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kcb263's review
4.0
Painful to relive the tragedy of 9/11/01, but a powerful retelling of events as they happened from inside the towers.
carolineinthelibrary's review
5.0
Another very compelling book on 9/11. The use of time added to the impending sense of doom that already lurks around the day. It offers some analysis of the aftermath of 9/11 and things that could have been done better, which I felt was interesting and not often found in more recent historical recounts.
angengea's review against another edition
4.0
An intimate and powerful book that focuses on the experiences of individuals from 8:46am to 10:28am on 9/11. A good reminder that 9/11 is, at its core, a story about the loss of family members and friends and everyday heroism. I was most upset and moved by the deaths of Ed Beyea and his friend Abe Zelmanowitz. Beyea was wheelchair-bound, but first responders did not stop to evacuate him. Zelmanowitz waited with Beyea because while he was not physically able to carry Beyea down the stairs, he did not want to leave his friend. So much was lost that day and as we approach the 20th anniversary, I am trying to remember back past the propaganda and wars and conspiracy theories that followed and remember the immediate, stark horror and loss of life.
lizella's review against another edition
4.0
I heard a piece on this book on NPR on 9/11 weekend and wanted to know more about the individual stories that took place that day. This book is a compassionate and heartbreaking glimpse into an unfathomable disaster and the circumstances that were stacked against those that were able to escape and those that had no chance for survival.
clarke11235's review
4.0
Harrowing and deeply emotional. This narrative from eyewitness accounts and recordings is not for the faint of heart.
gremlin_snacks's review
2.0
Too repetitive and disjointed which is a shame because there were lots of interesting facts I learned by reading this, but I think it should've been edited better and concentrated more on the timelines of victims and survivors instead of repeating how the building wasn't as indestructible as it was thought to be and how unorganized the rescue efforts were. These things were understood immediately. There was no need to repeat them so much. When a book's title states that it's about the struggle of the people inside, you expect it to concentrate on their stories and flesh them out more. Also, it would've been better to stick to a few people at a time. By the end when you saw the people that didn't make it, it was hard to connect them to their respective stories in the book.
Sometimes they went back and specifically mentioned a person and whether they made it out, but not always. Also it would've been helpful if with the list of the people that were in the book but didn't make it they had included a small sentence so you could remember who they were since there were so many names and the book kept jumping around.
Sometimes they went back and specifically mentioned a person and whether they made it out, but not always. Also it would've been helpful if with the list of the people that were in the book but didn't make it they had included a small sentence so you could remember who they were since there were so many names and the book kept jumping around.
sarah_reading_party's review against another edition
5.0
i was a high school junior when september 11th happened. i remember that day very clearly, but as i've grown older have wanted to learn more about the human side of that day and not just the politics (before, during, after) or the policies. this book did a great job showing us the human side of the tragedy - from how the history/construction of the twin towers all but ensured that not everyone in that building would survive an attack like 9/11... to communication issues... to how those people with physical limitations struggled to survive. though this book was hard to read at times, since you knew going in that not all who were profiled would survive, this book was informative and important to read. i had never considered that people viewed the twin towers as the titanic... "unsinkable." heartbreaking, but great journalism. this book is well worth the read.
zarco_j's review against another edition
5.0
Heartbreaking and uplifting. The unadulterated story of those that survived and those that lost their lives in the Twin Towers.
Avoiding politics, sensationalism and outside happenings this book has a complete ring of truth.
Avoiding politics, sensationalism and outside happenings this book has a complete ring of truth.