Lifeguard: A Love Story

I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir that so perfectly captured the Rockaway beach ambience. Janet sounds like an amazing person and her tenacity in sticking with the male dominated lifeguarding culture during the 80s and 90s was inspiring. The part of the book that details her efforts at taking on the entrenched bureaucracy was compelling. At the same time, portions of her story that reflect the intransigence and short sightedness of the higher ups in the lifeguarding world were infuriating, particularly as she details how these issues put the public at risk on occasion. All in all, a perfect summer read for those who like to read memoirs by "ordinary" people doing extraordinary things.

I know the Love Story part of this memoir is about her love for her job as a Lifeguard and her love of the ocean, but this is no wimpy love affair. Janet is tough and never more so than when she spoke the truth to power taking on corruption so that she could protect the beach goers and her own lifeguards. I'm from California so I didn't know anything about New Yorks lifeguards, and it was interesting and eye-opening to say the least. That she was able to do her job for over 40 years is a testament to her strength. As someone who got pulled out of a rip current one summer by a lifeguard, I appreciate what they do.

I think the subtitle “A Love Story “ is a misnomer. Although the author obviously loved being a lifeguard, most of the book is about how dysfunctional and corrupt the New York City lifeguard system is. That said, I found the book an interesting read that held my attention.

I had reached an advanced reader copy and I appreciate the format of the book along with the stories that are told throughout. I think formatting wise some transitions to different stories and life experiences felt a little out of place in the flow of the memoir. But overall, I throughly enjoyed the book especially as someone from NYC myself!

Thanks to LibraryThing, the author, and the publisher for this ARC.

What a perfect time to be reading this book about a woman professional lifeguard. It's the first for me obviously and not even sure if I've ever heard of one professionally -- only the teenage lifeguards I remember from growing up swimming in my local pools, which is why I wanted to read it.

She comes from a family of 7 kids and she's the 3rd oldest. Her sister followed her into lifeguarding and they were stationed at the same place for a while and her brother Alex was one too. Of course at Rockaway Beach but it's pretty long so you could be assigned anywhere.

She was 15 when the book began in 1974. She was 19 when she first signed up to become a lifeguard. Lifeguards take show more their jobs seriously but there was a lot of drinking, etc. but after hours of course. When she graduated college, she was undecided if she wanted to go back to lifeguarding. However, the head of the lifeguard's union promoted her to lieutenant; her and another female. I really think, and she did too, that they wanted to meet their quota of female lieutenants.

I learned that there are two types of lifeguards. Those who do it as a college job, from the age of 16 until they graduate high school and those who are lifers. If you were a lifer, you had a to find another job for the off-season. Teaching is the real choice of job because of their schedules except when it overlaps in May when school was still in session and lifeguarding season started. The second was the surfers. They lifeguarded all Summer and when season was over, they collected unemployment and went off to someplace warm. She became a teacher and a regular substitute.

It takes you through the decades, and in the 1980s, when tragedies happened in her family when her brother John was killed when he lost control of his jeep and overturned. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Then their mom died of cancer. However, Janet and Bob, who she met through a lifeguard friend. He was a former lifeguard and now a firefighter, did get married.

In 1998, she was promoted to the first female chief position. A lot of politics were involved and backstabbing. In 1991, she gave birth to a son and took childcare leave (maternity leave). In 1993, when she was pregnant with her daughter, she went back to her lifeguarding job. There weren't that many lifeguards with kids of their own. Her kids grew up on the beach and the lifeguards there knew them and watched out for them and the kids like them too.

it ends in 2025 when she and Bob move to Puerto Rico, after she retires of course.

I really did learn a lot about lifeguarding, lifeguards, the ocean, and many more things. show less

I received Lifeguard: A Love Story by Janet Fash and Clio Chang through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers programme.

I am a Brooklynite who grew up on the beach at Coney Island, Brighton Beach and Rockaway at the time that Janet was a lifeguard.

Seeing the lifeguards in action I often wondered what drew the men and women to the job. Janet, who was promoted to the position of first female chief, answered all of my questions and more.

Told in a conversational manner, Janet's story is one of resilience, determination and humor. I would recommend this memoir to anyone who enjoys a behind the scenes view to an important occupation. And of course it makes the perfect Summer read...at home or at the beach!