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booksandwords · 10 months

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The Only Plane in the Sky: The Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff

Read time: 6 Days Rating: 4/5 Stars

The Quote: "The real heroes are the passengers on Flight 93 we were willing to sacrifice themselves" "They made the decision we didn't have to make." — Lt. Heather "Lucky" Penney and Lt. Col. Marc Sassville

Warnings: There are many obvious triggers here. There is discussion of brutal deaths and particularly in relation to United Airlines 93 the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few.

I am automatically giving this book five stars because it is all about personal experience. While author Garrett M. Graff and his oral historian colleague Jenny Pachucki (involved heavily in the research) couldn't include all the stories they included more than enough and the small edits they made for linguistic consistency made this easily readable with a reader having to think too hard to make the connections. On a more personal level I have an interest in ethnography and social anthropology, this is exactly the kind of thing that interests me. This review is mostly going to be a series of dot points of things I found noteworthy.

I kind of feel that reading this book will be coloured by the reader and their experiences, which includes undoubtedly how old and where they were during 9/11. So for that context, I'm Australian and am part of what Graff calls the 9/11 generation. I was 13 at the time I distinctly remember my mother waking me up early, saying 'they'll be talking about this at school' and showing me what was on the tv. This was not long before the tower fell. All day at school we were watching this with the counsellor on standby. Another thing I remember from that day is the jumpers. I think they impacted me more than anything else. But in my life, the part of 9/11 that has fascinated me most is United 93. Their heroic actions are beyond me.

Something that shows well how isolated the 2 (and a half) scenes were. Those at the World Trade Center were unaware of the plane at the Pentagon. Those at the Pentagon were barely cognisent of the places hitting the World Trade Center. The only people aware of all the sites was Air Traffic Control, the media and the government. But they were only aware of them in bits and pieces. United Airlines 93 is what I referred to as the half scene. We all know they were aware of what was going on at least to a degree. Another thing that is shown in spades, as Gradd was hoping was the humanity and the equality of disaster. The Pentagon in particular proves a great equalisor with multistared Generals pitching in to help, or just being so broken in equal measure to the civillian workers.

On the formatting of The Only Plane in the Sky. The book is written broken up into 65 chapters with two 16-page sections of colour photos. The longest chapter is I think only 15 pages, with the exception of the epilogue, that is much longer. Each new chapter is started by an italics paragraph, Garrett M. Graff telling the readers the context for the chapter and the time you join thein the scheme of things, without these I may have got lost a couple of times. Each person is introduced by name, title, location and if required connection to the person in the towers/planes/pentagon. If someone is used more that once in a chapter only their name is given again but if it is in a different chapter it will be the in full again. Honestly, you need it, there are so many players involved and it really helps to know who is who, where they've come from and how likely they were to actually get out.

To my daughter, Eliza, and to all the children affected by 9/11. I hope this book helps you understand the world in which you live. — This is the dedication and I really like it. I wonder how old Eliza is.

I appreciate the maps provided. As an Australian, this level of micro-geography is not something I know. With the timing on the first map and the names of the companies located on the isolated floors, it can be a critical resource for those trying to follow along.

3 years, over 500 stories, 17 years of work by others. The amount of information Graff and Pachucki waded through in researching this astounds me as a librarian. So much of it was possibly barely organised or organised by boutique systems.

Frank Culbertson has a truly unique perspective on the events of 9/11 he was the only American off planet, on the Internation Space Station on the day. His perspective wasn't the first chronologically but it was definitely the most exclusive and a brilliant choice for the first entry in the book. He was able to clearly see the loss of the plane traffic to the point where there was only one visible contrail in the sky (Air Force One) and he could see the massive debris field from the towers falling.

The artists in residence, Monika Bravo and Vanessa Lawrence, and their final interpretations of the towers, both made the day before, are beautiful.

8:00 am is interesting for the sliding doors moments. The forgotten book. Ironing a shirt. Speaking to a friend. The forgotten ID. These are the people that survived. Also, Monica O'Leary by happenstance was fired from her job at Cantor Fitzgerald at 2:00 the previous day. It's on the 105th floor in the North Tower.

Something I didn't know... United Airlines 175 was at one point watching AA11 before being hijacked themselves. They, like air traffic control, heard Atta's message to stay in your seats. There are some voice recordings from both flights. The most painful is flight attendant Madeline "Amy" Sweeny, a flight attendant on American Airlines 11... "It is a rapid descent. Something is wrong. I don't think the captain is in control, I see water. I see buildings. We're flying low. We're flying very, very low. Oh my God. We're flying way too low."

"Everybody's heard plane engines, except very few people have heard the sound of plane engines when they're at full strength, full force, flying up in the sky. That is a horrifying sound. I still remember it very clearly—the sound of the engines flying at full force toward the World Trade Center." — Bruno Dellinger, principal Quint Amasis North America, North Tower, 47th floor

Christine Hanson was the youngest victim of September 11th at two and a half. She was a passenger on United Flight 175 with her parents Peter and Sue Kim.

