Status
Available
Publication
New York, NY : Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2019.
Description
History. Politics. Military. Nonfiction. HTML:2020 AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR AUDIE AWARD WINNER! 2020 MULTI-VOICED PERFORMANCE AUDIE AWARD WINNER! Audio bonus! The audio edition includes an exclusive interview with Garrett Graff and Holter Graham as well as archival audio from United States Presidential addresses, In-Flight Communications, and Air Traffic Control. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "This is history at its most immediate and moving...A marvelous and memorable book." �??Jon Meacham �??"Remarkable...A priceless civic gift...On page after page, a reader will encounter words that startle, or make him angry, or heartbroken." �??The Wall Street Journal "Had me turning each page with my heart in my throat...There's been a lot written about 9/11, but nothing like this. I urge you to read it." �??Katie Couric The first comprehensive oral history of September 11, 2001�??a panoramic narrative woven from voices on the front lines of an unprecedented national trauma. Over the past eighteen years, monumental literature has been published about 9/11, from Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower to The 9/11 Commission Report. But one perspective has been missing up to this point�??a 360-degree account of the day told through firsthand. Now, in The Only Plane in the Sky, Garrett Graff tells the story of the day as it was lived�??in the words of those who lived it. Drawing on never-before-published transcripts, declassified documents, original interviews, and oral histories from nearly five hundred government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends, and family members, he paints the most vivid and human portrait of the September 11 attacks yet. Beginning in the predawn hours of airports in the Northeast, we meet the ticket agents who unknowingly usher terrorists onto their flights, and the flight attendants inside the hijacked planes. In New York, first responders confront a scene of unimaginable horror at the Twin Towers. From a secret bunker under the White House, officials watch for incoming planes on radar. Aboard unarmed fighter jets in the air, pilots make a pact to fly into a hijacked airliner if necessary to bring it down. In the skies above Pennsylvania, civilians aboard United 93 make the ultimate sacrifice in their place. Then, as the day moves forward and flights are grounded nationwide, Air Force One circles the country alone, its passengers isolated and afraid. More than simply a collection of eyewitness testimonies, The Only Plane in the Sky is the historic narrative of how ordinary people grappled with extraordinary events in real time: the father and son caught on different ends of the impact zone; the firefighter searching for his wife who works at the World Trade Center; the operator of in-flight telephone calls who promises to share a passenger's last words with his family; the beloved FDNY chaplain who bravely performs last rites for the dying, losing his own life when the Towers collapse; and the generals at the Pentagon who break down and weep when they are barred from trying to rescue their colleagues. At once a powerful tribute to the courage of everyday Americans and an essential addition to the literature of 9/11, The Only Plane in the Sky weaves together the unforgettable personal experiences of the men and women who found themselves caught at the center of an unprecedented human drama. The result is a unique, profound, and searing exploration of humanity on a day that changed the course of history,… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Cariola
If you only read one book about 9/11 in your lifetime, this should be the one. Working with oral historians, Graff has cobbled together a remarkable narrative of the events of the day and the day after, as well as an epilogue that follows up on the US response and the lives of some of the speakers.
Graff has taken on a monumental task here, but he has achieved his goal. I know that I relived the day--where I was, what I was doing, how I felt--as I listened to the narrative, and I feel that every reader or listener will have the same experience. As a side note: I haven't been listening to many audiobooks lately, but this one worked extremely well. It has a cast of over 40 actors, and their heartfelt performances made it easier to follow the various persons' stories. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to lock that day in memory, and for anyone too young to have a memory of the most ominous day in our history.
