The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "This is history at its most immediate and moving...A marvelous and memorable book." --Jon Meacham "Remarkable...A priceless civic gift...On page after page, a reader will encounter words that startle, or make him angry, or heartbroken." --The Wall Street Journal "Had me turning each page with my heart in my throat...There's been a lot written about 9/11, but nothing like this. I urge you to read it." --Katie Couric The first comprehensive oral history of September 11, 2001--a panoramic narrative woven from voices on the front lines of an unprecedented national trauma. 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.
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Community Reviews
It's conflicting to say The Only Plane... was a good book. The content was just so difficult. Yet, the manner in which the content was organized and delivered WAS good. Well, with one exception for me. While there were multiple voices used to tell the story, some of them were so distinct (I listened via Audible) that when they were representing someone else in a different part of the book, it kind of threw me. I'd momentarily leave the story and try to recall who that voice belonged to in a previous part of the story. But, SQUIRREL, I am generally easily distracted/lose focus.
What I think I most liked about the book was the perspective, the human perspective. Yes, of course there were facts detailed throughout, but it was the delivery of the facts. How they were experienced by the multitudes of people throughout the course of the day leading up to, 9/11 itself, and the subsequent days. On that note, I also appreciated hearing from SO many different "representatives" of those days, including the stories of those who perished (as their experiences had been shared via their loved ones and the phone calls, voicemails, notes, etc. they were able to share). Ugh. Those were especially hard (brings tears again now) and required taking more frequent breaks. Heart-wrenching. In this moment, I'm also reminded of how interesting it was to hear/learn of what was happening on and around Air Force One. It brings back the fear.
The manner in which the book was organized, the timeline of major and minor events being consecutively followed also greatly contributed to re-living that period of history, feeling as though I was in those moments observing what was being shared. It was hard, but certainly not as hard as the many, many, many people who's lives were and are much harder a result of what happened.
In-spite of how sad to read (listen) to the book, it somehow feels as tho to do so honors (at least a little) all of those so tremendously impacted by those horrid events. Hearing all the stories seems the least I can do...
What I think I most liked about the book was the perspective, the human perspective. Yes, of course there were facts detailed throughout, but it was the delivery of the facts. How they were experienced by the multitudes of people throughout the course of the day leading up to, 9/11 itself, and the subsequent days. On that note, I also appreciated hearing from SO many different "representatives" of those days, including the stories of those who perished (as their experiences had been shared via their loved ones and the phone calls, voicemails, notes, etc. they were able to share). Ugh. Those were especially hard (brings tears again now) and required taking more frequent breaks. Heart-wrenching. In this moment, I'm also reminded of how interesting it was to hear/learn of what was happening on and around Air Force One. It brings back the fear.
The manner in which the book was organized, the timeline of major and minor events being consecutively followed also greatly contributed to re-living that period of history, feeling as though I was in those moments observing what was being shared. It was hard, but certainly not as hard as the many, many, many people who's lives were and are much harder a result of what happened.
In-spite of how sad to read (listen) to the book, it somehow feels as tho to do so honors (at least a little) all of those so tremendously impacted by those horrid events. Hearing all the stories seems the least I can do...
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 will put you right back wherever you were on that fateful day.* It reignites all the emotions and fears, but for those of us who were merely observers, glued to our televisions on that terrible day, this book will give you a glimpse inside the towers, the Pentagon, the debris-filled streets, and the airplane that carried the President, Airforce One. Their stories are riveting and shocking. The enduring spirit of the humans that persevered through the worst trauma imaginable is truly inspiring. It's a great reminder, at this turbulent time in our country, that we are all Americans, and when it's important, we know how to unify.
A few words of advice: I didn't want to put this book down, but it's highly advisable. The material is daunting and overwhelming. I had to force myself to take breaks, turn on my favorite sitcom, or pick up a different book. And be ready to bookmark the diagrams of the buildings and the index, or keep a pencil and pad nearby. I was constantly finding names in the index so I could follow their specific entries from the beginning. I wanted to know where they were when it started and how they found themselves in their current situation. I read so many stories I'd never heard and had no idea about.
So while the book is so very sad, it is also so very hopeful.
*On September 11, 2001, my second child was eleven days old. My husband was home on paternity leave with us. I'd just settled in for a few hours of sleep after being up most of the night when he came into the bedroom and insisted I come see what was on the television. I didn't want to get out of bed, but I finally did. We watched the footage of the planes hitting the towers on repeat and watched live as the towers fell. My newborn eventually developed colic, and I'm convinced it was because she could feel the stress we were all under. It's impossible to describe to those who weren't old enough to remember how completely the world changed after 9/11.
#popsugarreadingchallenge2019 (prompt #2)
A few words of advice: I didn't want to put this book down, but it's highly advisable. The material is daunting and overwhelming. I had to force myself to take breaks, turn on my favorite sitcom, or pick up a different book. And be ready to bookmark the diagrams of the buildings and the index, or keep a pencil and pad nearby. I was constantly finding names in the index so I could follow their specific entries from the beginning. I wanted to know where they were when it started and how they found themselves in their current situation. I read so many stories I'd never heard and had no idea about.
So while the book is so very sad, it is also so very hopeful.
*On September 11, 2001, my second child was eleven days old. My husband was home on paternity leave with us. I'd just settled in for a few hours of sleep after being up most of the night when he came into the bedroom and insisted I come see what was on the television. I didn't want to get out of bed, but I finally did. We watched the footage of the planes hitting the towers on repeat and watched live as the towers fell. My newborn eventually developed colic, and I'm convinced it was because she could feel the stress we were all under. It's impossible to describe to those who weren't old enough to remember how completely the world changed after 9/11.
#popsugarreadingchallenge2019 (prompt #2)
So many emotions reading this book. I read it slow and let each story sit with me. It takes you back to exactly where you were that day and brings all those feelings to the surface.
For me - it was my very first week of college - I bumped into my R.A. in the cafeteria while getting breakfast and she told me she had talked to her mom and that 'a plane had crashed in New York City'. My professor of my first class seemed to just ignore the entire thing and proceeded with his regularly scheduled lecture - by the time I made it to my second class the professor was openly sobbing while watching the TV. The rest of my classes were cancelled. I spent the rest of the day glued to the TV in my dorm room, trying to process it.
Take the time to read this story - read these interviews - listen to the stories of the survivors and to their friends that weren't as lucky. Honor the lives lost.
Remember how it felt not only that day, but especially September 12th.
For me - it was my very first week of college - I bumped into my R.A. in the cafeteria while getting breakfast and she told me she had talked to her mom and that 'a plane had crashed in New York City'. My professor of my first class seemed to just ignore the entire thing and proceeded with his regularly scheduled lecture - by the time I made it to my second class the professor was openly sobbing while watching the TV. The rest of my classes were cancelled. I spent the rest of the day glued to the TV in my dorm room, trying to process it.
Take the time to read this story - read these interviews - listen to the stories of the survivors and to their friends that weren't as lucky. Honor the lives lost.
Remember how it felt not only that day, but especially September 12th.
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