To Sleep with the Angels: The Story of a Fire

This superbly well-written book can be read in one long evening (and once past the necessary "introductory" material, it is impossible to put down) and left me, and likely many other readers, about equally afflicted with both heartbreak and rage. A sadistic genius could not have designed a better firetrap than OLA was on the day of that fire. Add a Murphy's Law domino effect (anything that could have made the situation worse *did* happen) and it becomes a tragic story of 95 lambs to the slaughter. After the funerals were over, though, the lack of counseling - up to and including an official stance of "suck it up and move on", destroyed the happiness of many of the children who escaped unharmed, and it ultimately destroyed a very close and supportive middle class neighborhood. The book is never gruesome, though the descriptions of the firemen removing the bodies from the building teeter on the edge of it - the most tearful portion of the book. The national commission that investigated the fire after the fact said it all: "No new lessons were learned. Only old lessons that were ignored". They were learned after OLA: Today's schools are as safe as human minds and hands can make them. But it was too late for the 92 kids and three nuns of OLA. It most certainly does not classify as "light reading", but it is excellent. And one of the best tributes to those kids and their teachers is to read this book - so they will never be forgotten.

As a student of a Catholic elementary school in norhtern Illinois, I was shocked and scared to death by the rumors that came from my relatives in Chicago about this tragic event. I too went to an old two story frame school with stairs, high window sills and a six foot wrought iron fence around the perimeter of the school building waiting to spear anyone who would jump from above! This is a gripping and emotionally charged piece of literature, as well as an excellent piece of investigative reporting. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. My uncle, a commander in the Chicago Fire Department on that day, refuses to talk to this day other than to say ruefully is "That was a BAD fire." Through all the heartache and pain I read in each chapter, I could not separate myself from those children. As I watch my youngest go to high school now, I am grateful for the changes that came as a result of the OLA fire, yet an saddened and somewhat ashamed of the cost. As a legal practitioner, I bear a sense of guilt at the handling and prosecution of the person I believe (and the book believes) responsible for the deaths of 92 students and 3 nuns. As a former Catholic, I can recall all too well the absolute authority of the church, which ultimately failed its parishoners. I have passed the book along to a friend who is working on his Master's Degree is School Administration as a testament of the duties and responsibilities a community shares towards its schools. Although the subject of the book is a disaster about the most precious things on earth, our children, it serves well as an indictment for all to recognize the value of those too young to protect themselves. I wish there had been more development of the successes enjoyed by the survivors and possibly a summation ascribing the culmulative effects and benefits that resulted from the sweeeping changes regarding fire safety in our schools nationwide. Nevertheless, this book is an excellent read and an extraordinary piece of work. My hat is off to the authors.

This is a fantastic book, esp if you’re from Chicago and have ties to the Catholic schools of the city. This book is well written and well researched. It’ll stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it.

This book is the story of the fire at Our Lady of the Angels school in Chicago. This fire took place in 1958, and took the lives of 92 kids and 3 nuns. I was a child living in Chicago at the time, but I remember people mentioning Our Lady of the Angels in hushed tones, for a long time. I never knew what they were talking about, but I sensed their horror.This book does a good job of recording what happened, how the fire progressed, its causes, and the many mistakes and obstacles that prevented firefighters from getting to the school. It tells the stories of some of the people - kids who survived, ones who didn't, parents, firefighters, church officials, politicians, etc. It is a thorough history of the tragedy.Reading of a disaster isn't fun or pleasant, but this was part of my childhood, part of what happened in Chicago. I finally learned what my elders were talking about in horrified tones, so long ago.I don't know about recommending it to others. I think I'd recommend it to people who live in Chicago, who might care about the history of the city. For others, it might just be a sad description of a horrifying event, but not something they would want to read.

This book took me back to a painful time in otherwise happy years as a child. In December of 1958 I was a third grader at St. Peter Canisius School, just northwest of OLA. I can remember watching the news bulletins on television, my mother weeping and praying and the unbelievable sadness at the sight of the dozens of small coffins. The changes in school fire codes were swift. Before the end of the school year, we were on half-day shifts because our basement classroom (somewith block glass windows) did not meet fire code. The authors of this book have brought to light that the 93 OLA martyrs left a legacy of change and improved safety for school children across the country and even around the world. I, too, was compelled to go back to the old neighborhoods - down North Avenue, past what used to be St. Anne's on Thomas Street where I was born, to Avers and Iowa. The authors remark how not even a plaque on the property remembers those who died. Even at this late date, I hope something will be done to remedy that injustice. I could not stop reading this book - even once past the horror of the actual fire, the investigative reporting was clear, concise, riveting and brings answers to so many questions. A must read, especially for Chicagoans.

Book arrived in adequate condition.very sad,harrowing read about a terrible event

A very interesting read about this tragedy that to this day has many unanswered questions.