When The Bronx Burned Author Photo
Gritty Historical Novel Leads Readers Into a True South Bronx Tale Filled with
Arson, Slumlords & NY’s Bravest
Decorated Retired South Bronx Fire Fighter Chronicles How Heroes Helped Save a NYC Community While Losing Their Lives in the Process
John Finucane has written a riveting and fast moving novel … Not only does he nail the drama in a way only an experienced firefighter can, be literally puts the reader inside the fire scene … Reading John Finucane’s comprehensive description brought back memories of my admiration for firefighters everywhere.
-- Charles J. Hynes, Kings County District Attorney,
Former Fire Commissioner of NYC
In his gripping new novel, John Finucane, a retired NYC Fire Department lieutenant, draws on his real life experiences while chronicling New York’s best kept secret in a dramatic tale of slumlords hiring arson-for-profit gangs to level the South Bronx in the turbulent late 1960s and 1970s. All of which happened while the city’s politicians turned a blind eye to the murderous results.
When the Bronx Burned, is a historical novel that follows New York’s bravest as they fight flames, arsonists and politicians;
When the Bronx Burned is a gripping and heart-wrenching dramatization of a true-life ten year dirty secret, recounting a period that saw one of New York’s most colossal failures in urban planning resulting in widespread greed, desperation and destruction. John Finucane shares an insider’s view that pulls no punches when laying praise – and placing blame – for one of the most heroic and harrowing periods in New York City firefighting history.
About the Author
The son of Irish immigrants, John Finucane was born and raised in New York’s infamous South Bronx. After serving as a paratrooper in the 1/503rd Airborne Battle Group of the 82nd Airborne Division, John began his career as a firefighter. For more than two decades he fought fires in some of the toughest ghetto neighborhoods in NYC. His personal experience working in two of the busiest fire companies (Engine 85 and Ladder 59) in the South Bronx was the inspiration for When the Bronx Burned.
A retired lieutenant, John is a member of FDNY’s Honor Legion, and he served proudly at Ground Zero doing recovery work for the victims. He is the founder and former chairperson of the “Advocates for a 9-11 Fallen Heroes Memorial” (http://www.911fallenheroes.org/
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
