A survivor of a fire that easily could have killed him, Brian P. Walsh came to realize that, although the scars he carried would never disappear, his life was waiting to be lived.

An enthusiastic volunteer fireman beginning at age 16, Walsh --- who was 17 at the time of the incident --- ran into a burning building one fateful night in 1981, under orders and full of youthful courage. A freak flare that no one could have predicted set his face on fire. Once he got to a hospital, there was little chance that he would live another day. But with screamingly painful treatments, kind hospital mentors, a supportive family and the innate will to survive, Walsh walked out months later with a strange plastic mask that covered his entire head.

"...[a] beyond-remarkable autobiography... BEYOND THE MASK reads like a prolonged, but always engaging, speech... Walsh’s acceptance [of what happened] and the determination underlying it have yielded a truly rewarding life."

Those who met him saw only his mouth, the underside of his nose and his two eyes that suffered from lack of lids. Under the mask were scars that would stay with him to this day. Not only had he recovered from the burns of that October night and somehow mentally overcome the horrors of months in the burn ward, he had resisted a hospital infection that killed others in the ward. He knew he was fortunate, even though the treatment he received from others once back in the regular world was at times both hurtful and enraging.

Yet, 40 years later, Walsh can report that he started and has maintained a successful career as an insurance agent (after being warned that such work would be too “face-to-face” for someone with his obvious handicap in appearance). He met, courted and married a young woman who knew, from photos, what he looked like under his mask but could not resist his personal charm and humor. Today he has the opportunity to share his memories and his vibrant philosophy as an inspirational speaker.

In the first part of this beyond-remarkable autobiography, Walsh gives a minute-by-minute account of the fire and his long road to recuperation. In the second, much longer portion, he describes his gradual climb to success and his wish that the phrase “That’s Brian” would mean “something positive, something that made others happy.” He is living out that aspiration in his work for charities, including support for firefighters.

BEYOND THE MASK reads like a prolonged, but always engaging, speech; in fact, it opens and closes with accounts of Walsh’s feelings about the presentations he has been invited to give. He knows all too well that his appearance could be a barrier for some people, and has concluded that we all wear masks, disguising our true feelings. He encapsulates what he has learned since the fire as a universal lesson: “In truth, there are only two choices before you at all times. 1. Accept what happened. 2. Slowly be ruined by what happened.” Walsh’s acceptance and the determination underlying it have yielded a truly rewarding life.