"They came back on and said, "NORAD took control of all the airspace in the country. Proceed directly to Manhattan and set up Combat Air Patrol." I said, " OK, got that." It was a very surreal experience—flying over Central Park at 1,000 feet and 500 knots, trying to identify possible targets. That was just wrong. You should never be doing this over Manhattan." — Lt. Col. Tim Duffy, F-15 pilot, Otis Air Force Base, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Tim Duffy is one of the recurring pilots in the book. (also omg the multiple lines required for names when we get to the military)

It is so useful know where the planes hit. I didn't know the differences between their impacts. United Airlines 175 hit the sky lobby which was always going to be a big issue and the way in which it hit explains perfectly why it collapsed first. AA11 hit square on but higher up.

I adore Louise Buzzelli, amazing woman. Seven and a half months pregnant and feisty as hell. Wife of Pasquale Buzzelli an engineer on the 64th floor of the North Tower.

"That number doesn't include numerous fire companies, firefighters, EMTs and paramedics who continued to self-dispatch, and because the attacks took place around the time of the standard 9:00 a.m. shift change, many of the trucks were "riding heavy," that is, carrying firefighters from both the night and day tours" — If there is any even muted silver lining to 9/11 it is this. The timing. The "riding heavy".

The number of people with duel connections is great as in I'm glad they were included, not great they existed. Both a personal connection to someone on the flight or in one of the three buildings struck and a job that requires them to keep calm and carry on.

I never fully understood the full confusion around United Airlines 93. It was delayed in its departure, which might kinda explain some of the delays in the hijacking and their failure to hit their target. But also the heroism of the passengers, the reason they knew what was going on and knew they acted to save others. The Capitol has always been my guess for the target for those specific terrorists. It is also a widely suspected target by professionals.

Deena and Tom Burnett are amazing to me. She is so strong. Her strength might be one of the reasons he became one of the leaders of the retaking of United 93.

"As I hit Vesey between Church and Broadway, the first thing that struck me was the amount of women's shoes. I couldn't understand it. I realized women had run out of their shoes—the high heels and what have you. There were women's shoes all over." — James Luongo, inspector, NYPD. If someone had thought to photograph it this would likely have become one of the lasting images of the day. That idea of running for your life so much that comfort no longer matters because there would have been a lot of debris on the ground at the time.

All the freaking loyalty and comradery... it might be some of why whole engines were wiped out.

Herb and Todd Ouida (World Trade Centers Association, North Tower, 77th floor and Cantor Fitzgerald, North Tower, 105th floor respectively) broke my heart. A father and son pair. One survived and one did not. I struggled through their story.

Straight after Herb and Todd we meet Stanley Pramnath and Brian Clark (Fuji Bank, South Tower, 81st floor and executive vice president, EuroBrokers, South Tower, [83rd floor] respectively) they gave me smiles again. They are a reminder of the good in humanity, everyday people standing together and helping others at risk to themselves.

Rick Rescorla (vice president of security, Morgan Stanley, South Tower, 59-74 floors) is a legend. He evacuated his people early, going against the Port Authority's announcement, saving potentially hundreds of lives but losing his life in the process. Rick Rescorla was one of only 11 out of 2,700 people working at Morgan Stanley in the South Tower who died.

The story of Harry Ramos and Victor Wald (May Davis Group, North Tower, 87th floor and Avalon Partners, [North Tower, 84th floor] respectively) was one I wish we knew more of. But it did get me thinking about the placement of names on the memorial after the families of Ramos and Wald requested they be placed together. There is an article on it by Linda Tischler from 2011 for anyone else interested.

While the first official casualty is Father Mychal Judge one of the first firemen killed is Danny Suhr. He didn't get into the towers, he died in the forecourt after being struck by a jumper. I would suspect (though it is not specified) that he wasn't the only one to die in such a way. I have thoughts on the jumpers I go into later.

"A pop and then a sift—like taking a bag of sugar and pouring it into a container." — Joe Massian, technology consultant, Port Authority, North Tower, 70th floor. All the descriptions of the towers collapsing are varied but paint a pretty vivid soundscape of the moment.

While I have much more interest in the day-to-day people in this book, the people whose names will ultimately be lost to history, there are many people from the government providing input as well. It is just as interesting to see them. I have just got a greater interest in the everyday man.

"We would be ramming the aircraft. We didn't have weapons on board to shoot the airplane down. Both Sass and I had 105 bullets, lead-nosed. As we were putting on our flight gear in the life support shop, Sass looked at me and said, "I'll ram the cockpit." I made the decision I would take out the tail off the aircraft." — Lt. Heather "Lucky" Penney, F-16 pilot, D.C. Air National Guard. Essentially Lucky and Sass (Lt. Col. Marc Sassville, F-16 pilot, U.S. Air Force) were on a kamikaze run if necessary to take down United Airlines 93. This I never knew. Sass and Lucky are a whole other level of dedicated, I was stunned reading their story.

