Download The Day the World Came to Town 9/11 in Gander Newfoundland Jim DeFede 9780060559717 Books

Product details Paperback 244 pages Publisher Regan Books; Reprint edition (August 14, 2003) Language English ISBN-10 0060559713

The Day the World Came to Town 9/11 in Gander Newfoundland Jim DeFede 9780060559717 Books Reviews

• I am basically a cynic who utterly lacks empathy, and regards the world as a cruel, vicious, heartless, place, dominated by sadists, egomaniacs, megalomaniacs, and jumped-up eighth grade bullies, who take joy in stomping weaker people in the face. I believe that the world is not based on human rights, laws, and ethics, but on one word power...getting it, having it, using it, getting more of it.
  
  So when I read this book, I had all my views flung into the Hudson River. Amid one of the most horrific days in human history, when 19 fanatics cold-bloodedly butchered thousands of human beings in a series of well-planned and ghastly attacks, the people of a fairly small town in a quiet and relatively obscure corner of the world displayed the highest levels of humanity, warmth, and hospitality, taking into their homes, schools, gymnasiums, and hearts thousands of innocent travelers who were caught stranded by this horror of history.
  
  "The Day the World Came to Town" tells of how ordinary Canadians and equally ordinary airline passengers coped with being trapped together in the town of Gander during the days in which the entire United States' airspace was shut down. The small airport was packed with planes from all over the world, the town with people from across the globe, of every ethnicity, faith, and type.
  
  The Canadians did everything possible to make these unsought guests as comfortable and welcome as possible. The guests in turn did everything they could to minimize their footprint on the town. And when they left, they did everything they could to thank the community -- there are scholarships established by some of the groups of then-stranded passengers to support education there here is the website for one of them, run by the Columbus Foundation
  
  https//tcfapp.org/SecureFolder/Scholarship/ScholarshipDetails.aspx?ScholarshipKey=175
  
  And the passengers built warm personal relationships with the folks in Gander, going back for the 10th anniversary
  
  http//petergreenberg.com/2011/09/08/ten-years-after-911-refugees-return-to-gander-newfoundland/
  
  The writing is warm, close, lyrical, and focuses on people...the local Hugo Boss owner who gets to meet the big chief when his plane is stranded there...the family bringing home an adopted child from Eastern Europe...another family worried about the fate of their NYFD firefighter nephew (I won't give that ending away)...the London Rabbi who needs a special diet and wants to help others...the local residents who provide everything they have to visitors...the RSPCA inspectors who take care of the pets on the planes...the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant who gets permission to wear the "red serge" when the passengers finally leave...the famous artist's gift to a school.
  
  After reading this book, I found myself having faith in humanity again. Maybe, in spite of the endless cavalcade of bullies, bad news, sadists, terrorists, uncaring rulers, tyrants, self-serving egomaniacs, and other human monsters that seem to define, rule, and carve up the world to their benefit...human beings are not so bad after all.
  
  Maybe Anne Frank was right "In spite of everything, I still believe that people are good at heart."
  
  This book makes you believe that.
• On 9/11 thousands of passengers from thirty-eight international flights were stranded in Gander, Newfoundland. Unable to get off their planes for many hours, hungry and uncomfortable and with babies crying, these people, once allowed to disembark, were welcomed with open arms and generous hearts by the citizens of Gander and surrounding towns. People who on the surface had nothing in common had their lives entwined and became close.
  
  One stranded couple DeFede follows had a family member who was thought to be at the Trade Center. For days they were unable to get information about their loved one but their hosts in Gander never stopped trying and ultimately succeeded in learning his fate. The animals stowed in cargo were treated with tender loving care. Some inhabitants turned their entire houses over to passengers, with instructions to take what they wanted and just close the door on their way out. In this small town solutions were found and accommodations made for an Orthodox Jew and a number of passengers who spoke no English.
  
  The author does a very good job of juggling many different stories and locations. DeFede's book shines a light on the best of humanity during the darkest of times.
• When “9/11” happened, I guess I was too preoccupied with the events in New York City and Washington DC to think about how the closing of US airspace affected international travelers. This book captures the events in Gander, Newfoundland (and surrounding towns) as their population nearly doubled in a matter of hours. The story is heartwarming, sometimes tearful, and an affirmation of the kindness that is innate within the human soul.
  
  Why did I decide to read this book? I recently had the opportunity to see the outstanding musical “Come from Away” which tells many of the same stories. After seeing the theatre production, I wanted to learn more. This book expanded on some of the events portrayed in the show, and added a few others.
• If you have seen or are planning to see the Broadway show, "Come From Away", this is a must read. However, even if you are not planning to see the show, this is a book I would encourage everyone to read. It is the story of Gander in Newfoundland where 38 airplanes were forced to land on 9/11 when US airspace was closed.
  The compassion of the people in Newfoundland is absolutely amazing as they did everything possible to help the stranded passengers. They cooked, they donated clothing and bedding, they offered their homes to complete strangers so they could shower and get comfortable. Everyone in this town went to extraordinary measures to help the passengers and they should be applauded across the globe.
  I was not familiar with the true story of what went on in Gander and I loved reading about what wonderful and compassionate people live there. The book makes you want to visit Gander and hug and thank everyone there for their extraordinary kindness
• I don't know why I never found this book before. I couldn't put it down. I learned so much from it and came away from it feeling totally amazed by the story. I had heard about the planes landing in Canada after the Twin Towers were hit but that's about all. This story will make you laugh and cry. We can all learn a lot about kindness and doing the right thing. The people of Newfoundland couldn't have done it better. Since I am an animal shelter volunteer it was wonderful to read about how the animals who were onboard the planes were taken care of too. I never even thought about all the different things the Newfies had to deal with. People who couldn't speak English, folks with medical problems, infants and children of all ages, older people and on and on. Yet they all worked together and figured it out. Such a great story to come out of tragedy.