Rating: 
Summary: Humanity's finest hour ---- kosher kitchen included!
Review: It took me a while to get around to reading this book, because, by the time it came out, I was over-saturated with 9/11 materials. But this is a very different type of story from those about Ground Zero. When the United States shut down its airspace and diverted all those planes elsewhere, 38 of them ended up in Gander, Newfoundland, a fishing town of about 10,000. The reason was simple: Gander, in spite of its small population today, has an enormous airport. During World War II, American military planes refueled at Gander before heading across the ocean to Europe. Until the invention of the jet engine, Gander was the "biggest gas station in the world," and many planes still stop there to refuel. Physically, Gander Airport could accommodate all those big planes landing, but what about the passengers? That's the real story of Gander -- how the people opened their hearts and homes to total strangers and mobilized every resource they had to comfort and care for the thousands of travelers who suddenly found themselves stranded. It was humanity's finest hour. This book abounds with human interest stories, such as: the fire engine racing to the next town with sirens blaring, to bring back toys for the "plane children"; the animal protection volunteers who crawled into the bellies of the grounded planes to rescue and care for the passengers' pets; the American family returning from Kazakhstan with a newly-adopted daughter; the big party for the four kids with birthdays that week... and many, many more. I was especially pleased to read about Rabbi Sudak, the Orthodox Jew (Lubovitcher Hasid, actually) stranded in Gander, who set up a small kosher kitchen and ministered to other stranded Jews, as well as curious locals and a "secret Jew" who lived in the area and "came out" to the rabbi. I was aware of this story because I had read about it in a Jewish newspaper but, in all the TV coverage of Gander, I never heard the rabbi mentioned once. In fact, there was a total lack of coverage of Jewish chaplains anywhere during the mainstream 9/11 coverage. This annoyed me to no end, because I KNEW that rabbis and lay Jewish workers were ministering during the 9/11 efforts, the same as their Christian counterparts. So it was very heartening to see this story included among the many tales of courage and caring. On the technical end, the book is well-written. The author, Jim Defede, is an excellent storyteller. In the course of writing the book, he interviewed over 180 people. From these, he chose a few representative stories to follow through the entire six days of the crisis. At the same time, he paints the bigger picture very well, so that we can see how the whole town of Gander -- as well as several other towns in the area -- were part of it. He also weaves in cultural and historical background about the area, such as the history of the airport mentioned above. (Which, by the way, answered my own questions about why all those planes were sent to a tiny town. I remember wondering about that at the time.) All in all, this is an excellent book -- one that I could not put down once I started reading.
Rating:
Summary: Humanity's finest hour ---- kosher kitchen included!
Review: It took me a while to get around to reading this book, because, by the time it came out, I was over-saturated with 9/11 materials. But this is a very different type of story from those about Ground Zero. When the United States shut down its airspace and diverted all those planes elsewhere, 38 of them ended up in Gander, Newfoundland, a fishing town of about 10,000. The reason was simple: Gander, in spite of its small population today, has an enormous airport. During World War II, American military planes refueled at Gander before heading across the ocean to Europe. Until the invention of the jet engine, Gander was the "biggest gas station in the world," and many planes still stop there to refuel. Physically, Gander Airport could accommodate all those big planes landing, but what about the passengers? That's the real story of Gander -- how the people opened their hearts and homes to total strangers and mobilized every resource they had to comfort and care for the thousands of travelers who suddenly found themselves stranded. It was humanity's finest hour. This book abounds with human interest stories, such as: the fire engine racing to the next town with sirens blaring, to bring back toys for the "plane children"; the animal protection volunteers who crawled into the bellies of the grounded planes to rescue and care for the passengers' pets; the American family returning from Kazakhstan with a newly-adopted daughter; the big party for the four kids with birthdays that week... and many, many more. I was especially pleased to read about Rabbi Sudak, the Orthodox Jew (Lubovitcher Hasid, actually) stranded in Gander, who set up a small kosher kitchen and ministered to other stranded Jews, as well as curious locals and a "secret Jew" who lived in the area and "came out" to the rabbi. I was aware of this story because I had read about it in a Jewish newspaper but, in all the TV coverage of Gander, I never heard the rabbi mentioned once. In fact, there was a total lack of coverage of Jewish chaplains anywhere during the mainstream 9/11 coverage. This annoyed me to no end, because I KNEW that rabbis and lay Jewish workers were ministering during the 9/11 efforts, the same as their Christian counterparts. So it was very heartening to see this story included among the many tales of courage and caring. On the technical end, the book is well-written. The author, Jim Defede, is an excellent storyteller. In the course of writing the book, he interviewed over 180 people. From these, he chose a few representative stories to follow through the entire six days of the crisis. At the same time, he paints the bigger picture very well, so that we can see how the whole town of Gander -- as well as several other towns in the area -- were part of it. He also weaves in cultural and historical background about the area, such as the history of the airport mentioned above. (Which, by the way, answered my own questions about why all those planes were sent to a tiny town. I remember wondering about that at the time.) All in all, this is an excellent book -- one that I could not put down once I started reading.