The Fourth Crash, the chapter that goes through the downing of United Airlines 93, is A LOT. If you have an interest in this flight I recommend United 93. It's heavy going but worth it.

The firemen took his body. Because they respected and loved him so much, they didn't want to leave it in the street. They quickly carried it into St. Peter's Church. They went up the center aisle, and they put the body in front of the alter. They covered it with a sheet. On the sheet, they placed his stole and his fire badge. — Friar Michael Duffy. This is in reference to Father Mychal Judge and the way he was treated after his death. He is for me impressive and unexpected. I was almost in tears by the end of it, there are two beautiful sections.

Wheelchair-bound John Abruzzo (staff accountant, Port Authority, North Tower, 69th floor) was lucky in a way. Without the bomb in 1993, he would have been dead. It took them six hours to evacuate in 1993 after that the Port Authority purchased evacuation chairs. With the evaluation chair and the help of 10 people he got out in an hour and a half. Getting out right before the North Tower collapsed.

Everyone has their own unsung heroes from 9/11. Security guards (Richard Wichen and Ralph Blasi), the civilian and uniformed personnel that work at the Pentagon (James Schwartz), the passengers of United Airlines (Heather Penny and Marc Sassville), the ship captains (Rick Schoenlank and James Parese).

"I recalled the Secretary [Donald] Rumsfeld had been in the navy. He was like the captain going down with the ship—he was going to make sure everything was OK before he went back." — Aubrey Davis, officer, Protective Service Unit, Defence Protective Service, Pentagon. Donald Rumsfeld has the respect of all under his command for his unwillingness to leave the scene. But I really like this take keeping his naval background in mind.

"I was running and running and running. I came up to a fireman who was also running, a tall skinny guy. I looked over and I saw that it said "Chaplin" on the helmet. It was a Fire Department Chaplin John Delendick, from St. Michael's Church in Brooklyn. I was running with him, and I said to him, "Are you a priest?" He said, "Yeah." I said, "Are you a Catholic priest?" He said, "Yeah." "How about absolution?" & "This police officer came up next to me, and said, "Father can you hear my confession?" I told him, "This is an act of war, so I'm going to give everyone general absolution," which I did. General absolution in the Catholic Church is forgiving all at the same time." — James Luongo, inspector, NYPD and Monsignor John Delendick, chaplain, FDNY. I include this because I find it intriguing to see what is remembered by people. In a day when so much happened, when so much was seen both of these two remember this conversion. I'm unsurprised Luongo remembers it, though I am surprised about Monsignor Delendick.

Some of the strongest stories in this oral history are from women. Those women who were left at home wondering if their partner was alive or dead. Wondering if they got out, wondering if they stayed to help others and knowing that their loved ones ran into the towers. It feels like so many of these women were pregnant at the time.

We went over by Kennedy and turned a plane away that was over there. I was going to check out the North Tower and see how it was doing. I flew by. I was looking straight at it; I realized it was exploding right before my eyes. It was the sicked feeling I've ever had. — Lt. Col. Tim Duffy. This would possibly be the most distressing view of the tower falling. That feeling of helplessness and knowing that so many people will be dying in those buildings

One of the two long long-running story arcs (if you can call them that) is of Jean and Dan Porter (Bank of America, North Tower, 81st floor and firefighter, Ladder 10, FDNY respectively). Dan was as close to panicked/ frantic in his search for Jean as any spouse would be. The biggest difference is he was boots on the ground and was able to search. Equally, Jean knew Dan would be looking for her and on the ground but couldn't find him. One of the best-known pictures from 9/11, taken by Matt Moyer, is of Dan on a bench when he has resigned himself to Jean being dead. The slow reveal of their story is just lovely. Their finding each other again is damn near Hollywood.

The editorial comments added by Garrett M. Graff are important for context and potential understanding. Especially the numbers and United Airlines 93 confusion, as well as some important death and comments like the names on the memorial. As September 11 2001 gets further in the past that information will be key for contextual knowledge.

"For those at the tip of Lower Manhattan, the only viable evacuating route turned out to be the water. A makeshift. unorganized armada of more than 130 ferries, pleasure yachts, sightseeing vessels, Coast Guard and police vessels, fire boats, and tugboats gathered—many without being asked—at Battery Park and nearby piers. By the end of the day, they had collectively evacuated somewhere between 300,000 and 500,00 people from Manhattan—a maritime rescue larger than the World War II evacuation from Dunkirk." — Garrett M. Graff. I'm not sure I'd ever known about the armada or really given much thought about how the survivors got off Lower Manhattan. It is logical but this is so much more micro than anything I've read. It is yet another moment of people coming together though, just getting it done.

Lt. Terri Tobin (public information officer, NYPD) is just one example of someone getting something done that would be otherwise unthinkable outside a warzone (though this was a warzone sooo...). Terri had two large shards of glass pulled out of her back, on a rocking boat without anesthetic. Lady after my own heart though, she can still recognise a cute guy when she sees one.