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Hundreds of people's stories are included, from the obvious (the president, Veep, Secretary of Defense, and Mayor Giuliani and, of course, first responders and survivors) to the unexpected. There's the airport worker who checked in Mohammed Atta and encouraged him to hurry so as not to miss his flight; students in a nearby school; reporters who were travelling on Air Force One; the victim's family members, including a woman who gave birth during the tragedy; taped calls from personnel on the doomed planes; and many, many more. It's a sad, horrifying, but riveting narrative of the greatest attack ever on American soil. Particularly moving are the stories of people helping strangers and looking for friends, coworkers, and family. Some of these stories are told in short pieces as the day progresses. Particularly moving is that of a married couple--he a fireman, she a police officer; this one has a happy ending amidst all the stories of loss. The narrative moves from Manhattan to the Pentagon to the site of the Flight 93 crash in Pennsylvania, traces the president's convoluted journey from Florida back to Washington, and details fears of additional attacks that cleared the skies and sent bombers up with orders to take down suspicious commercial airplanes. Graff has taken on a monumental task here, but he has achieved his goal. I know that I relived the day--where I was, what I was doing, how I felt--as I listened to the narrative, and I feel that every reader or listener will have the same experience. As a side note: I haven't been listening to many audiobooks lately, but this one worked extremely well. It has a cast of over 40 actors, and their heartfelt performances made it easier to follow the various persons' stories. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to lock that day in memory, and for anyone too young to have a memory of the most ominous day in our history.
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LibraryThing member stellarexplorer
If journalism is the first rough draft of history, this effort twenty years after straddles the two. The focus is on the what and not the why, and any interpretation or context is the immediate and preliminary, as expressed at the time. Two decades begins to sound like history, but this book is
Garrett Graff has amassed a monumental collection of first person accounts, descriptions, and memories, as well as contemporaneous news reporting and commentary to tell the story of 9/11. We revisit that day through those who escaped the World Trade Center or survived the Pentagon attack, those on the phone with loved ones on the fourth plane, first responders, many of whom lost family and coworkers, and political and news figures. These accounts are organized into readable chapters, each telling a story chronologically beginning in the the early morning, and topically, as the day unfolded in multiple places and in multiple ways. The political reactions and responses are part of the narrative. Witness the title, which refers to the grounded US air fleet, and the one plane still airborne: that of President George W. Bush on his way back to Washington.
Do you want to read a comprehensive narrative of the 9/11attacks? I can only say that I did want to be reminded. I will never forget both the confusion and horror for me personally that day, and the aftermath in NYC in the days following, as a feeling of shared trauma and intimate connection united everyone for a brief moment. It was a singular experience, and I recall a feeling of privilege to bear witness personally to the tragedy through the experience of New Yorkers. The details of that day are not pretty, although many are heroic. And forgetting isn’t my preferred style. I prefer remembering, acknowledging, being aware, and accepting where possible. An important piece of my life is more strongly anchored and won’t blow away.
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mostly about the event itself as it unfolded and the events on the ground as they were lived. Passing the 20th anniversary of America’s worst terrorist attack, a whole generation has grown up unaware of the details of that grim day. And for those who lived through it, it remains an unforgettable “where were you then” moment in lives which for most contain only a handful of such moments.Garrett Graff has amassed a monumental collection of first person accounts, descriptions, and memories, as well as contemporaneous news reporting and commentary to tell the story of 9/11. We revisit that day through those who escaped the World Trade Center or survived the Pentagon attack, those on the phone with loved ones on the fourth plane, first responders, many of whom lost family and coworkers, and political and news figures. These accounts are organized into readable chapters, each telling a story chronologically beginning in the the early morning, and topically, as the day unfolded in multiple places and in multiple ways. The political reactions and responses are part of the narrative. Witness the title, which refers to the grounded US air fleet, and the one plane still airborne: that of President George W. Bush on his way back to Washington.
Do you want to read a comprehensive narrative of the 9/11attacks? I can only say that I did want to be reminded. I will never forget both the confusion and horror for me personally that day, and the aftermath in NYC in the days following, as a feeling of shared trauma and intimate connection united everyone for a brief moment. It was a singular experience, and I recall a feeling of privilege to bear witness personally to the tragedy through the experience of New Yorkers. The details of that day are not pretty, although many are heroic. And forgetting isn’t my preferred style. I prefer remembering, acknowledging, being aware, and accepting where possible. An important piece of my life is more strongly anchored and won’t blow away.
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LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11, Garrett M. Graff, author, Holter Graham and a full cast, narrators.
This book brings back every emotion and thought that one had on that day as if it was not in the past, but as if it were occurring now in real time. The tension is palpable because
As each person relates his thoughts that day, some on what they expected their day to be like, some remembering the thoughts they expressed to their loved ones and friends the last time they spoke to or saw them, and some relating their personal experiences on that day, the choices they made that determined who lived and who died, the reader may find themselves growing deeply, emotionally involved. In some cases, chance simply determined who survived, and happenstance decided one’s ultimate fate. In other cases, a victim survived because of the sacrifice of others on their behalf.