Rating:
Summary: Makes me want to be a 'Newfie'
Review: It's hard to believe that anything written about the events of September 11, 2001, could be described as 'wonderful' but Miami Herald columnist Jim DeFede has penned a book that is all that and more. 'The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland' describes what happened when more than 250 aircraft, prohibited from entering U.S. airspace due to the terrorist attacks, were diverted to Canadian airports. Of those, 38 planes bearing 6,595 passengers landed in Gander, Newfoundland, a town with a population of barely 10,000. What happened next goes a very long way to restore the faith in humanity that was shaken by the terrorists. Without exception, the residents of Gander (They call themselves 'Newfies') opened their doors to welcome the unexpected refugees and poured out such warmth and compassion that one passenger later remarked, "I was on a flight from London to New York and landed in Heaven." Schools were closed to provide space for shelters. Residents took the sheets and blankets off their own beds to deliver to the passengers and stayed up all night to feed and welcome then when they finally were able to get off the planes. Locals approached 'plane people' in the street and invited them into their homes to shower. Pharmacists made thousands of calls worldwide to verify prescriptions and then filled them for free. Shop owners gave away their stock to those in need and, when they ran out, bought more from the competition and gave that away as well. The events described in this book will make you either proud to be a Canadian or regretful that you aren't. DeFede skillfully blends the tragic and the comic. One moment Gander's residents are compassionately providing around-the-clock care and companionship to the mother of a missing New York firefighter. Meanwhile, other locals are making honorary Newfoundlanders out of several passengers by means of an age-old ceremony involving kissing a codfish and drinking the local liquor whose name, Screech, is apparently an apt description of its flavor. There's even a little karma thrown in. When the principal of the Lewisporte Middle School allows a passenger to use their computer center to 'run a small business' she doesn't discover until later that the passenger's name was Gordon Conway and the 'small business' that he was running out of her school was the Rockefeller Foundation. Needless to say, her generosity resulted in a new computer center for her students. After the end of their involuntary visit to Gander, many of the passengers have since returned to Gander to visit and express their appreciation to those who were so kind and generous to them. I, too, plan to visit Gander someday, if for no other reason than to see what kind of people it takes to shine such a bright light on one of the darkest days in our history. I'd also like to find out what Screech tastes like.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary humanity in the face of extraordinary evil
Review: Jim DeFede's slim little book is called "The Day the World Came to Town"--a title which almost makes it sound like a child's book. It examines the situation in Gander, Newfoundland on September 11th, 2001 and the several days after. This is when Gander residents took into their homes and hearts the thousands of stranded airplane passengers and crew who ended up in their town when all planes were ordered to land wherever they could. The book is multi-faceted with an enormous cast of characters, all of whom DeFede manages to keep both real and distinct from one another. We hear tales of couples coming home to America from adopting abroad; big-wig businessmen finding themselves in the same plight as their less-well-known fellow passengers; the mother of a fallen firefighter waiting to find out what happened to her son as she sits nervously in Gander; and perhaps most upliftingly of all, the beginnings of love between two stranded strangers who would never have met were it not for the horrific events of that fateful day. I came to tears several times throughout the book. It is a much-needed tonic for anyone who still feels as though they can't quite get a grasp on what took place in America on September 11th. It is a little cameo of a book--a miniature reminder that in the face of extraordinary evil, people will always rally to summon up kindness, generosity and the best of what humanity has to offer.
Rating:
Summary: Gives you something to feel good about
Review: Living just 5 miles from Ground Zero I haven't felt the urge to read any of the many books chronicling the events of that horrible day. On a strong recomendation from a friend I picked up THE DAY THE WORLD CAME TO TOWN. Yes this story will bring tears to your eyes but they will quickly be replaced by sheer awe at a community that, without a moment's hesitation, opened its heart and its doors to complete strangers. If this story was written as ficton one would accuse the author of an overactive imagination. The people of Gander and it's neighboring communities jumped at the chance to render hospitality and comfort to the "plane people", as they referred to them. This story takes the reader through the full range of human emotions from tears to laughter. Yes, laughter. I want to go to GAnder myself and just hug everyone I see. If you read one September 11th book, make it this one. It provides a lesson we all could learn about being a good neighbor.
