Finding John

September 11, 2001 was one of the darkest days in American history. Finding John is an eyewitness account of the devastation caused by the World Trade Center collapse and the rescue efforts of the first 24 hours. In the days, weeks, and months following, as people all across the New York area grieved their losses and struggled with how to move forward, life for firefighters became a whirlwind of searching for human remains, staffing firehouses, caring for the families of the fallen, and attending hundreds of funerals—all performed in the spotlight of new-found national media attention. There would be countless stories about firefighters written in the aftermath of September 11, both positive and negative.

In March of 2002, Firefighter Andrew Serra and a team of rescue workers uncovered the remains of a fallen firefighter. Later that year, a story would be published which accused that deceased fireman of a terrible breach of duty and honor. Like all firefighters, Andrew Serra passed the months and years after 9/11 putting the pieces of the Fire Department—and life in general—back together again. He would spend many more years, however, searching for the truth.

Part memoir, part investigative history, Finding John is the poignant, emotional story of a firefighter’s life in the months and years after September 11.