September 11, 2001, was witness to the birth of many heroes, along with the horrific deaths and injuries of many innocent victims. It was also the birth of an America that knew that evil existed and was alive and well. The reader will feel mixed emotions throughout, perhaps anger, perhaps fear, perhaps sadness, but for sure, the reader will feel gratitude to those in uniform who came to the aid of a country in danger, who ran into the violence engulfing the Towers, ignoring their own safety in order to protect those who needed to escape.
What struck me most was the calmness with which the trained professionals approached their situation. Although terrorized by the hijackings or terrified when trapped in a burning building, or facing their own imminent death, their disaster training kicked in, and they reacted bravely in order to save those who were placed in their care or to calm those who were panicked.
What also struck me was the depth of confusion that surrounded the attack on our country. I think that we should have been expecting it after the first attack in 1993, at the Towers, during Bill Clinton’s Presidency. Either our memories faded too quickly or in our arrogance, we simply believed in our own invulnerability. Surely, there were warning signs.
In 2001, our technology was not as advanced as it is today, so communication virtually stopped causing even more confusion. Phones didn’t work, some television stations were wiped out, and although the hospitals were prepared to take in casualties, in case of every kind of disaster, this was not one for which they had trained; anyway, their services were largely unnecessary because there were, in the end, far fewer survivors than expected. Still, it was reassuring to know that protocols were followed; the President was whisked away to a safe place, our security services were mobilized, our officials were protected, and so was our country and our way of life. We never lost control of the seat of government.
The times were different then. Although there had been a seriously contested Presidential election, decided ultimately by the Supreme Court, the Democrats crossed the aisle and supported the Republican President, George W. Bush. They did not obstruct his efforts to calm the nation. Today, as we suffer through a catastrophic pandemic, once again the Democrats are objecting to and denying the legitimacy of a President. Therefore they are obstructing his efforts to calm the nation, even ridiculing and blaming him for causing the disease that is infecting us, a disease whose origin was in China, a disease for which China is solely to blame.
So this book made me realize that we have two disasters to consider, and therefore, we are forced to consider the political atmosphere then and compare it to the atmosphere now. In both cases, the country was at war. In the first instance the war was with an ideology and in the second with a virus. Both are as dangerous to our country, our security and our future. Having lived through that time with family members who suffered economic consequences in their professional life, having their futures altered unalterably, I am reminded that today, people are also facing the same prospect of losing their economic security. Still, in 2001, in the face of the attack on our country, we united. In 2020, in the face of an attack on our country, we did not. Ultimately, history will be the judge of the political parties and how they dealt with the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic, brought to us by China alone, and they will be judged by how they handled not only the disease, but also the concurrent violent protests occurring in our cities, protests about the moral fiber of our country, protests that seems to be brought to us courtesy of our own left-wing citizens, perhaps citizens who are also confused, as some were on 9/11. Is there a greater enemy facing us in our own country now, an enemy using a medical crisis to destroy our way of life? Is there an enemy within?
As the book seamlessly moves from one speaker to another, connecting the dots that were randomly scattered on that fateful day, one realizes that someday, someone will write a book about the current attack on our country. Someday someone will recognize again, that evil is alive and well, and it wears many faces and many masks.
This book brings back every emotion and thought that one had on that day as if it was not in the past, but as if it were occurring now in real time. The tension is palpable because
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of the varied readers and familiar names sprinkled throughout. The recollections of flight attendants, air traffic controllers, firemen, policemen and government officials combine to make it extremely authentic. The research into the accounts of individuals and the placement of their comments throughout the narrative is well organized and is often heartrending.As each person relates his thoughts that day, some on what they expected their day to be like, some remembering the thoughts they expressed to their loved ones and friends the last time they spoke to or saw them, and some relating their personal experiences on that day, the choices they made that determined who lived and who died, the reader may find themselves growing deeply, emotionally involved. In some cases, chance simply determined who survived, and happenstance decided one’s ultimate fate. In other cases, a victim survived because of the sacrifice of others on their behalf.
