The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland - Jim DeFede - ★★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Jim DeFede

GENRE: True Life Narrative

PUBLICATION DATE: July 12, 2011.

RATING: 4.25 stars.

All of us are aware of what happened in the USA on 9/11/2001. Ever wondered what happened to all the other airplanes in the skies that morning? To the passengers in those flights? To the airports where landing spaces for such a huge number of aircraft had to be coordinated almost instantly? What must have played in the minds of all these people? This book provides a small peek into this unseen side of 9/11.

The US government had closed its airspace to all domestic and international flights after the intent of the attacks became clear, and all flights en route to the country had to find the closest alternate landing spots outside the US. It's a testament to the air traffic controllers that not a single accident took place in this sudden, massive traffic rerouting up in the air.

Gander International Airport in Newfoundland, Canada, played host to 38 such airliners, totalling 6122 passengers and 473 crew members. Keeping in mind that Newfoundland is an island in the easternmost corner of Canada, and had only 500 odd hotel rooms, this was a huge challenge. But the citizens of Gander and all the surrounding towns rose up to the occasion like bravehearts.

The 6000+ passengers encompassed a huge range of people, from senior citizens to toddlers, from the uber elite such as the CEO of Hugo Boss to those who scraped together their savings for a holiday to the US, from US citizens to those seeking asylum in the US. There were some animals too in the cargo holds of some of the planes. All were taken care of in the best possible way without any bias or ego issues.

This book is a huge testament to the resilience and generosity of the human spirit.126 hours passed between the time the first plane landed in Gander on a Tuesday and the last plane departed on Sunday. What happened in this interim period is touching, inspiring, and sometimes, utterly unbelievable! This story must be remembered as the ultimate example of what true humanity is meant to be: sharing and caring for all without hesitation.

If I had to rate the book on these factors alone, the book would directly get a 5/5. But it is disappointing to admit that this is not the case. This is journalist-turned-author Jim Defede's debut book, and it shows. The writing is a little haphazard and sometimes, rambling into unrelated background information. But as I said, it's a story that must be known. So keep aside the average writing and just look at the human narratives. Your day will be made, and maybe, your faith in humanity will be a teeny bit restored.

My rating for the stories: 5/5

Writing: 3.5/5