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Rating: 
Summary: Excellent human interest story
Review: As the author indicated in the beginning of the book, this was not meant to be a book about plane crashes per se, he was interested in exploring the human interest side of the story. He did a great job.NINE MINUTES, TWENTY SECONDS is a gripping, almost minute-by-minute account of the fateful flight of ASA 529 heading for Gulfport, MS from Atlanta, GA. Pomerantz brings you into the lives of the 29 (26 passengers and 3 crew members) on board that commuter plane. His background work into these individuals inject an important prelude towards the account of the actual crash, helping the reader feel for these people instead of treating them as statistics. Even the cause of the crash (a faulty propeller blade) is given a very personal touch, beginning with the technician at the factory who was responsible for inspecting the blade prior to its being put in use on the plane. The official NTSB investigation and final verdict are also included, just enough to satisfy the reader's curiousity without going too detailed as to lose sight of the actual focus of the narrative. Ultimately, Pomerantz succeeded in crafting a wonderfully touching work about the strength and nature (both good and bad) of humanity in times of crisis. Since this book was written years after the crash, Pomerantz was able to provide the reader with updates on the lives of the survivors and how the incident has changed their outlook in many aspects. This might not be the book to read if you're looking to read about plane crashes in general, or books that would provide a lot of technical details. It is almost entirely about the individual people that made up the passenger and crew list of flight ASA 529. If you're interested in reading something that would stay with you long after you're done, this is it. I started this book earlier during an afternoon, and finished it late at night. And after I did, I went to bed, and hugged the one I love.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderfull Telling of the Story
Review: Everything you ever wanted to know about a plane crash and more. This book takes you from the guy who performed the bit of work that went bad to the crew and then to the rescue personnel. Everybody chimes in on the book through the author, and he does a wonderful job of pulling all of the stories together into one account that could be one of the better ones of this type of book. The most gripping account for me was the period from the engine issue to the crash, and after the crash to getting out of the plane. The author does such a great job with the descriptive writing that you can see the people, the fire, the whole scene, you can feel the tension and you really experience the fear. The surprise for me that the book was for the most part a positive reading experience. We learn about the unfortunate people that do not survive, but there is so much more to the story. The author takes us through event after event of average people doing wonderful, heroic and kind things that put a smile on your face. There are just so many people in the story that are trying to help that you do not get hung up on the person that steps on and over someone to get out of the plane. This is a great book that goes by so fast you will be upset that there are not more pages.
Rating:
Summary: Just Terrific
Review: Gripping, touching, absorbing, Gary Pomerantz's story of ASA Flight 529 is not to be missed. You'll want to savor the meticulous reporting and poignant tales, but that's a tall order. It's just damn hard to put this finely written book down. The pages will just fly by. This should be a top priority for anyone looking for an exciting and, at times, emotional summer read.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Story of Heroes!!
Review: I bought this book in early Sept. after "The Today Show" named it one of the fall's top books (with "Black House" by Stephen King & Peter Straub, Nancy Milford's biography of Edna St.Vincent Millay, etc.) After Sept. 11th, I waited several weeks to begin reading this: a plane crash story seemed too hard to take on. But I must say, this book made me feel better about life and old-fashioned goodness, and it made me understand Sept. 11th in a new way. The stories in this book about the two pilots, the flight attendant and a young passenger named Jennifer Grunbeck made me understand what real heroes are made of. Their courage reminded me of New York city's firefighters and the passengers on United Flight 93. This book is filled with courage, optimism and hope. It's even more important to read now after Sept. 11th. I loved it!!
Rating: 
Summary: Tension and Tears
Review: The author cleverly describes the passengers on the fatal flight without telling whether they lived or died. This creates suspense and curiosity, pulling the reader along. He includes a good amount of technical and medical information, but manages to make it understandable and interesting--no mean feat. He tells his story from the viewpoints of people involved in the prelude, actuality, and aftermath of the crash. He is wise concerning how much detail to relate about each of these people--except in the case of Robin Fech, the stewardess. He inflates her role, as, apparently, have the media. He also lapses into bathos: we get too many accounts of prayers, tears, and hand-holdings. Nonetheless, the book is a real page-turner. I read it during an airplane journey, and found that it distracted me quite well from flight nerves. Summary: educational and absorbing, if not as moving as the author seems to want.
Rating:
Summary: Tension and Tears
Review: The author cleverly describes the passengers on the fatal flight without telling whether they lived or died. This creates suspense and curiosity, pulling the reader along. He includes a good amount of technical and medical information, but manages to make it understandable and interesting--no mean feat. He tells his story from the viewpoints of people involved in the prelude, actuality, and aftermath of the crash. He is wise concerning how much detail to relate about each of these people--except in the case of Robin Fech, the stewardess. He inflates her role, as, apparently, have the media. He also lapses into bathos: we get too many accounts of prayers, tears, and hand-holdings. Nonetheless, the book is a real page-turner. I read it during an airplane journey, and found that it distracted me quite well from flight nerves. Summary: educational and absorbing, if not as moving as the author seems to want.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing tale about human spirit!
Review: They were people just a plane trip, then it became something more. "Nine Minutes, Twenty Seconds" tell the story of ASA Flight 529 that crashed in Georgia and how on one day everyone on that that day the passangers, Flight attendent and the pilots were hero's regardless of their fate. The most intesting part for me, was after the crash, the investagators trying to find out why the happen. A great book!
Rating:
Summary: Why haven't we been hearing about this book?
Review: This is a well-written narrative. While the crash of ASA flight 529 is the pivotal event, Pomerantz covers pertinent events years before, and years after, the crash. Unlike other non-fiction about aviation disasters, which tend to lean to the technical, there is a continuous focus on the people directly involved, all the way back to an original examination of the part that brought the plane down. Pomerantz story's strength is its concise and unambiguous nature. The story is not complicated in its writing--it is rich in its detail. Every named character is portrayed as a good soul, if not outright heroic. Again, compared to other stories in this genre, the lack of a personified villain may give you the idea that there's a CBS movie of the week in there. This may be a flaw to some. Highly recommended for the aviation buff looking for a less technical read or those interested in a good human interest story.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Very good account of an airline crash from the cause to the people. The author presents a fact based review of why a small plane crashed in a field, killing some, disfiguring others, while still others walked away unscratched. This compelling story has everything for every taste. Drama, humor, recrimination, sorrow, and edge of the seat excitement. The drama stems from the fact that everyone knew the plane was going down, but they had approximately 10 minutes to think about the consequences. Hats off to all those who went through this harrowing experience.
Rating:
Summary: Emotionaly intense I am looking at life with more respect
Review: While listening to this audio book I felt as if I were in the plane with these people during the nine minutes and 20 seconds before impact. The vivid details of the story continues in a field after the crash. The authors writing style was excellent in bringing this story to life. This book gets into a lot of details about the cause of the accident and the people involved, but it never gets boring. The story flows very well and the reader does a fantastic job of reading and changing characters through his voice. The toughest part of the book is listening to the intense pain and suffering that so many people endured for such a long period of time after the crash as a result of their burns. Most people survived the initial crash. In fact if it were not for the fire 60 seconds after the crash, there probably would have been one fatality instead of 10. The fire, erupting 60 seconds after the fact was devastating. It's amazing how strong the human spirit is. I put myself in their situation of and I can't imagine wanting to live through what they did. The last fatality occurred four months after the accident, a terribly long time to suffer. I would love to meet the survivors and give them a hug just for enduring this terrible accident.
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