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The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland
The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland
The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland
Audiobook6 hours

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

Written by Jim DeFede

Narrated by Ray Porter

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

()

About this audiobook

Perfect for fans of the musical Come From Away!

When 38 jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land at Gander International Airport in Canada by the closing of U.S. airspace on September 11, the population of this small town on Newfoundland Island swelled from 10,300 to nearly 17,000. The citizens of Gander met the stranded passengers with an overwhelming display of friendship and goodwill. As the passengers stepped from the airplanes, exhausted, hungry and distraught after being held on board for nearly 24 hours while security checked all of the baggage, they were greeted with a feast prepared by the townspeople. Local bus drivers who had been on strike came off the picket lines to transport the passengers to the various shelters set up in local schools and churches. Linens and toiletries were bought and donated. A middle school provided showers, as well as access to computers, email, and televisions, allowing the passengers to stay in touch with family and follow the news.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperAudio
Release dateJun 27, 2017
ISBN9780062796684
Author

Jim DeFede

Jim DeFede has been an award-winning journalist for sixteen years, first with the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, and then with the Miami New Times. His work has appeared in Talk, The New Republic, and Newsday. He is currently a metro columnist for the Miami Herald.

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Reviews for The Day the World Came to Town

Rating: 4.596590909090909 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Inspiring account of what happened in Gander, New Foundland, on September 11 and the several days following the murder of thousands of people in New York's Twin Towers by a group of rabid Islamists.When almost ten thousand strangers descended on their little city with no place to go and nothing to eat, the citizens of Gander (and surrounding towns) stepped up and made a home for those forced out of the air before they could reach their final destinations in the United States. These people became a second family to the travelers while helping them get through the confusion of the situation they all found themselves in.This one gives you a little hope about the inherent goodness of the human race. I wish I had more of that hope sometimes.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I thoroughly enjoyed this book. On September 11, 2001, over three dozen planes landed unexpectedly in Gander, Newfoundland when American air space was closed. This is the story of how the 10,000 residents of Gander and neighbouring small towns prepared for and welcomed 6,000 shocked displaced travellers.I found the drama of trying to divert so many planes riveting. The issues that arose in handling so many unexpected guests, and how the town leaders and RCMP responded were also fascinating: nicotene gum for smokers held on airplanes; prescriptions to fill, animals in cargo holds; Kosher meals and many more challenges all met with generosity and understanding.The people who found themselves in Gander really did represent the world: a Nigerian princess, Beatles impersonators, CEOs, parents of a fire fighter lost in the World Trade Centre, women in burkas, parents bringing home babies adopted in Asia....the list is endless. Through it all, the Newfoundlanders welcomed people into their homes, took them sightseeing, even watched over them while they slept. It made me pround to be Canadian.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I haven't read any books that deal with 9/11. Though the events were ten years ago, they seem closer than that to me, and have shaped much of my adult life. I wanted to somehow commemorate the tenth anniversary of September 11, but I was afraid to read something that might turn dark and dismal. This story of townspeople reaching out to people whose planes were forced to land when U.S. airspace was shut down would be just the thing - true, yet uplifting. Still, especially in the beginning, when various people - pilots, air traffic controllers, the mayor of Gander - hear about or watch the planes fly into the towers, my heart starts pounding and my muscles tense. I find myself curling up tight in my chair, breathless. I didn't expect such a visceral response, or to feel instantly transported to the confusion and fear of that day, only my second week of college classes, the first class an English class from 9:30-11:15, our professor never breathing a word (did he not know?). And I remember how strange was the absence of the noise of airplanes, then the recurrence of them overhead. There were 6,132 passengers, plus pilots and crews, on the flights diverted to Gander, Newfoundland. The townspeople could have put up a few shelters, called in the Red Cross, and called it a day. Instead, DeFede tells the stories of ordinary and extraordinary kindnesses - people giving their own towels to shelters, opening their homes, offering rides, and filling prescriptions free of charge. The stories of 6,000+ people could not fit in one book, but the stories of several are told here, often switching back and forth quickly between people keeping events in roughly chronological order through the several days Gander and the surrounding towns embraced their unexpected guests. Their stories made me laugh and cry in turn. I can't promise that I'll read any other books about 9/11, but I'm certainly not disappointed I read this one.