Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
This memorable collection of short essays, some of them merely fragments, is the first venture into nonfiction by fireman turned novelist Brown ( Dirty Work ). After 17 years as a firefighter in Oxford, Miss., home of the state university and William Faulkner, Brown devoted himself to full-time writing, which had been an avocation for 10 years. Most of his observations here are about fighting fires, the camaraderie among those who perform this service, the tragedies and the miracles they encounter. But there are other pieces, some humorous, others poignant, on Brown's family, on hunting and fishing, on his pets and his attempts to raise rabbits for the market. 25,000 first printing; $25,000 ad/ promo; author tour. (Jan.)
Kirkus Reviews
Brown brings to his first work of nonfiction the same no- nonsense style that makes his novels and short stories (Big Bad Love, 1990, etc.) so powerful and intense. This episodic memoir of his life as a firefighter is also a testament to family, courage, and hard work, and Brown isn't afraid to risk being sappy, albeit in a manly way. A self-taught writer, Brown supported himself and his family for 16 years as a fireman in his hometown of Oxford, Mississippi. A veteran of the Marines, he found the same brotherhood in the station house, and also a similar test of muscle, brain, and heart. A firefighter can be "a prick, a thief, a liar," but he can't be a coward. Each fire "has to be faced and defeated," and you never "forget death and pain, or fear." Brown sings the praises of his tools—the beauty of knots, hoses, and sirens. He inventories the back rooms, and re-creates the boredom of waiting as well as the pleasures of cooking for the boys and watching sex and violence on the VCR. But nothing beats the adrenaline rush of a call, whether to a burning building or a car wreck: Both require a reflex-like response, and the joy of saving lives cannot be equalled. Interspersed throughout the rambling narrative are anecdotes from Brown's life: his guilt over killing a mouse; his early joy in hunting and fishing; his love for his family and his squirrel dog. The funny tale of his temporary separation from his wife has all the hard-luck pathos of the author's best short stories. Brown confesses to drinking too much and to being otherwise content with his life. Yet he reluctantly abandoned firefighting to become a full-time writer—and he's done extraordinarily well at it since. A remarkable addition to the literature of work. This may not be the first book by a fireman—but it's one of the best. (First printing of 25,000)
The New York Times - Dwight Garner
My favorite book by Brown has long been On Fire…one of the finest books I know about blue-collar work in America, its rewards and frustrations. It's also dirty, funny, packed with indelible details and moving in its ground-level evocations of courage and camaraderie. At least twice a year someone will ask me if I can recommend a book to give a man who doesn't read as much as he might. I nearly always reply: On Fire, by Larry Brown. It's a gateway drug. It's literary writing of a sort that says, Come as you are…If you are among the tens of millions who have never read Brown, this is a perfect introduction. He felt life deeply, had a vast understanding of his world and paid attention to what mattered. His basic decency shines through these pages. Among Southern writers, Brown was one of those who didn't have too much syrup in him. His prose in On Fire is fresh, light on its feet, ready for anything. If this book were a restaurant, I'd eat there all the time.
From the Publisher
Larry Brown has an ear for the way people talk, an eye for their habits and manners, a heart for the frailties and foibles, and a love for their struggles and triumphs. His fireman’s diary is a wonderful book.” —John Grisham “Larry Brown is never romantic about danger . . . In this book he goes through his life with the same meticulous attention with which Thoreau circled the woods around Walden Pond.” —The New York Times Book Review “Clear, simple, and powerful, and great rowdy fun to read.” —Time “Larry Brown has slapped his own fresh tattoo on the big right arm of Southern lit.” —The Washington Post
Reviews
“Larry Brown has an ear for the way people talk, an eye for their habits and manners, a heart for the frailties and foibles, and a love for their struggles and triumphs. His fireman’s diary is a wonderful book.” —John Grisham, author of The Firm and The Client
"Larry Brown is never romantic about danger and . . . in this book he goes through his life with the same meticulous attention with which Thoreau circled the woods around Walden Pond." —The New York Times Book Review.
SEPT 96 - AudioFile
Brown excels at writing “you are there” nonfiction. Narrator Sala reads as though he’s telling the listener his story. Seldom is a non-firefighter able to hear about extricating a person crushed in a trailer truck or fighting a fire in a fireproof building with such precision and emotion. This is a very macho book, and Sala delivers the required machismo, especially when he tells of beating a mouse to death. The listener is present during each vignette--either cheering the hero on or wishing to discourage his sometimes senseless display of the “mastery of man.” ON FIRE is a perfect audiobook, a firefighters’ WORKING. S.G.B. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine
