Last Man Down: A Firefighter's Story of Survival and Escape from the World Trade Center

Wow, I’ll never forget that day. If you were around on 9/11 you know exactly where you were when you heard the news of the first plane hitting the tower. I watched the news all day but never imagined I would here the story of a person who lived through it inside the tower. Richard tells these story with such detail that I could actually hear the building falling and taste the dust in my mouth. Such a hero and an amazing read about a day we will never forget.

This book is riveting, as far as it goes. I could barely put it down, but then I had to, because unfortunately, it runs out of rivets."Last Man Down" is a scintillating description of one fire chief's story of survival in the World Trade Center collapse. I learned of the book when I saw Chief Picciotto interviewed on "Imus in the Morning" on MSNBC. I immediately ordered the book through Amazon.com. As I expected, having heard this man's story, I found the book to be gripping, technically very detailed, one that leaves you awe-struck. Then, it leaves you.The book effectively ends with the Chief in the hospital. It says nothing of what happened afterwards. I wanted to know what came of the others spoken of in the book, those who were trapped in the stairwell with him. I was looking for stories of finding these brave souls weeks later, and recounting their adventure and aftermath. Did he attend the funeral of the other Chief who couldn't hold on and perished in the stairwell? We don't know, and the human interest portion of this story is easily as important of the technical details of the rescue. Humanity is what made "Band of Brothers" truly great, and it's missing in "Last Man Down."I don't know why it ended there, whether it was publishing deadlines, a lack of editorial insight, or if there is some thought of a sequel. But what was a very intense few hours of reading didn't pay off. I suppose it parallels his story, in that once he emerged from the rubble, he expected more of a hero's welcome, but didn't get it. Perhaps, like the survivors who were too shell-shocked to celebrate his escape, he couldn't process anything more. I hope that we will hear the rest of the story someday.

Couldn't put this one down.

I had seen Chief Picciotto and heard parts of his amazing story on TV last September but nothing takes the place of reading the details of his 9-11, in his own words.His description of being in a stairwell on the 35th floor of the North tower when the South tower started to collapse will bring tears to your eyes. The recounting of his controversial decision to evacuate the rescue workers that were still climbing up the stairs of the North tower was compelling and probably saved the lives of hundreds of fire fighters. Reading his description of the collapse of the North tower while he was still on its 7th floor is almost as indescribable as the sounds he was hearing. And then his description of trying to figure out if he was dead or alive ("maybe this is what it feels like to be dead") are just some of the highlights that come to mind. But after all is said and done, it's the "diary" of his entire day, in story form, from the senior FDNY officer in the upper floors of the North tower, that puts you in the tower, with he and his men, in one of the most horrible, unimaginable situations the civilized world has ever experienced.What made the story even more real for me is that the book covers about 12 hours of Picciotto's day and took me about 12 hours to read, making it appear as a "real time" account of this piece of 9-11 history.

Fascinating insider's story of the collapse of the Twin Towers on 9/11. Picciotto is a Chief with the Fire Dept. sent to Ground Zero. As he is clearing the 2nd Tower with a group of other firefighters, the Tower collapses and traps him, his crew, some other firefighters, and one civilian in a stairwell. They are buried there for hours, trying to make contact with the outside, and assessing how many are alive with them in the debris-filled stairwell above and below them. After hours the dust settles and Picciotto sees daylight far above him. He and a few others venture to climb out of the hole and get the others rescued. But all they see is acres and acres of smoke, fire, debris, and dust. The book was fast-moving and tense, and a quick read. Two things I wish had been included in the book: 1) a diagram of the debris field and their location; and 2) an update on how he and the others recovered from the injuries they sustained. Highly recommend this book.

This story keeps alive the heroism that went on all throughout that fateful day

Buying this book is a no brainer! This is a very quick read, because it is so hard to put down. I bought the book because I saw the author tell his story in a 9/11 documentary and the story was so amazing, I wanted to learn more. So glad I bought it!

Like most people I was transfixed and horrified as tv blared the horrors of 9-11. The bravery of NYC’s firefighters is legendary on any given day, any given fire emergency. That the men and one woman trapped in the stairwell in the dark, surrounded by debris, ash and fumes didn’t panic when all seemed lost. It is unimaginable the terrors they must have faced waiting for rescue, if that was even a remote possibility. Chief Pitch never wavered from his training, from the belief that no man or woman be left behind at his own peril. His steadfastness kept those he was trapped with calm and motivated to stay alive, that he would somehow lead them out while facing his own mortality. An incredible story of bravery.

What every firee and officer should read

I had bought this book when it was first publishes but lent it out and never got it back. This was promptly dispatched in a very strong case that took some opening in very good condition for the price.I am enjoying reading it again.

Amazing book and story, I absolutely love it ❤ :)

As described and well packaged.

As a Firefighter found this very profound