Jason Sautel is a firefighter. This is his story of the pain he lives with everyday from calls that go bad, people he can't save, and the stress of the job. If you have ever wondered about how tough the job of a firefighter is, then this is a book you should read.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.

I would have connected much better with this “Christian” nonfiction book had it not used a plethora of curse words and a few crude gestures. These things are always disheartening to me, especially considering Ephesians 4:29 tells us that “no foul language is to come from [our mouths],” and Ephesians 5:4 says that “coarse and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable.”

What I really enjoyed about this book was the journey toward redemption. That journey is completely relatable, and it was well expressed throughout the book. There was a clear distinction between the darkness of sin and the light of salvation.

Here are a few quotes that landed on my highlights list:

“Few made it through. Those of us who did weren’t better than anyone else, but maybe we knew how to suffer more.”

“A firehouse at shift-change might not be the place to find gratitude, but at least it was full of a certain kind of family.”

“Radios are cute, but old-school eye contact and screaming was [sic] our modus operandi.”

“Do yourself a favor, Jason, and try to make good stories your priority.”
Note: That one felt profound to me as I read it.

“It was like all the words had been vacuumed out of my head.”
Note: That one was particularly expressive to me.

Triggers: suicide, depression (as a theme)

Content: profanity, expletives (excessive), sexual terms, graphic medical details, tobacco, crude gestures, alcohol, bars, drugs, suicide

Fantastic!!!! The Rescuer was a wonderful real world adventure of the transformative power of love. Jason's story is the divine spark of life glimmering out of the darkness. I could not put it down and I literally laughed and cried while reading I loved it. I highly recommend it.

Wow! This book is a memoir and inspirational. Jason Sautel let's you know what it's really like being a first responder. From the adrenaline rush to the aftermath. How when they can't save someone, it really affects them. Best of all, he finds Jesus through all his trails. I enjoyed this book. Oh, there is even a little romance.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for a Kindle Version of this book.

I enjoyed this non-fiction book about a firefighter. This is a true story about the author, his fall into darkness and his fight back. This was an emotional story but the author used details that made it easy to read. There are parts that you are able to connect with him and his struggles. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is one of my favorite books I've read this year! It's very well written and the stories of being a first responder are amazing yet sad. Books don't usually make me cry but this one did. Jason is such an incredible person and I am so happy for him that he found live and essentially was rescued himself. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

I love this book. As the wife of a paramedic, it offers a real, honest look at what the profession not only takes from you, but also what it gives back. Mr. Sautel's story is one that definitely needed to be told.

A powerfully-told, intense story about brokenness, trying to find hope in an exceptionally dark situation, and finding hope where one least expects it. Particularly notable for its dramatic writing style and colorful characters.

This is a true story written by a firefighting paramedic who was called to many traumatic events and suffered from similar symptoms to PTSD. Blocking himself off from help, he is slowly dying inside and firefighting becomes his drug and the only thing keeping him going. He shares some of the highs and lows of working for this essential service and how the rescuer became the rescued.
At what was probably the lowest point in his life he discovers God and the love of a woman who shows him it is possible to be saved. Although I am not a religious person I do believe everyone needs something or someone to believe in, giving purpose to their life and hope when bad things happen.
Reading this book revealed firefighting is a lot more than a service and has a very human side to it. I also like how each of them had an almost family like connection and looked out for each other. I know from personal experience how good this sort of work environment can be when times are tough.
You will also receive glimpses into his childhood eg his childhood experience of being placed in the janitor’s cupboard and feeling something brush up against him in the dark gave me the shivers.
This is an essential read if you want a behind the scenes view of this amazing service and the people involved. My review probably doesn’t do it justice.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this it was honest, heart breaking and inspiring. Although the American fire service is slightly different to the British one in terms of the type of incidents covered, I could still appreciate the job and the strain it puts on the firefighters. This is an essential read to just remind us what some people in society face in order to keep us safe. Well written, and well recommended.

Wow. What a great memoir. Jason tells us all about what it's really like to be a fireman- all the good, bad and in between that you see and live through. I really enjoyed the stories he shared, even the sad ones, because it shows us what it's really like. We learn about his mental health struggles through out his time as a fireman and how he eventually found God. Thank you to NetGalley and Nelson Books for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jason Sautel is a great story teller. His stories about his mental health struggle and the way he worked through his life is amazing. These are the types of stories people need to hear. True stories of heroes and their struggles are so inspiring. I am so happy that Jason found God and has such a platform to share his faith. Go Jason!!

