The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland

by Jim DeFede

• ISBN10: 0060559713
• ISBN13: 9780060559717
• Publish Date: 15 April 2020 (first published 3 September 2002)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 21 December 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperCollins
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 256
• Language: English

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

Words are failing me. Everything I come up with seems inadequate to describe the events of this book and it occurs to me that if I'm finding words inadequate after experiencing this third-hand, I'd have had a nervous breakdown trying to thank anyone who was as kind and generous to me as the people of Gander were to all those stranded passengers. I don't think I've ever in my life said to anyone "you have to read this!!" but I'll say it now - everyone should read this. 

Given the constant stream of evidence we get every single day of the dark things humanity rains down upon this earth, this book gives us a powerful glimpse into the pure unadulterated goodness humanity is capable of. Every single page of this book was filled with examples of extraordinary kindnesses; things the people of Gander and the surrounding towns did that they didn't have to do; things that went above and beyond making sure those that were stranded were comfortable and had the necessities. Newfoundland is an economically repressed island trying to survive the death of the fishing industry, but they didn't hesitate to throw birthday parties for the kids, or set up a kosher kitchen (requiring all new pots and pans, mind you) for the Orthodox Jews stranded there. They gave away everything they had if it was needed, including camping equipment for those that didn't want to sleep inside the shelters. 

I could go on and on but instead you should just read this book, or hell, if there's another book out there about Gander on 9/11, read that one instead, but either way, these people need to be the shining example of the standard all people should set for themselves, every day. Prepare for a teary read, but in a good way. There are a couple of moments of profound sadness, but 99% of this book is all about goodness. Profound, tear-inducing goodness. 

I didn't go the whole 5-star hog because the author is a journalist by trade and while he does a stunning job–truly–the overall narrative read like a really long newspaper article and that's just not my preferred style. Additionally there were too many missing words and editing errors to completely ignore. So subjectively, 4.5 stars, but objectively, 4.75.

[Heather]

I had heard the story of a small town in Canada where many airplanes had to land on 9/11 but I didn't know the details.  

The reason all the planes went there was because Gander used to be a major airport.  When planes had to refuel before crossing the Atlantic, they went to Gander.  Private planes still do.  The U.S. military had a lot of planes here.  Because of the history of military use, the runways are long.  This allows it to be listed as a secondary landing area for the space shuttle in case of trouble on takeoff.  

This book details the lengths that people went to when they needed to suddenly accommodate an influx of people on an island.  They weren't allowed to get their luggage off the planes so medications had to be found.  Clothes and toiletries were in short supply.  Bedding was collected from houses all around the island.  People opened their homes to let travelers take showers.  

All kinds of people were stranded.  There were government and military officials who needed to help coordinate emergency response so needed to get out of Gander.  An executive for the clothing company Hugo Boss was horrified to have to buy new underwear at WalMart.  Refugees settling in the U.S. were confused to find themselves in a whole different country.  

I was particularly interested in the stories of the animals on the planes.  There were two bonobo apes moving to a new zoo.  They weren't allowed out of their transport cages but they helped out by cleaning their own cages for the handlers and entertaining themselves by watching the dogs and cats near them.  This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story

[brokentune]

When thirty-eight jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001, due to the closing of United States airspace, the citizens of this small community and surrounding towns were called upon to care for the thousands of distraught travelers.

The Day the World Came to Town records some of the remarkable but lesser known stories of 9/11 and shows how a community formed in the spirit of simple humanity does not exclude or reject people based on a fear of the unknown.

While this is not the best book ever written, and I could criticise its style, lack of critical analysis, and lack of references, I feel these are tertiary issues. The main point and message of this book are what I feel should really be the focus of this particular review, and my personal hope is that people will remember the stories of hope and humanity in an age when media coverage seems to dwell on the atrocities committed by people against other people.

Isn't is fab that acts of kindness require no justification or reason or motive?


"For the better part of a week, nearly every man, woman, and child in Gander and the surrounding smaller towns - places with names like Gambo and Appleton and Lewisporte and Norris Arm - stopped what they were doing so they could help. They placed their lives on hold for a group of strangers and asked for nothing in return. They affirmed the basic goodness of man at a time when it was easy to doubt such humanity still existed. If the terrorists had hoped their attacks would reveal the weakness in western society, the events in Gander proved its strength."

Review first posted on Booklikes.