The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland Paperback – August 14, 2003

This book was very well written, and lets you know that there are still good people in the world, even considering a terrible disaster like this.

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundlandby Jim DeFede4 starspp. 260Sometimes it seems important to read something that reminds us that there are good people in the world and much still to be thankful for. The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede is one such book. DeFede offers the reader a chance to immerse herself in the town of Gander, Newfoundland during that horrible week of September 11, 2001.We follow a number of passengers on different planes which would eventually land at Gander until they return to there homes a week or more later. One can appreciate DeFede retelling in a matter of fact blow by blow reporting. There is of course sadness and grief involved along with those other emotions which we all felt during that time, but the reader learns of how extraordinary the town and its citizens are. How they came together and care for the thousands of extra people and some few animals which unexpectedly arrived in their town.The town of Gander showed unstinting generosity and thoughtfulness to its new residence during a very difficult time. Here DeFede tells about if from the perspective of Werner Baldessarini, then chairman of Hugo Boss who had been traveling to NYC for Fashion Week:The bond with the passengers was rivaled only by his attachment to the townspeople, whose compassion was so overwhelming. They took their visitors on driving tours of the countryside. They took them to their homes. The passengers weren’t treated like refugees, but like long-lost relatives, and the more he thought about it, the more it moved Baldessarini. Coming from an environment as cutthroat as the fashion industry, Baldessarini realized this was not a feeling to ignore or casually dismiss. This was something to be relished. And given everything that was going wrong in the world, it was reassuring to see that right now, right here, in one small corner of the planet, something was going right. There was no hatred. No anger. No fear in Gander.I found this to be a really enjoyable read and encourage all interested to read it as well.

Delivered quickly. Reasonable price. Have not read it yet but in great condition for a "used book." Carefully packaged. Will recycle packaging. Definitely recommend this seller.

I usually have about 5 books going at once. When I started this one, it was all I wanted to read. I cried more times than I can count at the touching, compassionate spirit of the people of Newfoundland. I recommend this book to anyone that needs their faith in humanity renewed.

The show is fast paced and wonderful. I’m so glad to have read this book before seeing the show. Much easier to follow the show - I felt as if I already knew the characters!

i guess it is just me because there are so many five star reviews and i am only giving this 3 stars. and those 3 stars are mostly because the event it self was a 5 star event but written in a 1 star manner. i just could not engage in caring about any thing in the book because it seemed the author was trying to hard to create drama through his character developments. i am a very empathetic person, so i am disappointed in myself when i found myself thinking "meh" as different characters were introduced in the book. after awhile i grew weary of hearing how so and so had spent the day on 9/11 and what such and such was doing when the towers went down. horrific horrific events to be sure. but in THIS book, the subject was more about all these planes being diverted on a moment's notice. i was interested in the logistics of how so many people came together to make this happen and so perhaps being interrupted time and again about how a new passenger on the plane had a backstory that could make a grown man cry felt more like a cheap trick to add pages to the book and to heighten a drama that really didn't need more height to the very real drama of terrorism and diverted planes to a small town in newfoundland. this is a book i'll be donating and not keeping.

There’s a lot to tell about what happened in Gander, Newfoundland, on 9/11, and this book does a wonderful job from before and after the horrific events of that day and the generosity of spirit that welcomed almost 7,000 stranded travelers to the town. It’s a tea great look at the other side of 9/11, and makes you a bit sad when you wonder how Americans today might respond in a similar situation.

My son and I both think this is one of the best books we’ve ever read.

Puntuale e prodotto conforme alla descrizione.Libro bellissimo su una storia vera (11 settembre 2001)

Watched the tv special of the production & loved it!Great quality, good price & fast delivery!

