The Only Plane in the Sky: The Oral History of 9/11
Ratings30
Average rating4.6
The award-winning journalist and author of Raven Rock shares the first comprehensive oral history of September 11, 2001—a panoramic narrative woven from hundreds of interviews with government officials, first responders, survivors, friends, and family members.
Over the last eighteen years, much has been written and said about the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the profound impact they had on America and the world. But those names, stories, and memories have never before been collected in one place to tell the full, 360-degree story of what happened that day, and in the days after.
In The Only Plane in the Sky, award-winning journalist and author Garrett Graff draws on never-before-published transcripts, recently declassified documents, and original interviews and stories from nearly five hundred government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends, and family members to paint the most comprehensive, minute-by-minute account of the September 11 attacks yet, all told in the words of those who experienced that dramatic and tragic day. From the firefighters who streamed into the smoke-filled stairwells of the Twin Towers to the fighter pilots scrambled from air bases across the Northeast with orders to shoot down any hijacked commercial aircraft; from the teachers who held their fear at bay while evacuating terrified children from schools mere blocks from the World Trade Center to the stricken family members trapped helplessly on the ground, hearing their loved ones’ final words from aboard a hijacked plane or within a burning building, Graff weaves together the unforgettable testimonies 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.
([source][1])
[1]: https://www.garrettgraff.com/books/the-only-plane-in-the-sky/
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This audiobook had a profound impact on me. I listened to it over a few weeks because there was a lot to get through and digest but I would 100% recommend it. An incredible documentation of loss, trauma and ultimately the triumph of the human spirit.
I started this book last year after the 20th anniversary and had to put it down. It's a tough read. I picked it back up a few days ago as a promise to myself to finish it before the date came again. Everyone remembers where they were the day the planes hit. This book tells you the story of what it was like for the people who were actually there. The people who descended 80+ floors before the collapse, and seeing firefighters going up. The airline employee who got the call from Todd Breamer on flight 93. Then his widow who explained the employee calling with Todd's message and final words, “Let's roll.” The people on Air Force One with President Bush, the firefighters who survived the collapse because they were in a stairwell. The capture and death of Bin Laden a decade later. It's all here and it is an astonishing collection. It is fascinating and devastating. It makes you proud to be an American. If you want to know what it was really like- pick up this book. Take your time with it. It's masterful. 5⭐️
There's a reason why this book is rated so highly, and quite frankly, it deserves every single star.
I've never read a book like this that has such an enveloping, all-encompassing way of conveying the terror and grief and hope of that day. Viewpoints are often only a few sentences (up to a paragraph) long, but it creates a snappy and through 360 degree view of how the events unfolded and how each story intertwined. There's very little author interference; the viewpoints are presented as-is.
I felt raked over and absolutely exhausted when I finally turned the last page and closed this book. It is heavy. It is inspiring. It is a must read.
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