September 11, 2001, was witness to the birth of many heroes, along with the horrific deaths and injuries of many innocent victims. It was also the birth of an America that knew that evil existed and was alive and well. The reader will feel mixed emotions throughout, perhaps anger, perhaps fear, perhaps sadness, but for sure, the reader will feel gratitude to those in uniform who came to the aid of a country in danger, who ran into the violence engulfing the Towers, ignoring their own safety in order to protect those who needed to escape.
What struck me most was the calmness with which the trained professionals approached their situation. Although terrorized by the hijackings or terrified when trapped in a burning building, or facing their own imminent death, their disaster training kicked in, and they reacted bravely in order to save those who were placed in their care or to calm those who were panicked.
What also struck me was the depth of confusion that surrounded the attack on our country. I think that we should have been expecting it after the first attack in 1993, at the Towers, during Bill Clinton’s Presidency. Either our memories faded too quickly or in our arrogance, we simply believed in our own invulnerability. Surely, there were warning signs.
In 2001, our technology was not as advanced as it is today, so communication virtually stopped causing even more confusion. Phones didn’t work, some television stations were wiped out, and although the hospitals were prepared to take in casualties, in case of every kind of disaster, this was not one for which they had trained; anyway, their services were largely unnecessary because there were, in the end, far fewer survivors than expected. Still, it was reassuring to know that protocols were followed; the President was whisked away to a safe place, our security services were mobilized, our officials were protected, and so was our country and our way of life. We never lost control of the seat of government.
The times were different then. Although there had been a seriously contested Presidential election, decided ultimately by the Supreme Court, the Democrats crossed the aisle and supported the Republican President, George W. Bush. They did not obstruct his efforts to calm the nation. Today, as we suffer through a catastrophic pandemic, once again the Democrats are objecting to and denying the legitimacy of a President. Therefore they are obstructing his efforts to calm the nation, even ridiculing and blaming him for causing the disease that is infecting us, a disease whose origin was in China, a disease for which China is solely to blame.
So this book made me realize that we have two disasters to consider, and therefore, we are forced to consider the political atmosphere then and compare it to the atmosphere now. In both cases, the country was at war. In the first instance the war was with an ideology and in the second with a virus. Both are as dangerous to our country, our security and our future. Having lived through that time with family members who suffered economic consequences in their professional life, having their futures altered unalterably, I am reminded that today, people are also facing the same prospect of losing their economic security. Still, in 2001, in the face of the attack on our country, we united. In 2020, in the face of an attack on our country, we did not. Ultimately, history will be the judge of the political parties and how they dealt with the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic, brought to us by China alone, and they will be judged by how they handled not only the disease, but also the concurrent violent protests occurring in our cities, protests about the moral fiber of our country, protests that seems to be brought to us courtesy of our own left-wing citizens, perhaps citizens who are also confused, as some were on 9/11. Is there a greater enemy facing us in our own country now, an enemy using a medical crisis to destroy our way of life? Is there an enemy within?
As the book seamlessly moves from one speaker to another, connecting the dots that were randomly scattered on that fateful day, one realizes that someday, someone will write a book about the current attack on our country. Someday someone will recognize again, that evil is alive and well, and it wears many faces and many masks.
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LibraryThing member katiekrug
Over 15 hours long on audio, this riveting account of September 11 tells the stories of ordinary people, first responders, rescue workers, and politicians in their own words. It covers the lead-up to the attacks, what went on in the three planes that were crashed, how the government reacted, how
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people searched for loved ones - nearly every facet one can think of is covered, at least in part. Parts of it are harrowing, some inspiring, some heart-breaking, and some rage-inducing. The whole thing is very well done, but it took me over a month to listen to because it is extraordinarily detailed and truly took me back to that day, so much so that I could only listen in small pieces lest I get overwhelmed all over again. Show Less
LibraryThing member phoenixcomet
Intelligently woven and captivating recounting using first hand accounts of the epic disaster of 9-11. Covering the multi-layered attack on the US by Al-Qaeda, at that time a little known terrorism group to Americans, The Only Plane in the Sky creates an engrossing narrative of heroes and victims,
Four US flights were infiltrated by terrorists who targeted the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Capitol. Thanks to the bravery of United Airlines Flight 93 passengers, they took the plane back from the terrorists and ditched the flight in Shanksville, PA saving the lives of countless others that would've died in the Capitol building.