I looked at the water and saw another ferryboat. In my book Jersey was currently a helluva lot safer than crossing any bridge in Brooklyn. We rounded up whoever wanted to go with us and muscled over to the boat. All we had to do was yell, "We've got students," and the adults parted like the Red Sea. — Heather Ordover, English teacher, HSLPS [High School for Leadership and Public Service] I really like the respect given to the kids. It feels like people looked at the kids and thought they don't need to see any more of this carnage. Also those poor parents, especially of the HSLPS students, HSLPS is located only a couple of blocks from the towers. The kids stayed in small groups even if they got separated but the amount of worry existing... on both sides. Total respect for all involved though.

I need to add just a shout-out to the unexpected power couple of the book Rep. Martin Frost ((D-Texas), chair, House Democratic Caucus) and his wife of the time Major General Kathryn Frost. Major General Frost died in 2006 of cancer, Rep. Martin Frost's 2nd wife Jo Ellen is just as impressive.

It was completely amazing, the feeling of support, of unity. I felt so proud that my community, the Hispanic community, were calling. Suddenly the phones were ringing and saying, "This is the country that we chose to come to. Nobody will destroy our country," They would say, "I'm not legal in the United State. Do you think they will accept me to do volunteer work?" — Ilena Mayorga, management specialist, Volunteer Arlington. It's quotes like this and moments like this that are fantastic as a reminder of what al-Qaeda attacks managed to do. Bring people to together against a common enemy, issue.

Among all the people flying around with the President on September 11th that we get to meet Ellen Eckert (stenographer, White House) is my favourite. Ellen feels the most like the everyman. There are moments when she shows her fear that I appreciate.

There is a chapter called The 9/11 Generation. These are stories from children aged 0-college, I didn't know how useful I would find this perspective, it is a fantastic inclusion. I fit in this generation, we are the ones that need the book the most in some ways. Some of us were alive and knew what we were seeing was monumental but not why. We're adults now, and some of us are still trying to understand the gravity of the way it changed us and the world. Even from across the ocean we became a generation shaped by this and gun violence.

I was a pretty shy and quiet child, but I had made my first friend on my own. After that day, my friend come over and said, "We can't be friends anymore, Hiba. My mom said until this is over, we can't be friends anymore. — Hiba Elaasar, Louisiana, age 7. I know there was so much fear involved around this, especially from adults. But this is downright racist and these poor kids who lost those friendships, and friendship opportunities because of the actions of a few.

I didn't really understand the severity of its couple of buildings a few states away had been hit by planes. I'm not sure I had ever heard the word "terrorism" before. Once I got home I turned on the TV to try and figure out what was going on. I remember scrolling through more than 100 channels, seeing the same images of the Twin Towers falling, over and over. I counted 31 TV channels all airing live coverage of 9/11. When I saw that MTV and VH1 were also airing it, that's when I realized how big a deal it was and started to get scared. It was suddenly not an adult problem, but something that I was supposed to be attention to too. — Kat Cosgrove, New Hampshire, age 13. Ms Cosgrove is the same age as me. The idea of this is not just an adult problem is something that I remember well. That fear with no one to turn to as well. Except it was early in the am here.

I called my friend Andy over in the freshman boys' dorm. He very sleepily answered. In the calmest voice possible, I told him to turn on the TV and call me back. As we watched, it happened again [a plane flew into the second tower]. Almost immediately my phone rang. It was Andy, calling to tell me he saw it, and that he was "signing up" I was stunned, at first not knowing what he meant. He kept talking, telling me that he had to call his mom, and that he'd stay and finish up his freshman year, but he was signing up because that's what you do. Andy did sign up. He joined the National Guard that year. — Daphne Leigh, Ripon College, Wisconsin. Okay, so this is a pain quote. Andy would not have been the only college-age student to sign up for the sake of his country forsaking his education. But in multiple reviews I have mentioned guys in my year level enlisting, 9/11 was the originating reason for them too. We had an Andrew I read this, thought of him and got terribly emotional.

"Give me all the bad news now you want. This is the worst day of my life.” — Bill Spade, firefighter, Rescue 5, FDNY. Bill Spade has one of the worst double blows among these oral histories. He was the only one of FDNY Rescue 5 to survive. His uncle, Joe Driscoll (listed as Patrick Joseph Driscoll) was a passenger on United Airlines 93. This was said to his wife after finding out all the people he saw only that morning were missing and his uncle was certainly dead.

For a week, we only had text on paper and each of us in the submarine hoped it wasn't real. Finally seeing the footage for the first time is a feeling none of us can forget. — Matt Dooley, crewman, USS Norfolk. I do appreciate the choice to include oral histories from Dooley and Capt. James "Sandy" Winnefeld Jr., commander, USS Enterprise. These are another group of people we don't think about. Soldiers that were isolated and couldn't really get news for days because of their orders. And the nodes that were on their way home to be turned around back into what was clearly going to be a conflict.