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    4.25 starsGander, Newfoundland has about 10,000 people. It was once a hub for airliners to stop to refuel, so it has lots of space for large aircraft. On 9/11, when the terrorists took down the Twin Towers in New York, air space in all of the United States was closed. Flights already in the air were ordered to land as soon as possible. 38 planes chose to, or were ordered to, land in Gander, adding 7,000 people in to the community who ended up staying for a few days before being able to get back on flights to continue on (or go back). When Gander declared a state of emergency, people were housed at schools, churches, and anywhere else that had room, while flight crews took over all the hotel rooms. The people in Gander donated hours of their time, items from their homes, food, and places to stay for some of the stranded passengers. Friendships (and maybe even at least one romance) were formed. The book was published in 2002, about a year after the events of the day. Some of the people the book followed included: a husband and wife returning from Kazakhstan with a little girl they’d just adopted; there was the parents of a missing firefighter in New York; there was royalty; there was a couple of higher-up people in well-known companies; there were a few Jewish people, in a town where most of the people had never met a Jewish person before, and more. I hadn’t thought about the animals that were on those planes, in the cargo hold!I’m Canadian. I grew up in a small town, and can see people reacting as the people of Gander did, doing everything they could do to help. 9/11 itself is an emotional topic, though I have no close personal connections to New York. This was emotional, it made me feel proud to be Canadian, to read about everything the people in Gander had done. I listened to the audio book, so I missed out on some photos that were included in the book. Overall, a really good (and emotional) account of what some of the people who were flying that day went through when they landed in a small isolated town in Eastern Canada.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Well written. Well read.
    Not too much information but also not too little.
    I enjoyed this story. It restored my faith in humanity.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A story about a town that came together for those in need. After the events in New York, Washington D.C. and Shanksville, PA, the decision was made to close the US airspace and issued an order for every plane to land, immediately. For 38 planes over the Atlantic Ocean, Gander, Newfoundland was the closest place to land. This is a story about what happened after the planes landed. How the citizens in Gander came together to make over 6,000 people comfortable.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A wonderful book about real people, real events, love and kindness.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Heartwarming true story that showed man's best in the face of the horror of 9/11. Uplifting and inspiring.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    So interesting to hear how the planes were redirected to Gander, and the amazing hospitality of these small town folks. Well written. I laughed, I got choked up. There ARE wonderful people in this world.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was one of the most wonderful reads ever. It was written a decade ago but that does not even matter. DeFede goes back to the days just after 9/11 to Gander, Newfoundland and the special thing that happened when a whole bunch of planes were diverted there when the skies were shut down. The specialness of Newfoundlanders and how they reacted is just a wonderful story and told exceedingly well.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Very interesting! Good to know the stories of all the diverted passengers!!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Oh my gosh, I tried valiantly to listen to this audiobook. The narrator is just awful. Weird pregnant pauses in such strange places. Improperly enunciating the wrong words so the sentence doesn’t mean what it was supposed to. It’s kind of like listening to Captain Kirk read a book.
    I’ve now switched to the written book, which I know will be better but the writing itself is also not great. I understand it was written by a reporter and it definitely reads that way.
    The story of Gander and the rest of NFLD during 9/11 is amazing but this is not the best telling of it. I recommend seeing Come From Away. Now that’s a tear jerker as well as a foot stomper. It will make you laugh as well.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great book and great reader of the book. It was so neat to hear about how everyone was treated in Newfoundland.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a really good one especially for someone like me who reads almost no non-fiction ever, great story and characters, the people of Gander and the surrounding towns proved to be humanity at its best!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is an account of a small community acting with selfless compassion for strangers in need. The many acts of kindness remind the reader that there are times and places when the best of humanity shows
