Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Published: September 10, 2019
Source: Publisher
Summary:
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, and all of our lives.
My thoughts:
I have never actively sought out books about 9/11 but when I was recently given the opportunity to listen to this one I didn’t hesitate. It is a collection of transcribed oral interviews, not so much about the facts of the day, but about the human experience surrounding that day…and this is why I’m so glad I took the time to read this one.
I’m so grateful to the author for having the insight to put this book together. It isn’t really a book that anyone wants to read – it is so emotionally raw and vividly painful at times – but it is a book that everyone should read. We need to remember what happened that day. We need to remember those that were impacted and those that showed up to help. Throughout the book we hear the stories of survivors, journalists, first responders, politicians, and every day Americans.
Like many, I remember exactly where I was when I heard that the first plane had hit the Twin Towers. I vividly remembered how that day unfolded, now twenty years later, and as I listened to this book all those emotions came flooding back. I had to put this one down a few times as it was too much to listen straight through…it’s a lot to take in and I needed to process it. I cried and and I thought about all those who lost their lives. But I will never forget! And we should not forget…this is a history that needs to be told – not just the facts, but the experiences of the people who were affected and the way that this country came together like never before.
We all have our memories of the day and how it affected us personally and when we talk about it, we all want to share our own stories, but as the author notes at the end of the book, it’s just as important to listen as it is to share. We need to hear others’ stories as much as they need to hear ours.
Audio thoughts:
I cannot recommend the audio of this book enough. It is captivating and immersive and the 45 person cast adds such an authenticity to the book. To listen to the voice recordings and hear President Bush’s address to the nation – I had actual chills throughout. This is one audiobook I know I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