He's like, "Hurry up! Hurry! You've got to get to him. He's going to die if you don't get to him." I said, "Will, we got to do our job. We got to get you out, then we'll get him out." we're scratching away, scratching away, and then we hear Sergeant McLoughlin's voice, and he goes, "Hey, how are you guys doing?" I'm like, "Who's that?" Will's like, "That's my partner," like, You idiots. What do you think I've been talking about? So we're like "We thought he was your partner." He said. "No, that's Dominick. He's dead" I'm like, Oh, my God! Now we have another rescue that we have to do.</i> — Scott Strauss, officer, Emergency Service Unit, Truck 1, NYPD. The other ongoing arc we follow is William Jimeno, John McLoughlin (officer, Port Authority Police Department and Sargent, Port Authority Police Department respectively) and their partners they survive but only just. They were found late on Tuesday night by U.S. Marines, Jason Thomas and Dave Karnes. Honestly, their being found and coming out is a moment and a half. But it's made nearly comical by quote I included. I like Will he's feisty and young.

It was fascinating to see what happened when people went home, and what their pressure valve was. For some of them, they broke because of something else entirely. Emotional overload. Pasquale Buzzelli has possibly the most amusing last moment. Such an Italian thing.

I want to address the 9/11 jumpers. There is a short section on them here, they cannot be forgotten and to ignore them is to erase history. The way that section is introduced is "Amid the catastrophe at the World Trade Center, no sight left as powerful an impression on the rescuers, officials and evacuees as the developing tragedy of the victims—trapped without escape on the Towers' upper floors, caught amid rising, unbearable temperatures and deadly smoke—who fell or chose to jump.". The section is treated with absolute respect and no one mentions suicide. I have thoughts about the jumpers. I subscribe to The Order of the Good Death's death-positive theory of the incident. “The jumpers were choosing their least worst death, the best of two horrendous options and reclaiming their agency.” (From Death in the Afternoon podcast episode The Least Worst Death.) The final lines of the chapter from Sunny Mindel (communication director for the mayor of the City of New York, Rudy Giuliani) explains why so many images exist of these people and in some ways mirror my own thoughts. "I was so rivited to this moment of people making this decision to jump that my gut instinct was: This is an invasion of the most intimate moment ever. My hand started to go up to block the lenses. But then I thought, No, this has got to be recorded for history. I just stood there.".

#book review #garrett m. graff #9/11 attacks #the only plane in the sky #september 11 #oral history #the only plane in the sky: the oral history of 9/11 #non fiction #ktreviews #tw 9/11 #tw death #read 2022 #tw sui

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disasterarea-podcast · 1 year

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So given the writer’s strike, some people are concerned about their shows and movies being postponed or canceled, and aside from the fact networks have already BEEN canceling shows for no reason for years (I still maintain a healthy anger about what Netflix did to Sense8), I thought I would suggest some books on disasters you might want to read if you’re into that sort of history. Which you are if you’re here, I imagine.

Note: I’m suggesting these books because most books on disasters don’t get a huge audience, and so I recommend them because this sort of writing can be hard on the writer and requires a bunch of research. We throw so much money at true crime, we can spare a few bucks for the stories of people who died in disasters.

Also, please check with these with your local small bookstore or library. Amazon can be great, but let’s lend a hand to those who need us more.

Recommended books:

“The Circus Fire,” by Stewart O’Nan - This is one my favorite books on a disaster, because the whole thing creates a very vivid image of the circus prior to the fire in Hartford in July of 1944. There’s one specific line in the book which always makes me pause because it’s so affecting, about how everyone who escaped being able to hear the sounds of the animals screaming as they died - except all of the animals were out of the tent by then.

“The Only Plane in the Sky,” by Garrett Graff - This, I highly recommend you get on audiobook. It’s an oral history of the events of 9/11 with a full cast, and it’s incredibly affecting to listen to.

“Ada Blackjack: A True Story of Survival in the Arctic,” by Jennifer Niven - Ada Blackjack was a badass: flawed and weak at times, but hardy and steady when necessary. Half of her story is how she survived, but half is how she was exploited following her rescue. Both stories need to be known.

“Alive,” by Piers Paul Read - If you’re watching “Yellowjackets,” this should be required reading. If you’ve seen the movie adaptation from the 90s, there is WAY more you don’t know. The story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 is a tough read, but a worthy one.

“A Night to Remember,” by Walter Lord - This is to disaster nonfiction what “In Cold Blood” is to true crime. It’s not a long read, but it’s a great one. Lord had the advantage of writing the book while many of the Titanic survivors were still alive and could give a very good description of what they went through.

“Dying to Cross,” by Jorge Ramos - I recommend this not just because it is good, but because it is timely. Nineteen people died in an un-air-conditioned truck as they were attempting to make their way into the states from over the Mexican border. It’s a horrific story, and one that humanizes an issue for whom some people need to be faced with the humans involved and what they go through.