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I love the angle of this -- the lesser story of a much bigger one: what happened to all those people on planes in the air on 9/11, when US airspace closed? Well, 38 of those international jets landed in Newfoundland, which added 6,500 hundred people to the island's population of 10,000. Centered mostly on the East coast in the town of Gander where the airport was and the surrounding towns, this true account pieces together the stories of a dozen or so residents and the "plane people" they bonded with. What is overwhelmingly heartwarming is the completely selfless generosity these towns extended to the "refugees," opening their homes, offering beds, showers, food, computer use, whatever they perceived as needs to these diverted people. The experience for the travelers themselves was harrowing, some of them stuck on planes for 30 hours without access to medications, unable to reach loved ones to determine safety, (remember how simple cell phones were in 2001?) and not entirely sure of exactly what had transpired in NYC. Most planes were grounded in Gander for 4 days and the towns galvanized to provide food and shelter for the multitudes. "in the past, it had always been easy for the citizens of Gander to drown out events in other parts of the world because they always seemed so far removed...Now they'd seen how a tragedy more than a thousand miles away could touch their lives directly. Not only had the world come to town, but so, too did the world's problems." (231) Churches, schools and community organizations banded together to provide a thorough network to meet needs (even animals and pets that were flying as cargo!) --- so many facets of how this situation had an impact, but was met with kindness, care and welcome. It sounds like it was an overall peaceful experience with no arrests or injuries -- even getting that many aircraft on the ground safely was a feat. The author narrates the stories of select people that he interviewed extensively including the CEO of Hugo Boss, the NY governor's security coordinator, a Jewish Orthodox rabbi, 2 families returning to the states with newly adopted babies from Kazakstan, and a handful of others. Their stories were interesting but often included the kind of "you had to be there" details that bogged the entire narrative down a bit. But the overall takeaway of the kindness of Newfies and the ability of people to rise above trivialities in the face of tragedy makes this a worthwhile read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Absolutely amazing book! A must read! Need a reminder that there are still good people in this world? This book will help you out.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Hours after the attacks on the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, all aircraft in the United States were grounded. Planes were told to land at the closest airports. For 36 planes, many of them jumbo jets, the airport at Gander, Noewfoundland, was the closest, so those flights’ 7,000 passengers and crews became the guests of the town of 12,000 and the surrounding towns. What followed was nothing short of amazing. The hospitality gained world wide recognition, and for good reason. One of the most generous hosts was Canadian Tire, the Canadian hardware chain. That company offered anything in their stores and warehouses free of charge to the stranded travelers. Not only that, but Canadian Tire also paid for anything the people needed that was only available at other stores. That means $20,000 in their own merchandise was donated to the travelers and an additional $10,000 spent on items at other stores (mainly Walmart). DeFede is a journalist, and his book reads like a journalist’s feature story with interviews of more than 180 individuals. Their stories will make you smile; some will make you tear up. This is a quick read and well worth the few hours it will take you to read it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    All of us above a certain age remember 9/11, and more specifically what we were doing and where we were on that morning. So I wasn't big on reliving someone else's experiences from that secondhand perspective, but this was a totally different take, and a welcome one.In short, as US airspace closed abruptly on that day, air traffic controllers and the Canadian government arranged for many planes in the air and bound for various US airports to land in this small city in Newfoundland because they are "on the way" between Europe and the US and have a well-equipped airfield with long runways stemming from the days when refueling stops were needed. The local community got little notice of this, but still pulled together admirably to house thousands of passengers, flight crews, and pets as they waited for clearance to fly to their destinations. Theirs was a very real firsthand part of the events that day, and the author did a good job of making it engaging.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Outstanding book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    38 jetliners are innocently flying to the United States from all over the world. They forced to land at Gander International Airport in Canada because U.S. closed the airspace on September 11. The population of this small town on Newfoundland Island swelled from 10,300 to nearly 17,000. The citizens of Gander met the stranded passengers with an overwhelming display of friendship and goodwill. As the passengers stepped from the airplanes, exhausted, hungry and distraught after being held on board for nearly 24 hours while security checked all of the baggage, they were greeted with a feast prepared by the townspeople. Striking bus drivers came off the picket lines to transport the passengers to the various shelters set up in local schools and churches. Linens and toiletries were bought and donated. Many items came from the very homes of the generous Canadians. A middle school provided showers and citizens invited the airplane people into their own homes to shower. The stranded folks were offered access to computers, email, and televisions, allowing the passengers to stay in touch with family and follow the news.Over the course of those four days, many of the passengers developed friendships with Gander residents that they expect to last a lifetime. As a show of thanks, scholarship funds for the children of Gander have been formed and donations have been made to provide new computers for the schools. This book recounts the inspiring story of the residents of Gander, Canada, whose acts of kindness have touched the lives of thousands of people and been an example of humanity and goodwill.Fabulous book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A nice, feel good story---that's about it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a day that was.

