Never Forget: An Oral History of September 11, 2001

I'm writing this review, but I really don't think it is possible to put this book into words. Never Forget: An Oral History of September 11, 2001 is by far the most personal and emotionally compelling book I have read about the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I honestly think every American should read this book - now more than ever. Some people seem to be forgetting the inhumane horror and emotional trauma of that day, and this book takes you back, quite vividly, to what you saw and felt during and after the terrorist attacks. The husband and wife team of Mitchell Fink and Lois Mathias interviewed a great number of people connected to the deadly events, from witnesses and survivors to emergency services personnel to Ground Zero volunteers and the families of Flight 93 passengers. Eighty one personal accounts fill the pages of this book. I have only recently been going back and reading about 9/11 - suddenly, I finally felt ready to revisit what happened that day. I am learning that the personal tragedy and horror was much more extensive than I realized. The personal stories in this book introduce a number of observations and facts that were too gruesome to make it in to any news broadcasts. I knew that a number of people jumped to their deaths, but I did not realize the number of jumpers was as high as it actually was. I had also never thought about the danger those jumpers posed to rescue workers trying to get into the Twin Towers that morning. One fireman, for example, was killed by a falling body. The newscasts didn't talk about what happened when those bodies hit the ground, but the witnesses in this book do, and it's pretty gruesome stuff. Then you have descriptions of the carnage seen by rescue and recovery teams, and it's just unimaginably awful. The things these witnesses describe will break your heart, but their stories are also full of heart-warming stories of heroism and selflessness. Everyone knows the story of Josephine Harris and the miraculous survival of the Ladder 6 team she was with, but this book is bursting with personal acts of heroism by ordinary men and women who epitomize the unsung hero. Virtually everyone who survived the attacks credits someone else with saving his/her life. One account that sticks out in my mind is the group of men who transported their handicapped coworker down dozens of flights of stairs to safety; they could have abandoned him and worried only about saving themselves, but they didn't. The man whose life they saved makes a profound point: if they had been a little slower or unlucky and died that day, no one would ever have known about those selfless acts of heroism. It makes you realize that some of the greatest acts of courage and sacrifice that took place that day will be known only in heaven. Many of the individuals whose stories are recorded here talk about the emotional effects of the experience. Many ask why they lived when those around them died, and they talk about the emotion

This book was not easy to read. Even though it was difficult, I felt that I needed to listen to these people tell their stories. I'm not into sensationalism, gore, or the like. I have never seen Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan -- it's too hard for me to know what to do with the information once I've been exposed. There's no place to file it in my mind and I'm afraid it will haunt me. 9/11 is different. I was nowhere near NY, but I think we all experienced a death that morning. I was compelled to read this book to somehow empathize with those who perished and those who survived. I was "safe" on the west coast, but I wanted to know what my fellow Americans went through that day. Beyond what I was being fed from the media, I needed to hear it from the people who were there so I could try to understand what they endured and what the continue to endure. I don't want to forget -- I want to remember.

I've been working in lower Manhattan for 20 years, 12 of them in the towers. I've seen this city through the highs and lows. A year ago history tapped us on the shoulder and we responded. The face of hatred tried to change our way of thinking and challenged our way of life. We responded. As Americans, we stepped up and rescued people in danger, we donated blood, and we gave our time and compassion. Some paid the ultimate price and we applaud their bravery and mourn their loss. Together we pray for their families to carry on their spirit. A spirit only found in this great city and this great country. The vivid re-telling of these stories from brave people are tastefully scribed here. If you were here that day, this will bring you back to Tuesday morning. If you watched helplessly on television, this will put you in our dusty shoes.

This collection of essays from eye-witnesses to the tragedy of 9/11 is so personal, one may want to think twice before reading any of it. Culled from dozens and dozens of first hand account recollections, it is not for the timid nor even the brave. I found myself tearing up with every section. Each story is different and yet each one draws from the same source - the helpless horror that all felt on that day. It is heart wrenching and it is horrifically gory. Descriptions of that day are beyond belief and it is hard to imagine anyone surviving it without a lifetime of emotional hardship. It goes beyond that as well. It is impossible to describe this book as eloquently as those that lived it have. Every walk of life is spoken here and every voice is full of a human spirit we all share. I cannot begin to go further in recommending this book. It is therapy.

I saw the editors of this collection on Fox and Friends and figured I would just go to the book store and read a few of the stories. I ended up buying the book an hour later.The stories are unforgetable. They hit the whole range of emotions. I had tears in my eyes reading these accounts.This is really an important piece of history and should be read by everyone. The accounts range from witnesses, police, fire, volunteers, family members, office workers. Each story is unique and provides a different point of view, but they are all powerful first hand accounts.Buy this book, read it, and share it with people.