The Day the World Came to Town

Fewer memories remain more vivid for me than those of September 11, 2001.  I was still teaching at the time; our principal came on the PA with these words  - "America is under attack." Unclear of what he meant, I turned on the TV to watch what, to this day, seems unreal, impossible.  Students sat silently, trying to figure out what we seeing.  Where was this?  What, exactly, is going on? What does this mean to us who just had our reading of  Macbeth interrupted?  Together we listened as shocked TV anchors, in the thick of NYC, gave us whatever minute by minute they could with failed attempts at unemotional deliveries.

The images that have remained all these years are the images given to me that day and the following day via television - 24 hour coverage - all networks - all working to provide facts, fill in the blanks, and make sense. I believe this wasn't about ratings, but about something stronger - the recognition that we, the world's super power, were now like other countries, looking over our shoulders, holding our breath,and asking how much fear was enough.

I had not heard of Gander, Newfoundland until the musical Come From Away hit Broadway, making me wonder how palatable a musical about this disaster could ever survive.  But, just like our country survived, this little musical survived, thrived and continues to muscle its way through a story both tragic and heroic. When U.S. airspace was closed, diverting flights in a chaotic ballet of wings and wishes, 6000 passengers found themselves stranded in Gander, a tiny town of 10,000 people.  What happened to them during their six day stay speaks of community, humanity, and miracles.  

In the Day the World Came to Town, journalist Jim Defede highlights a handful of stories from those days, exploding this incident from a TV event to micro history bits I had not before considered.  Imagine a pilot receiving the news of the attacks and being told to change course.  Imagine him or her looking over at the co-pilot and realizing he knows nothing about who the person next to him might be.  And what of the passengers?  Was there danger there?  Those fears flooded the first moments. But what happened in Gander softened some of that.

Gander opened its arms,  public spaces, and homes to the "come from aways" and made it possible for them to feel a little safer as they waited for the unknown to subside. The locals offered shelter, provisions, and emotional support and even entertainment. Amid it all, friendships evolved.  Even the animals on board, including several Bonobo monkeys, were cared for like family.  

Some people might find this book episodic and jumpy.  For me, the style reflected what must have been days filled with guessing, trying, untrying, and trying again until the guests were at least marginally settled.  I think that most of us would agree that we are not living our most comfortable lives right now.  This book shows that hope is possible in times of turmoil, and reminds us of the goodness that exists in the world.  For that reason alone, you might want to pick it up.  It will let you breathe easier and make you smile.

Sometimes being altruistic feels good.

Thanks for stopping by.

Oh...I'm close to discontinuing my attempt to "read" books on CD.  Not working for me.  I'm tearing my time between listening to one book while reading another, breaking one of my reading rules - only one book at a time.  And, as much as I enjoy catching the nuances that accompany the spoken word, it just takes too darn long to listen to a book.  I guess I'm too restless for it right now.