    I remember getting up and, completely against type, just happened to turn the television on. And then my world—everyone's world—changed. My kids had already been dropped off at daycare and school, and all I wanted to do was hold them close.

    There's millions of stories of that day and its aftermath, but there's two that I want to highlight, as they both pertain to this book.

    The first is, at the time, I worked in a call centre for a Canadian mobile phone company. Now, everyone knows, if you call 611 on your cell phone, you'll get your provider. Except on that day. On that day, an American passenger on a plane grounded in Gander that had been bound for New York was frantically trying to reach his family to let them know he was okay. Like almost everyone that day, he couldn't get through, because the phone lines were jammed. In desperation, he called 611, hoping to get his American provider. Instead, somehow, his call came into our Toronto-based call centre.

    The agent that took the call listened to his story. He begged her to try and contact his family and, if successful, could she connect the two of them? She was able to, and she did connect them. She then told the man she would now disconnect and back out of the call, but he asked her if she could stay online, because he'd been the only one to successfully connect to anyone. He told her after he'd talked to his family, if it was okay with her, he would pass the phone down the plane so she could try to connect other families. Of course she agreed, and for the next few hours, without taking a break, she listened as each family found out their loved ones were safe. She cried through every one. Virtually no one knows that our centre did that, that our rep did that. The company never tried to capitalize on it, it was just one of the many wonderful things that happened on that terrible day.

    I mention this because I firmly believe that it was this situation that was mentioned at one point in this book.

    The second story I wanted to mention was, that after taking all those flights that America refused to allow into their country, Canada considering the safety of those people on board more important than the possible danger, who was it that President George W. Bush thanked later that day (or the next, can't remember anymore)? He thanked Britain. No mention of Canada.

    I mention this, because I hope this book goes a long way toward correcting that oversight.

    As for this book, Defede has done a great job (as far as I can tell) of showing the generosity of Canadians in general, and Newfoundlanders specifically. I know many from that region and, to a person, every single one of them is just as friendly and generous as those portrayed in this book.

    I found myself choked up so many times as I read of both the hardships, the losses, but also the kindnesses and the wonderful moments everyone experienced through those days they called Gander their temporary home.

    While this entire situation was spawned through the hateful actions of a few terrible people, this book shows that there's also a lot of love out there to counteract all that hate.

    And, in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When terrorists crashed US commercial jets into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, the administration moved quickly to shut down all US air space. Plane had to land – immediately – at the nearest airport. But planes coming from Europe had basically just one option … Gander, Newfoundland. In a matter of hours, the town of 10,000 was host to another 6,596 passengers and crew members. This is the story of how the residents of Gander, and surrounding towns, worked to accommodate strangers in an unprecedented emergency. DeFede reports the events in a straight-forward and engaging manner. He gives some insight into the way the residents of the town thought, the culture of basic decency and compassion in which their generosity of spirit could flourish, and the leadership provided by elected officials and business leaders. I liked how he related the confusion, anxiety, surprise, relief and joy experiences by the passengers and crew members. Some of these people formed lasting friendships. It’s an uplifting story, especially now in these unsettled times. Reminding me that there is kindness in this world, that there are people who rise to the occasion and behave selflessly to help others in distress, without thought to remuneration or reward. It restores my faith in humankind.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A sweet story about Gander, Newfoundland and how they helped airplane passengers trapped in their small town in the immediate aftermath of 9/11
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fair warning, best to read this when there’s a high pollen count so you’ve got an alternate explanation for why your eyes are watering.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What can I say about this book ... wow.I cried. I laughed. It was hard to read and yet I flew through it very quickly. I started it yesterday and did not want to put it down.For me, this is the first thing I've really read about 9/11 (or watched for that matter) since it occured. And the book took me back to some really awful moments, but yet, it offers hope and is uplifting to the spirit.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If I started reading a book about 9/11 and a few pages into it found that an American General, a CEO of an international clothing conglomerate, several members of the board of a wealthy charity, an NYPD detective and parents of a firefighter who is lost in the World Trade Center were stuck in a small Canadian town in the middle of Newfoundland (not to mention a long-lost native son) I would have put the book away with a chuckle and started a new one.Nevertheless, this is not fiction and the events really happen.Even though I really liked the book, and even recommended it to my beloved wife, there are several glaring omissions.First and foremost for me: there is no map.The author goes to great length to describe the geographical region as well as the Gander's street layout (which is supposed to be shaped like the head of a moose) - yet...no map?I find this to be unbelievable.Second, the writing seems more like a collection of articles than a finished book. That's fine and it didn't bother me that much but I thought I should mention it.Third, it would be nice to have appendices with a chart of the flights, departure, landings at Gander International Airport, etc.Fourth, I would have liked to see more pictures. Again, this does not take away from the book but would have been a nice addition. There are several pictures in the book but they are small and grainy (much like...a newspaper article).Fifth, where is the tourist info for Newfoundland? Come on guys, capitalize on this book. I've been to your area (but not Gander), it is a beautiful, gorgeous part of the world and true to the book - some of the nicest people in the world live there.However, I still this book high marks because I did thoroughly enjoyed it since it is about the people of Newfoundland and not about the big events happening around them. The only part which took away my personal enjoyment was the first bullet point I mentioned (and yes, I did google the town and found the map but I still can't "see" the moose head layout).
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Human kindness,in a crisis ,why can't we always be like that
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    If you want inspiration -- to feel hopeful about humankind, this is the book.