The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11
Initially, when I first started reading this, I had to ask myself what on earth I was thinking getting this book the day before the COVID-19 pandemic shut our local library down. In hindsight, I think it was the perfect choice. Hard stuff to read while going through a similarly historical world change? Absolutely. Sad and sobering? Of course. It's been awhile since I've chugged through a book this slowly, but once I got in the headspace of realizing there are always going to be life changing events going on in the world or in our personal lives, it became easier to appreciate the valuable insights this book has to offer.
Mr. Graff, with the particular, though not singular, assistance of oral historian Jenny Pachucki, has given us a historical window into the events of 9/11 and the aftermath on the lives of surviving victims, victims' families and friends, our members of government, civilian employees and the military who were in service at the time, members of the airline services industry,the media, residents of the cities directly impacted by the events, and then, obviously, the effects on all U.S. and global citizens. This is done through a compilation of direct quotes and insights from many of these individuals, sewn together into chapters covering the events of that day, allowing those directly affected to speak for themselves, rather than being written about or "translated" by the author. There's a lot of power in letting those voices be the focus, and it gives the book an intimacy it would otherwise lack if only a historical or biographical narrative. The book illustrates not only the ugliness of humanity, but I think more profoundly, the beauty of it. To hear the stories of solidarity, the acts of kindness, the heroic efforts to save others, the self-sacrifice so many made ... I think it's really that side of humanity that this book shines a light on so well.
Although this is going to sound sappy, at the end of the day, history has shown us that terrible events befall the world, but the will of humanity to not only survive them, but grow from them, is unwavering. If nothing else, reading this book made me more aware that, though there have been and always will be victims and sadness for so many in any terrible world event, like this current pandemic, and though we'll also see the worst of behavior in some individuals, there will also be the very best sides of humanity on display, and that makes me more hopeful for all of us!
★★★★★
Mr. Graff, with the particular, though not singular, assistance of oral historian Jenny Pachucki, has given us a historical window into the events of 9/11 and the aftermath on the lives of surviving victims, victims' families and friends, our members of government, civilian employees and the military who were in service at the time, members of the airline services industry,the media, residents of the cities directly impacted by the events, and then, obviously, the effects on all U.S. and global citizens. This is done through a compilation of direct quotes and insights from many of these individuals, sewn together into chapters covering the events of that day, allowing those directly affected to speak for themselves, rather than being written about or "translated" by the author. There's a lot of power in letting those voices be the focus, and it gives the book an intimacy it would otherwise lack if only a historical or biographical narrative. The book illustrates not only the ugliness of humanity, but I think more profoundly, the beauty of it. To hear the stories of solidarity, the acts of kindness, the heroic efforts to save others, the self-sacrifice so many made ... I think it's really that side of humanity that this book shines a light on so well.
Although this is going to sound sappy, at the end of the day, history has shown us that terrible events befall the world, but the will of humanity to not only survive them, but grow from them, is unwavering. If nothing else, reading this book made me more aware that, though there have been and always will be victims and sadness for so many in any terrible world event, like this current pandemic, and though we'll also see the worst of behavior in some individuals, there will also be the very best sides of humanity on display, and that makes me more hopeful for all of us!
★★★★★
You can find this and all my other reviews at: https://www.goodreads.com/curious-kat
Comments
Post a Comment