This is a book that every person should read.
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of military and political response and gives the reader an unerring sense of what that day felt like to countless Americans, including myself. Four US flights were infiltrated by terrorists who targeted the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Capitol. Thanks to the bravery of United Airlines Flight 93 passengers, they took the plane back from the terrorists and ditched the flight in Shanksville, PA saving the lives of countless others that would've died in the Capitol building.
This is a book that every person should read.
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LibraryThing member Daniel.Estes
Listen to the audiobook if you can! Multiple readers give the recitation a haunting but more human feel.
LibraryThing member susan0316
Like many people, I remember where I was on the morning of September 11, 2001. I was glued to the TV for days afterwards and I cried with the rest of the nation. Since then, I've read many books and articles about that day but nothing that touched me like this book. The author did considerable
"All told, 2,606 people died at the World Trade Center in New York City and another 125 at the Pentagon; 206 people died when their planes were hijacked and crashed into the centers of America's financial and military power; another 40 died in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, as brave passengers and crew wrestled control of United flight 93 back from the hijackers." (p xix)
More than simply a collection of eyewitness testimonies, The Only Plane in the Sky is the historic narrative of how ordinary people grappled with extraordinary events in real time: the father and son working in the North Tower, caught on different ends of the impact zone; the firefighter searching for his wife who works at the World Trade Center; the operator of in-flight telephone calls who promises to share a passenger’s last words with his family; the beloved FDNY chaplain who bravely performs last rites for the dying, losing his own life when the Towers collapse; and the generals at the Pentagon who break down and weep when they are barred from rushing into the burning building to try to rescue their colleagues.
This book was very emotional for me to read and I had to put it down many times. I knew the story...I knew the ending but hearing about it in the words of the people who were there made it even more difficult to read. I am so glad that I read it and think it will be a valuable book for people who were too young to remember 9/11 to understand the impact that it had on America and the entire world.
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research and got thousands of oral history stories from people who were there - the workers and firefighters at the Towers, the families who waited for their loved ones to come home, the people at the Pentagon as well as Pennsylvania and what was going on in the White House as the continuing news brought more horror and sometimes confusion to our leaders."All told, 2,606 people died at the World Trade Center in New York City and another 125 at the Pentagon; 206 people died when their planes were hijacked and crashed into the centers of America's financial and military power; another 40 died in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, as brave passengers and crew wrestled control of United flight 93 back from the hijackers." (p xix)
More than simply a collection of eyewitness testimonies, The Only Plane in the Sky is the historic narrative of how ordinary people grappled with extraordinary events in real time: the father and son working in the North Tower, caught on different ends of the impact zone; the firefighter searching for his wife who works at the World Trade Center; the operator of in-flight telephone calls who promises to share a passenger’s last words with his family; the beloved FDNY chaplain who bravely performs last rites for the dying, losing his own life when the Towers collapse; and the generals at the Pentagon who break down and weep when they are barred from rushing into the burning building to try to rescue their colleagues.
This book was very emotional for me to read and I had to put it down many times. I knew the story...I knew the ending but hearing about it in the words of the people who were there made it even more difficult to read. I am so glad that I read it and think it will be a valuable book for people who were too young to remember 9/11 to understand the impact that it had on America and the entire world.
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LibraryThing member carolfoisset
Huge emotional impact listening to this book - to hear people tell their story from that day. I didn't realize how much that I did not know about that day. Fascinating to learn about the details of what was happening in real time as the events unfolded. I lived through this event yet this book made
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me realize how much I did not know about what happened that day. This book is an incredible resource for the generation that did not live through it and probably don't understand the emotional impact of that day. Show Less
LibraryThing member almin
As a rule I don't write reviews, but I'm breaking that rule to recommend The Only Plane in the Sky. It is an extraordinary oral history of 9/11 and the people who lived through it and the ones who died. The stories of bravery by first responders and ordinary citizens; a detailed retelling of the
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events that occurred inside Air Force One while trying to decide how to get the president back to Washington. I highly recommend the audio book which used 45 different actors to tell the stories and actual audio between the flight attendants on the downed planes and the personnel on the ground with whom they were communicating. I can't imagine the experience is the same if reading the book. Also, at the end of the audio book is an interview with the actor who narrates the author's narrative and the author Garrett Graff; well worth listening to to hear the stories of their 9/11 experience. Show Less
LibraryThing member spinsterrevival
This was an amazing and heartbreaking read. I avoided a lot of news about 9/11, so much of this was new information to me. Reading the stories of the survivors was unbelievable, and I think everyone needs to read this book.
