POPULATION: 485

After a twelve-year hiatus, Michael Perry returned to his childhood home of New Auburn, Wisconsin, and proceeded to join the village's volunteer fire and rescue department. Saving homes and lives proved to be a noteworthy experience, thus providing direction in his own life. In a storyteller's tone, Perry describes how pulling victims from car wrecks, rescuing families from burning homes, and responding to numerous 911 calls regarding people (and animals and birds) in dire need went far beyond obligation. He describes how small-town life and volunteer work became part of a joyful and heart-wrenching reality that changed his life forever for the better. B.J.P. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 06]