Rating:
Summary: Full of Grace
Review: Man, there are a lot of September 11th books out there. I've avoided most of them, but this was placed in my hands as a "must read." And I'm very glad I read it. When the hijacked planes hit the World Trade Center, US Airspace was closed. Several thousand transatlantic airline passengers found themselves diverted to Canada. This is a story of some of the 6,000 that found themselves in Gander, Newfoundland. You wouldn't think a story about what is on the surface a 4 day unscheduled layover would be so compelling. But the response of this tiny town with a large airport (a former airbase) is incredibly moving. Jim DeFede does an incredible job of getting out of the way and letting the story speak for itself. He interviewed a large sample of the people who were stranded, as well as the people who opened their homes and set up shelters. A good portion of the books covers the incredible logisticics involved, but it never loses the human element. The generosity of the people of Gander is something to behold. The stories of astounding generosity come one after another: The pharmacist who worked 30 hours straight to fill perscriptions from all over the world at no cost to the passengers, the vet who set up a shelter for animals in transit, and the countless people who raided their own linen closets so the passengers would have sheets and towels (none of the passengers had access to their luggage). I would recommend this book to anyone who's lost faith in humanity since 09/11/01. {Special note to Canada: Thank you!}
Rating:
Summary: Full of Grace
Review: Man, there are a lot of September 11th books out there. I've avoided most of them, but this was placed in my hands as a "must read." And I'm very glad I read it. When the hijacked planes hit the World Trade Center, US Airspace was closed. Several thousand transatlantic airline passengers found themselves diverted to Canada. This is a story of some of the 6,000 that found themselves in Gander, Newfoundland. You wouldn't think a story about what is on the surface a 4 day unscheduled layover would be so compelling. But the response of this tiny town with a large airport (a former airbase) is incredibly moving. Jim DeFede does an incredible job of getting out of the way and letting the story speak for itself. He interviewed a large sample of the people who were stranded, as well as the people who opened their homes and set up shelters. A good portion of the books covers the incredible logisticics involved, but it never loses the human element. The generosity of the people of Gander is something to behold. The stories of astounding generosity come one after another: The pharmacist who worked 30 hours straight to fill perscriptions from all over the world at no cost to the passengers, the vet who set up a shelter for animals in transit, and the countless people who raided their own linen closets so the passengers would have sheets and towels (none of the passengers had access to their luggage). I would recommend this book to anyone who's lost faith in humanity since 09/11/01. {Special note to Canada: Thank you!}
Rating:
Summary: Close View of a Huge World
Review: Newfoundland is a grand place. It's mountains, it's shore, its unindustrialized heartland, its exploited sea -- all enormous. But the mighty beauty of its people has rarely been captured -- and never so well -- as in this depiction of the events, on the ground in Gander, Newfoundland -- that immediately followed the catacylsmic calamity of 9/11/01.
Newfoundland is usually portrayed in aerial shots, showing contours and outlines but little detail. Jim Defede's brilliant portrayal of the people of this place masterfully focuses attention on the small detail of those rich souls who give Gander and its surrounding towns their meaning and weight. He does so simply and in plain tones, never overburdening the reader with overwrought rhetorical distractions, but telling the story and revealing the characters plainly. In so doing he captures the essence of their heroism --good people rising fully to the enormous challenge of this historic occasion.
Rating:
Summary: Heartwarming
Review: No matter where you're from, I believe that everyone, in some way, was touched by the events of September 11, 2001. The residents of Gander, Newfoundland experienced this in an extreme way.
Shortly after the World Trade Centres were attacked, US air space was closed and all the planes that were in the air were ordered to land. The majority of those planes, landed at Gander Airport. When they landed, no one seemed to know why. Slowly, one by one, each plane was emptied and the passengers were screened through customs then transported by bus to different community centres in the area. Soon, people learned the horror that happened in the US.
The community literally opened its doors to over 6000 stranded passengers. [store]and [store] donated whatever was requested. Residents opened their doors to let people use their showers and freshen up. Out of all the Canadian provinces, Newfoundland is known for its hospitality and it was proven on September 11, 2001.
Rating:
Summary: Touching
Review: On September 11, Gander became the landing place for almost 40 planes and the home for around 7,000 passengers, crew and pets. How the communities of the area come together to help these 7,000 perfect strangers for 6 days is just incredible, and uplifting. The book is 244 pages so it reads quick...if you manage to put it down.
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