LibraryThing member Susan.Macura
This is one of the most beautiful and most horrific books that I have ever read. I learned so much about the events leading up to and during the attacks by the terrorists on 9/11 through the words of those who were directly impacted including people on the planes and in the buildings, their
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survivors and those involved in the government responses. It was honest, moving and incredibly sad, often moving me to tears. This book should be in every school library because students, many who have no first hand memories of this historic day, should understand the human impact these events had on so many of us. This is one of the best books I have ever read. Show Less
LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
This book consists of minute by minute snippets of dozens of people describing what they experienced or saw on that day. Overall, I'm glad I read it, but at times I found that the methodology did not work for me. Many of the snippets were quite short--one to three sentences, after which another
I will also note that the book is at times very graphic. I hadn't realized so many people jumped from the Twin Towers. I thought just a couple, or at most a few had jumped. Apparently there were dozens of jumpers, and this book devotes several pages to people describing the bodies splatting when they landed. There were also some pretty graphic descriptions of burn victims in the Pentagon.
If you're going to read just one book on the subject, I'd go for Fall and Rise, but this still goes in the recommended category.
3 stars
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person would speak for a few sentences, then another, and so on. A particular person might appear again to continue their story in a few pages, or maybe half the book later, or maybe would not reappear at all. I found the interrupted narratives disconcerting and disruptive. I personally would have appreciated the book more had each person's narrative been more complete. On the other hand, this method of narration did effectively represent the chaotic feel of that day, as people--ordinary people and government officials alike--were scrambling to figure out what was going on.I will also note that the book is at times very graphic. I hadn't realized so many people jumped from the Twin Towers. I thought just a couple, or at most a few had jumped. Apparently there were dozens of jumpers, and this book devotes several pages to people describing the bodies splatting when they landed. There were also some pretty graphic descriptions of burn victims in the Pentagon.
If you're going to read just one book on the subject, I'd go for Fall and Rise, but this still goes in the recommended category.
3 stars
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LibraryThing member Nancyjcbs
It is the month before the 20th year observance of 9/11. Author Garrett Graff begins the narration by explaining that nearly anyone who was alive at the time is eager to share their personal memories of that day. I definitely identified.
I listened to the oral history which included survivors,
This was an important book. It was difficult. I will never forget the day and I will never forget this book.
I listened to the oral history which included survivors,
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family members, White House and Congressional leaders, journalists and neighbors in New York, Arlington and Pennsylvania. It provided me with more insight into the day and the personal stories.This was an important book. It was difficult. I will never forget the day and I will never forget this book.
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LibraryThing member beckyhaase
The Only Plane in the Sky – Garrett M Graff
Subtitled AN Oral History Of 9/11, this is a collection of memories and statements that portray in timeline fashion what happened in the US on September 11, 2001. This was difficult to read. I could only read a bit before I had to put it down. Perhaps
Photographs of the destruction and incidents of the day are included. There is a lengthy section of notes, acknowledgements and indexes.
5 of 5 stars
Subtitled AN Oral History Of 9/11, this is a collection of memories and statements that portray in timeline fashion what happened in the US on September 11, 2001. This was difficult to read. I could only read a bit before I had to put it down. Perhaps
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those who did not live through that day will have a different reaction. It brought back all the confusion and horror of that day for me.Photographs of the destruction and incidents of the day are included. There is a lengthy section of notes, acknowledgements and indexes.
5 of 5 stars
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LibraryThing member Schmerguls
5764. The Only Plane in the Sky An Oral History of 9/11, by Garrett M. Graff (read 21 Nov 2021) This book, published in large print in 2019, is made up of words said by others than the author, and tells what numerous persons said of their experiences on 11 Sept 2001, when the four hijacked planes
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were crashed into the Twin Towers in New York, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. The oral statements are revealing and often of much interest. Nearly all the statements were made on Sept 11 and persons quoted range from government figures down to ordinary citizens. The large print book (the first Large Print book identified as such I have ever read) goes on and on for many pages and thus there is much repetition and eventually one palls reading some of the entries. Show Less
LibraryThing member dara85
What fascinating book. I could not put this down when I started reading.
