by Susan Hagen and Mary Carouba.

     A powerful collection of first-person stories told by 30 female firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and others who responded to the World Trade Center tragedy on September 11, 2001.  In response to the media's portrayal of rescue workers as "firemen, policemen, brothers, and the brave guys," California authors Susan Hagen and Mary Carouba set out for Manhattan shortly after the terrorist attacks to find and interview women rescue workers.  Each story is illustrated with a stunning black-and-white portrait by Oakland, CA photographer Joyce Benna.  The book includes stories of three female rescue workers who died in their efforts to save others.

"This exceptional book goes a long way to fill in a major gap in the coverage of the events of that fateful Tuesday and the days of horror and heroism that followed."   New York Daily News

"The interviews convey the triumph of the human spirit despite adversity.  And they weave a tragic, unfathomable tale packed with gripping first-person dialogue."   The Chicago Tribune

"These women divulge.  They summon details.  The women's capacity for wonder and doubt -- and their willingness to express it -- fills the book."   The Washington Post