“Bath Massacre: America’s First School Bombing,” by Arnie Bernstein - Harold Schecter also wrote a very good book on the Bath school massacre called “Maniac,” but I have a preference for this version. It’s a good reminder that schools in the U.S. didn’t just become targets in the last twenty years or so.

“Into Thin Air,” by Jon Krakauer - I feel like this is a gimme, but it’s a fantastic book from someone who was actually on Mount Everest during the 1996 disaster and knew those involved very well. I happen to like Krakauer’s work anyway - I even like “Into the Wild” despite my feelings about McCandless and his legacy - but it’s understandably my favorite.

“And the Band Played On,” by Randy Shilts - The one thing I will say is that Shilts’ treatment of Gaetan Dugas is *rough* to say the least and outright wrong on some points, God knows. But it’s still an amazing book, and if you come out of it not wanting to dig up Reagan and punch him a bunch I’m impressed at your restraint.

“Triangle: The Fire That Changed America,” by David von Drehle - The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire is one of the disasters I am most interested in, and I would argue this is the definitive book on the subject. Also, if this book introduces you to both Clara Lemlich and Frances Perkins … I mean, talk about badass women.

“The Radium Girls,” by Kate Moore - Look, I’ll say this. If you know of the Radium Girls, this is a great book on their story. If you don’t know, go in blind and prepared to be horrified.

“Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine,” by Anne Applebaum - Ukraine has always been a target. During the Holodomor, they were victims of one of the worst genocides in history.

“Midnight in Chernobyl,” by Adam Higginbotham - Like the miniseries? This is a great source for more information for what happened at Chernobyl and all of the ass-covering involved.

"Boston Strong: A City's Triumph Over Tragedy," by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge - If you’re interested in the Boston marathon bombing, I really thought this book did a good job of connecting the stories of the victims, the authorities searching for the killers, and the killers themselves.

“Show Me the Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Tower,” by Peter Apps - As I understand it, Apps did a lot of covering the Grenfell Tower fire for the British press, and it shows. He provides a mountain of information, and you will come out of reading this book absolutely LIVID about what authorities allowed to happen in Grenfell and so many other council estates in the UK.

“Dark Tide: The Great Molasses Flood of 1919,” by Stephen Puleo - I feel as though the molasses flood gets treated like a joke a lot of the time, but y’all, twenty people died. That area of Boston was *wrecked*. The photos of the devastation are terrifying. Puleo treats all of this with the proper respect it deserves.

“In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex,” by Nathaniel Philbrick - Forget the movie. Read the book.

“The Great Influenza,” by John M. Barry - Want to read about the 1918 flu epidemic? Want to be mad that a hundred years later we didn’t learn a damn thing?

Now, that’s just a start. If anyone wants, I can always post photos of my disaster book collection on Kindle and next to my recording desk. Or if there’s a specific disaster you’re interested in, I may know of a good book about it you can read.

But just remember if SAG and the directors’ guild joins the strike too - there is so much out there to occupy your time until they come back. Entertainment work is work, and it deserves to be supported financially and fairly as such. Rock on, WGA. ✊

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the-forest-library · 9 months

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August 2023 Reads

The Annotated Persuasion - Jane Austen

Nothing But the Truth - Holly James

The Last Word - Katy Birchall

The Deja Glitch - Holly James

Love, Theoretically - Ali Hazelwood

The Dane of My Existence - Jessica Martin

They Hate Each Other - Amanda Woody

Mister Magic - Kiersten White

Stars, Hide Your Fires - Jessica Mary Best

Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree

The Study of Poisons - Maria V. Snyder

This is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone

His Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Novik

Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel

The Brothers Hawthorne - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Give Me a Sign - Anna Sortino

Rewind - Lisa Graff

Tuesdays at the Castle - Jessica Day George

Mice Skating - Annie Silvestro

The Rock from the Sky - Jon Klassen

Ancient Night - David Bowles

Fangirl, Vol 1 - Sam Maggs, Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl, Vol 2 - Sam Maggs, Rainbow Rowell

Family Style - Thien Pham

It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth - Zoe Thorogood

Congratulations, the Best is Over - R. Eric Thomas

Strong Female Character - Fern Brady

Everything I Know About Love - Dolly Alderton

Sipping Dom Perignon Through a Straw - Eddie Ndopu

Organizing for the Rest of Us - Dana K. White

You Just Need to Lose Weight - Aubrey Gordon

Vibrant - Stacie Stephenson

How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids - Jancee Dunn

Allergic - Theresa MacPhail

Generations - Jean M. Twenge

Enough - Shauna M. Ahern

Sensitive - Jenn Granneman

The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness - Sarah Ramey

Dressing Barbie - Carol Spencer

Goblin Mode - McKayla Coyle

How to Resist Amazon and Why - Danny Caine

The Artist's Way - Julia Cameron

Bold = Highly Recommend Italics = Worth It Crossed out = Nope

Thoughts:

Some really good reads this month, and some disappointments. I really enjoyed They Hate Each Other and was surprised by how much I liked the Fangirl manga. I also finally found an Ali Hazelwood book that I didn't DNF, lol.