I love getting book recommendations. A work colleague from the US recommended this book and I’m glad I took note. This is a story about 9/11 and how the people of a small town in Newfoundland, Gander, reacted to events of that day.Gander turned out to be a strategic location – once the 2 planes hit the Twin Towers, the US authorities quickly shut down US airspace. That meant 100s of planes in the air had to either land immediately in the US, or else if they were over the Atlantic, decide to land in Canada or return to Europe. Over 30 planes landed in Gander that day, so nearly 10,000 unexpected visitors arriving in a small town of similar size. How do you feed these people? Where do they sleep? How long will they here?What was great about this book – it’s not just about a tragic day in all our lives, but it plays out over a week after that infamous day. Both the residents of Gander who opened up their homes, schools and hearts to accommodate thousands of stranded passengers. People volunteered their time to help out, bakers made tons of bread, schools and gym halls opened up, locals donated blankets, food, toys.I liked the mixed narrative of the book – it told the story from about 20-30 individual perspectives. From Lufthansa pilots, to air traffic controllers, to retired locals, to Texans returning from Russia after adopting a little girl, to an Irish lady returning from visiting family, to the CEO of Hugo Boss, to a US Army General who was responsible for security/intelligence in Europe. That day was a leveller – if you were in first class sipping champagne, or a jaded parent with kids, you were all treated the same when you landed in Gander. No time for deference or preferential treatment.The unknowns were endless: when will we get home? What happened in New York? Do my family know where I am? Are my family or friends in New York ok? Where the hell are we? Some people thought about driving home – even if it was thousands of miles to Texas!

Über die Vorgänge in Gander, Neufundland, hatte ich bereits kurz nach den Anschlägen einiges gelesen. Als Fluzeugenthusiast war mir nicht entgangen, dass die Lufthansa damals einen Airbus auf den Namen "Gander-Halifax" taufte, zu Ehren der beispiellosen Hilfsbereitschaft der Anwohner vor Ort. Mehr als zehn Jahre später stieß ich durch einen Blogeintrag auf das Buch von Jim DeFede und habe es gleich bestellt.Von der furchtbaren Covergestaltung des Paperbacks sollte man sich keineswegs abhalten lassen. Jim DeFede beschreibt ohne triefenden Patriotismus oder Pathos die Ereignisse, die sich über tausend Kilometer entfernt von den zusammenstürzenden Türmen in New York abspielten. Als der amerikanische Luftraum gesperrt wurde, mussten tausende Menschen ihre Reise zwangsweise unterbrechen, und 38 Flugzeuge strandeten in Gander. Was sich dort abspielte, berührt zutiefst. Wer hat nicht die Zuversicht und den Glauben an das Gute im Menschen verloren, angesichts der Flugzeuge, die mitsamt ihren Passagieren zu riesigen Projektilen wurden, um zu zerstören, zu verletzen, ein ganzes Land, ja, die ganze Welt auf bisher unvorstellbare Weise zu erschüttern? Dieses Buch ist dazu angetan, den Riss zu heilen, der wahrscheinlich in vielen Seelen entstanden ist. Vollkommen selbstlos und ohne zu zögern taten die Einwohner von Gander und den umliegende Städten alles, um den entsetzten Passagieren ihren erzwungenen Aufenthalt so angenehm wie möglich zu machen und ihnen alles zum Leben Notwendige zu geben. Sie teilten ihr Haus, ihren Besitz mit den Gestrandeten, sie verliehen ihre Autos an sie, sie zeigten ihnen die Gegend, sie wachten in der Nacht in den Aufnahmelagern, sie koordinierten unzählige Anrufe von besorgten Angehörigen, sie trösteten die Verzweifelten und gaben ein Fest für all die Kinder, die auf dem Weg nach Disneyworld waren, um dort ihren Geburtstag zu feiern. Sie krochen auf eigene Veranlassung in die Laderäume der Flugzeuge und versorgten auch die dort untergebrachten Tiere.Das Buch bewegt zutiefst, weil es ein Manifest für bedingungsloses Mitgefühl und Selbstlosigkeit ist, für ein freundschaftliches Miteinander unabhängig von Religion, Hautfarbe, Geschlecht oder sozialem Status. Mittelmäßige Englischkenntnisse reichen übrigens aus, der Autor verwendet eine schöne, unverschnörkelte Sprache, die leicht zu verstehen ist. Danke für diese Aufzeichnungen, Mr. DeFede.

It’s interesting to read what happened in Newfoundland on 9/11.