Highly recommend this sweet read.

When I requested this book, I didn’t read the synopsis. I just saw a fireman jacket and hit request. Yes, I have a thing for firemen. I’m not one that falls for uniforms but I am a sucker for a man with a hose !

Jason has been a fireman forever. He’s seen it all and has given up on life. How can their be good in the world with everything going on in the world that he sees on a daily basis? Contemplating suicide several times, Jason just buries himself in his work. As long as he is helping people, it keeps his mind off of what’s really going on inside.

This is a story about a man whose seen the worse of the worse. He’s watched people die and found people dead. How do you feel there is a God when you see such awful things happen to good people? Then he meets Kristie. She’s always so happy and peaceful which is overflowing onto Jason as well. He knows that in order to be in a relationship with her, he is going to have to open his mind about Christianity.

I really enjoyed this read. I loved the firehouse stories along with the pranks. Some of the stories are sad also but it just shows what these guys really deal with.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank You Jason Sautel for your service and your story!

The Rescuer // by Jason Sautel

"You ever seen a mustard seed? I was the Demon Seed, but something as small as a mustard seed can change even the most hard-core of men."

Jason Sautel is a seasoned firefighter that has seen his fair share and more of the traumatic side of his profession. But rather than enjoying his well-deserved time off in between shifts, he craves to be back at the station where the dark hole inside of him doesn't feel quite as deep. In this memoir, he writes about his darkest fears and lowest moments but also about the journey back out of the dark.

No other book has made me want to cry as much as this one in the last couple of days. Even knowing that it ends positively from the summary, I had a hard time understanding how someone could come back from the kind of despair that Sautel was feeling. The cases he recounts are absolutely heart-wrenching and I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to be there experiencing them in person. I knew firefighters were tough but this book gives me a whole new appreciation for just how tough they really are. This book was a pretty quick read and had me hanging on to every work the entire time. While I wish it was a little longer and that we could hear more about the love that helped him out of the dark, I do know that this is a book that will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

And an extra thank you to Jason Sautel for his service.

Great personal account of big city fire fighting and finding life from darkness.. Paul tells his story about trying to break up the black hole in his heart while telling tales from his job as an Oakland Firefighter. The stories will move you to tears as Paul struggles with his own darkness inside him

At first I must admit that I wasn't that excited about a book about firemen. Been there and done that through books and TV. WOW, was I surprised. This book caught my attention from the first page and I couldn't stop reading it. The way the scenes the firemen went through were described so vividly that I really did put myself into his situation. But what made the book more interesting was the way he intertwined his tough life with his job of being a fireman. He couldn't rescue himself so he spent his entire life helping others. Little did we know that he would be "rescued" from an unlikely source. The only bad thing about this book is that it ended. When I turned the page and it was over, I was truly sad. What an inspiring book and I hope it is one that you definitely read soon. Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read such a wonderful story and a well-written book! Do yourself a favor and check this one out soon.

This was a really good book. I never really thought of what the first responders fought with internally. We see them as hero's but you never really think about the demons they carry around from the calls the go on.

I heard about this book during a virtual session at ALA this year. As a former first responder myself, I was excited to read Jason's journey. He has incredible faith and remarkable story of how he got to where he is today! This was so inspiring and made me question my own faith, in a good way. Highly recommend for all those in the helping field.

This is a peak behind the fire station doors of what these brave men and women deal with everyday. I appreciated the author's raw and honesty writing style. I felt every emotion that he described in the book. As a Christian I appreciated reading of the struggles that he went through and how he eventually overcame his past. I would recommend this book.

This is an amazing story of a career firefighter's life, calls, and faith. As a firefighter myself I can relate to the highs and lows of the job. As a Christian, I can relate to Sautel's story on a deeper level. While our backgrounds and experiences are different the job is one and the same.

Sautel has had some incredibly devastating, life-changing, and heart-wrenching calls. Being a firefighter is a rewarding career, but it takes its toll, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. He cuts through the crap and tells it like it is in all of its gorry-glory.

What an amazing story, I'm sure Sautel has more incredible stories to tell and I can't wait to see what God will write through him.

5 Stars!