Goodreads Goal: 289/400

2022 Reads | 2023 Reads

#2023 reads #book reviews #book recommendations #books #booklr #bookish #reading #bibliophile

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ninja-muse · 2 months

Text

March was a productive month, and not just because I read a good number of books. I also started writing again after a bit of a slump, and I managed to unhaul 37 books from my home library, though some of them have not actually left the house yet. The used bookstore I went to didn't take everything so I have to decide which one I'm hitting next. Or if I'm dumping the bulk on a thrift store because let's be honest, most used bookstores aren't going to want what's left either.

Can you tell I got rid of that many? Only if you saw the state of things before. My shelves are neat and tidy with no books wedged on top of other books to make things fit.

And I was so, so close to ending the month without buying more books! I really thought I was going to manage it! And then, well, I mentioned the used bookstore, right? I've been meaning to read Delaney but few bookstores stock him, and Lincoln's Dreams is one of the only Connie Willis novels I don't own. (That shop also had stickers, and a cute bookmark I can't show you because whiting out the identifying features would ruin the effect.) Under the Smokestrewn Sky was a rescue, of sorts. Why return it to the publisher when you could just buy it, right?

Anyway, in terms of books read, there were some really good ones! And only one that was not so great. I think I'm done reading and collecting Rat Queens and might need to include those in the next unhaul. And don't get me wrong about the Evie Dunmore. It is a Good Historical Romance Novel. There's just something about it that didn't work for me.

Click through to see everything I read this month, in the rough order of how glad I was to have read them.

I Love Russia - Elena Kostyuchenko, translated by Bela Shayevich and Ilona Yazhbin Chavasse

Portraits and memories of the unsung Russia—the poor, the broken, the marginalized.

10/10

🏳️‍🌈 author

warnings: so many, including but not limited to misogyny, homophobia, genocide, violence, sexual violence, drugs and alcohol, abuse, child death, suicide

reading copy

True North - Andrew J. Graff

The Brechts move to Michigan to restart a rafting business. They hope it’ll save their family, but it might do the opposite.

7.5/10

Menominee secondary character

library book

Sociopath - Patric Gagne

As a child, Patric knew something about her was off and kept countering a lack of feeling with dark acts. As a young woman, she learns the definition of “sociopath” and it changes everything. Out in April.

8/10

neurodivergent author

To a Darker Shore - Leanne Schwartz

When the invention that should have guaranteed Alesta's future fails, her best friend takes the fall and is sacrificed to the demon besieging their kingdom. To rescue him, Alesta must descend into hell, where she learns truths about her society—and her gods. Out in April.

8/10

fat protagonist, autistic main character, major autistic secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters, autistic author

warning: classism, strict religion, autism-related ableism

reading copy

The Temple of Fortuna - Elodie Harper

Amara’s living as a courtesan in Rome but misses her lover and daughter in Pompeii. When she returns to the city, her needs and desires are sent into turmoil—and Vesuvius has started to rumble.

8/10

🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic), Ethiopian secondary characters

warning: misogynist society, sexual violence, slave society

Funny Story - Emily Henry

What do you do when your partners dump you for each other? Move in together, of course! Out in April.

7.5/10

Iranian-American secondary character, Black secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic)

warning: toxic relationships, mainly in backstory

reading copy

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop - Hwang Bo-reum, translated by Shanna Tan

Tired of fulling expectations, Yeongju opens a bookshop. She’s not the only one to find happiness there.

7.5/10

Korean cast, Korean author

library ebook

Aftermarket Afterlife - Seanan McGuire

The Covenant has started actively pursuing the Prices and their allies, and all Mary wants to do is protect her family.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (lesbian, gay, bi man), Korean-American secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 author

warning: canon-typical violence, bigots

library ebook

Knife Skills for Beginners - Orlando Murrin

Paul Delamare is filling in for a friend at a cooking school when a body is found on the premises.

6.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (gay), Black British secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (sapphic)

reading copy

Let Them Tremble - Wolf Epley

The revolution is brewing and both the workers and the government refuse bend. Throw in a destroyed print shop, ghosts, and malfunctioning Shroud devices, and you know things won’t end well.

7/10

major disabled character (partial blindness, limp, hand disfigurement), cast largely of non-racialized colour

won/digital reading copy

The Gentleman’s Gambit - Evie Dunmore

Catriona needs to avoid distractions to write her book but is pressed to help her father’s new colleague around Oxford. Elias needs her help if he ever hopes to smuggle antiquities out of the Ashmolean.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (bi woman), Lebanese love interest, Lebanese secondary character

warning: colonial/orientalist characters

library book

Rat Queens, Vol. 5 - Kurtis J. Wiebe with Owen Gieni (illustrator)

Palisade’s problems continue, including hallucinations, a hipster bar, and a sinister wizard.

