Bomb Squad

December 18, 2006
Esposito and Gerstein, two ABC News journalists, spent 12 months on the job with members of the New York City Bomb Squad, beginning in Times Square on New Year's Eve 2003. They observed training, preparation and even live projects, albeit from a distance. What they produce is an intimate portrait of the 33 male technicians who have chosen this dangerous profession. These men are heroes, to be sure, but they are uninterested in seeing themselves that way. They are reticent, austere men, who approach the job of disarming bombs with a surgeon's focus. When asked how they chose this particular employment, they commonly answer, "Somebody has to do it." Esposito and Gerstein do not pass judgement on the force's efficacy or tackle the greater issue of terrorism. Rather they provide voice to these men and the lessons they can impart. In a particularly disquieting section, the authors detail the squad's role on 9/11, when squad member Claude Richards lost his life. The result of this exhaustive research is a dramatic, articulate examination of this important organization. In spite of the harrowing realities of post-9/11 America, the reader is left encouraged and inspired by the stories of these men, who consistently risk their lives to defend the country from further tragedy. (Mar).