Recollections from firemen, survivors, rescue workers and family members of those who did not survive. This is compilation of the various crashes on 9-11-2001. I had read two other very good books on 9-11, 102 Minutes by Jim
I had never read anything about what went on in the Pentagon, so that was all new to me.
This will be great book for those who were born after Sept 11, 2001 who are interested in what happened that day.
Recollections from firemen, survivors, rescue workers and family members of those who did not survive. This is compilation of the various crashes on 9-11-2001. I had read two other very good books on 9-11, 102 Minutes by Jim
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Dwyer which tells of what happened in the towers before they collapsed and Let's Roll by Lisa Beamer which tells the story of what happened on the plane, the passengers took over and forced it to crash in Pennsylvania. I had never read anything about what went on in the Pentagon, so that was all new to me.
This will be great book for those who were born after Sept 11, 2001 who are interested in what happened that day.
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LibraryThing member bookbutterfly
I was reading and listening to this book at first. I had to put the book away and listen to the audio version in its entirety. It was heart wrenching. My heart broke over and over while I was listening to this and the narrators did SUCH a good job. Including real snippets of the news briefings was
I would not put myself through this emotional turmoil again, but it was beautifully written and I have no complaints about it at all.
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such a great addition. This is a different side of 9/11. It isn't the side that we always speak to one another about... it's the side of those stuck in the rubble, losing their loved ones, and feeling helpless as this travesty occurred.I would not put myself through this emotional turmoil again, but it was beautifully written and I have no complaints about it at all.
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LibraryThing member Castlelass
This book provides an oral history of the events of 9/11, compiled from hundreds of interviews. It documents the personal stories of people involved in the tragedy of the twin towers, Pentagon, and hijacked aircrafts. The audio is read by a cast of professional narrators and includes excerpts from
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the actual recorded conversations with the flight attendants aboard the planes. The author has spoken with people who escaped the twin towers, family members of victims, first responders, military personnel, air traffic controllers, politicians, news reporters, White House staff, and eyewitnesses. It is intense, harrowing, and extremely sad. It is comprehensive, including many peripheral topics, one-liners, and interviews with high-profile individuals who were far removed from the events. The stories of ordinary people who were directly involved are gut-wrenching. Show Less
LibraryThing member kropferama
One of the most powerful books I've read in years. The power comes from witnesses providing first-hand accounts in their own words of one this country's worst days. Garrett Graff has gathered an extraordinary cross-section of voices from first responders, those in the buildings who escaped with
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moments to spare, air traffic controllers, news reporters, senior government officials, voice mails from those on the ill-fated planes. One of the revelations is that those in the buildings had no idea what was happening on the outside. The book opens with the unique perspective of the one American above it all, Commander Frank Culbertson, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station who could see the black cloud streaming from lower Manhattan. One of the extraordinary heroism that stands out is that of a Fire Chief Ray Downey, the head of NYFD's Special Operations who survived the collapse of the South Tower, and went back into the North Tower to direct rescue operations. He was last seen staying with a heavy-set gentleman on the stairway would couldn't move. There is even a section of the "9/11 Generation": perspectives from kindergarteners to college students. A difficult but compelling read. Show Less
LibraryThing member detailmuse
From the first pages:
On September 11, 2001, {NASA Space Station astronaut Frank Culbertson} was the only American off the planet.
”Every {90-minute} orbit, we kept trying to see more of what was happening. One of the most startling effects was that within about two orbits, all the contrails
This book is an expansion of Graff's 2016 article for POLITICO Magazine about President Bush’s path on 9/11 from a morning event in Florida back to Washington DC that evening. Here, he adds bits from the oral histories of hundreds of other people (or their surviving family members) who experienced or responded to the horrific events.
