These are all key themes of the book, as Pfeifer takes the reader into the life of a firefighter - not just on that tragic day, but in general. I really gained a better understanding of the work firefighters do, and just how close-knit the firefighting communities of New York (and throughout the world) are.

Joe Pfeifer certainly comes across as someone wholeheartedly dedicated to his career, serving others and making the world a better place. I was left in awe at his strength, stamina and leadership shown during the most horrific times.

“By 11pm, I had been working for over twenty-nine hours, and awake for almost forty.”

The book is not only from the perspective of fire chief, but someone who lost a loved one during 9/11. It was this aspect, which I often found the most heartbreaking (along with lengthy descriptions of the recovery effort).

There was a lot to digest in this quick read. I learned a lot about 9/11 that I didn’t previously know, despite watching numerous documentaries, such as:

How NYC had its own version of Dunkirk in wake of the attacks, with up to 150 boats of all kinds coming to help evacuate almost 500,000 people from Manhattan.

The mid-October discovery of scorch marks on a basement door at Ground Zero (that happened to have $200 million behind it).

“It was hard to believe that someone was trying to pull off an Ocean’s Eleven-type heist.”

108,342 truckloads of rubble were removed from Ground Zero.

The sheer magnitude of 9/11-related cancers: “By the time of the twenty-fifth anniversary, we fear that more firefighters will have died from inhaling 9/11 dust than the 343 who died that day.”

Ordinary Heroes is as much a tribute to the those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to save others, as it is a memoir about Chief Pfeifer. I was amazed at how he continues to wholeheartedly believe in the good of others, when he has witnessed humanity at its most evil.

“The courage of ordinary heroes is in each one of us.”

Highly recommend this book. Thank you to Joe and all firefighters, and first responders who continue to give so much to others in pursuit of making our communities (and world) a better place.

“Always remember the heroes, who did ordinary things, at extraordinary times, so others may live.”