Knights of New York by Eugene Ditaranto, Jr. is a book that is dedicated to the courageous and fearless fire fighters of the New York City Fire Department, popularly known as the FDNY. This book is a testament to the dedication, exceptional leadership and management within the FDNY. This is uncommon knowledge to people outside of the department but it is critical to the safety of the community they serve, and this exceptional book highlights all the fantastic work these ‘knights’ do to serve their community.

Author Eugene Ditaranto provides detailed accounts of the roles each firefighter fills within the department. I enjoyed the clear descriptions as it helped me fully understand the fire department. Not only are there clear explanations of the ranks and duties, but the book also shows how each person plays a different role in the success of the department.

While this could be considered something of a memoir, I find it is more of a dedication to the brave firefighters that Eugene Ditaranto served with. He uses his decades of experience in the department to color all of his explanations and provides incisive observations and thoughtful information on everyone he has known, the jobs they perform, and how the people and the job function within the department. This is an illuminating book, especially for someone like me who knows little of how a fire department works. I was absolutely fascinated by all the information within the book. It’s like a literary museum that takes readers through the many contributions and achievements the ‘knights’ within the FDNY have accomplished.

The book also details various incidents that have occurred in New York and how the FDNY responded. The most notable being the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11th. I am familiar with this event, but Eugene Ditaranto provides readers with a unique perspective of the events that transpired as they are all told from the perspective of the FDNY and how they responded to the attack, the role they played in the aftermath, and the fires they delt with, such as their work in Deutsche Bank. The bank collapsed as a result of the attack and it took them over an hour to control the fire, which is such an amazing feat controlling such a large-scale fire. These harrowing experiences shared throughout the book give readers a true appreciation for the work these ‘knights’ do.

Knights of New York is an enlightening account of the FDNY and provides readers with a fascinating view of the operations of the New York City Fire Department. For anyone interested in how fire departments work, anyone looking for a unique perspective on 9/11, or any readers looking for a compelling nonfiction story, then this is definitely a book you want to pick up.

Pages: 144 | ISBN: 1098392701