It’s riveting in its recall of that day, and will be in my year’s top ten (maybe #1). The bits that were new to me were mostly about the Pentagon or military, for example: 1) that the military planes (which were eventually scrambled to take down any confirmed hijacked commercial plane) didn’t hold weapons, so the pilots went in knowing it would be a kamikaze mission; 2) that as Air Force One abandoned the saturated commercial communications channels and shifted to military satellites, the US notified Putin so that Russia wouldn’t misinterpret the use of those satellites; and 3) that Obama’s first call after confirming bin Laden’s death in 2011 was to Bush.
I realize it was completely the author’s choice as to what material to include, and it felt fairly presented. I found myself Google-ing a lot, often to read more about various people. The book includes two sections of photographs and ends with a very good Index and Endnotes that spur further reading.
On September 11, 2001, {NASA Space Station astronaut Frank Culbertson} was the only American off the planet.
”Every {90-minute} orbit, we kept trying to see more of what was happening. One of the most startling effects was that within about two orbits, all the contrails
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normally crisscrossing the United States had disappeared because they had grounded all the airplanes and there was nobody else flying the U.S. airspace except for one airplane that was leaving a contrail from the central U.S. toward Washington. That was Air Force One heading back to D.C. with President Bush.”This book is an expansion of Graff's 2016 article for POLITICO Magazine about President Bush’s path on 9/11 from a morning event in Florida back to Washington DC that evening. Here, he adds bits from the oral histories of hundreds of other people (or their surviving family members) who experienced or responded to the horrific events.
It’s riveting in its recall of that day, and will be in my year’s top ten (maybe #1). The bits that were new to me were mostly about the Pentagon or military, for example: 1) that the military planes (which were eventually scrambled to take down any confirmed hijacked commercial plane) didn’t hold weapons, so the pilots went in knowing it would be a kamikaze mission; 2) that as Air Force One abandoned the saturated commercial communications channels and shifted to military satellites, the US notified Putin so that Russia wouldn’t misinterpret the use of those satellites; and 3) that Obama’s first call after confirming bin Laden’s death in 2011 was to Bush.
I realize it was completely the author’s choice as to what material to include, and it felt fairly presented. I found myself Google-ing a lot, often to read more about various people. The book includes two sections of photographs and ends with a very good Index and Endnotes that spur further reading.
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LibraryThing member Tim.Roberson
This was one of the more emotional and moving books I have read. Reliving the tragedies that occurred on 9/11, and listening to it from the mouths of those who had first-hand experience, brought all the feeling of fear, loss and overwhelming sadness roaring back. At the same time, hearing from so
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many of those who survived was a tremendous uplifting experience, even when they were describing their fear and terror going through those moments. A wonderful retelling of the day our world changed. Show Less
LibraryThing member LibraryCin
4.5 stars
This is an oral history of 9/11 by people from all perspectives. These are quotes from people who were “there” in some capacity, whether that be on a plane, in one of the towers, at the Pentagon, on the ground, a first responder, part of the president’s staff, the family of someone
I listened to the audio, and I feel like this was the way to go with this one (I am giving it 4.25 stars, with an extra ¼ star for the audio).
No surprise: this was pretty powerful. It also included actual speeches by George W. Bush and Barack Obama, as well as some recordings of air traffic controllers and flight attendants on the planes. I will admit that I did lose interest a bit during some of the political stuff and the air force people tasked with bringing down any possible planes that may be a threat, and this is why I didn’t rate it higher… but it’s still likely to make my favourites this year.
This is an oral history of 9/11 by people from all perspectives. These are quotes from people who were “there” in some capacity, whether that be on a plane, in one of the towers, at the Pentagon, on the ground, a first responder, part of the president’s staff, the family of someone
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who was there, or in some other way involved. The book goes primarily over the day of, but continues to the next day and some of the events (funerals, etc) following. I listened to the audio, and I feel like this was the way to go with this one (I am giving it 4.25 stars, with an extra ¼ star for the audio).
No surprise: this was pretty powerful. It also included actual speeches by George W. Bush and Barack Obama, as well as some recordings of air traffic controllers and flight attendants on the planes. I will admit that I did lose interest a bit during some of the political stuff and the air force people tasked with bringing down any possible planes that may be a threat, and this is why I didn’t rate it higher… but it’s still likely to make my favourites this year.
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Subjects
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — Audiobook of the Year — 2020)
BookTube Prize (Octofinalist — Nonfiction — 2020)