6/10

major Black character, major 🏳️‍🌈 character (lesbian), 🇨🇦

off my TBR shelves

Children’s Books

Penelope Rex and the Problem with Pets - Ryan Higgins

Mittens hogs the bed, eats from the trash, and causes all kinds of trouble—and Penelope didn’t even want them!

Currently reading

I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons - Peter S. Beagle

Robert doesn’t want to be the country’s dragon exterminator on the best of days, but then Princess Cerise meets Prince Reginald. Out in May.

reading copy

Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century - Richard Taruskin

A history of early written European music, in its social and political contexts.

The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

Victorian detective stories

disabled POV character (limb injury), occasional Indian secondary characters

warning: racism, colonialism

Monthly total: 12 Yearly total: 32 Queer books: 4 Authors of colour: 1 Books by women: 8 Authors outside the binary: 0 Canadian authors: 1 Classics: 0 Off the TBR shelves: 1 Books hauled: 3 ARCs acquired: 5 ARCs unhauled: 7 DNFs: 0

January February

#booklr #bookblr #book recommendations #book recs #reading wrap-ups #read in 2024 #my photos

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numinousmysteries · 6 months

Text

Something to Celebrate

@eightnightsofmulder

@today-in-fic

Eight Nights of Mulder Day Three: Celebration

[on Ao3]

December 1995

The case was one dead end after another. They would’ve been back with time to spare, too, if Mulder hadn’t insisted on tracking down and interrogating the missing teenage boy’s estranged father. Unfortunately, he’d been ice fishing off the grid for days with his buddies, an airtight alibi with the walleye to prove it. Once they made it back to Detroit from Billy Graff’s father’s cabin on Lake St. Clair, Billy had been found holed up in a cheap motel with his girlfriend. It turned out his younger sister had caught him sneaking out of the house a week earlier and he’d bribed her to make up a story about witnessing him being taken by a bright light in the sky for their gullible, UFO-obsessed mother.

By the time Billy was safely returned home, the snow that had been teasing the area all week began to fall in earnest. And now they’ve missed their original flight and are stuck in the Detroit Metro Airport for the foreseeable future.

Even with all the weather delays, the airport is mostly empty. It’s Christmas Eve and everyone is already where they need to be. Officially off the clock, he’s convinced her to have a drink with him at the airport bar.

“If we get out tomorrow morning you’ll likely make it back for Christmas dinner,” he says, carrying two beer bottles back from the bar to their table.

She just nods and, fortunately, he doesn’t push it. Last year was her first Christmas without her father and this would be her first without her sister. She feels guilty about leaving her mother with another empty place at the table, but she doesn’t miss facing Bill’s interrogation about her work or having to tell Maggie there are no new leads on Melissa’s murder.

“I’m sorry I brought us out here for nothing,” he says.

“You didn’t know he made it up,” she replies, staring down at her beer bottle. She understands by now that a sibling gone missing under mysterious circumstances is enough to send them halfway across the country no matter how flimsy the evidence may be. And she knows it’s too sensitive of a point to call him out on.

“Hey,” he says, his eyes lighting up. “Why don’t we have our own little celebration right here?”

“What are we celebrating, Mulder?”

“Billy Graff is home for the holidays with his family. We both made it through the case unscathed. And I think it’s still Hanukkah.” He gestures over the little battery-powered, flameless candle flickering on their high-top table. “Let’s get eight more of these and we can have our own little festival of lights.”

She doesn’t have time to protest before he’s off his bar stool, gathering fake candles from the surrounding empty tables. He comes back with both hands full and moves their beer bottles around to make room to line up nine candles in a row.

“Aren’t there supposed to be eight? One for each night?” she asks.

“Oh, Scully, you forget the shamash.”

“The what?”

“The shamash,” he repeats, acting surprised this isn’t common knowledge for his Irish Catholic partner. “The middle helper candle? The one we use to light the rest?”

“When was the last time you did this Mulder?”

“I’m pretty sure Nixon was in office,” he says. “But don’t worry. Nothing’s changed for over 2,000 years. Here, I’ll come sit next to you.”

He stands and scoots his bar stool until it’s directly next to hers. Their shoulders brush through their suit jackets, and she feels a rush of heat.

“See, you place the candles right to left, so let’s pretend I already did that,” he sweeps a hand over their improvised menorah. “Then we light the shamash, and use it to light the other candles left to right. Of course, these candles need no oil, pure or otherwise, to keep burning but it’s the thought that counts, right?”

She smiles at him. Her Jewish, agnostic partner, who believes not in God but in astral projection, psychic visions, and chupacabras is guiding her through a bastardization of a religious ritual in the middle of the Detroit Metro Airport. It’s never a dull moment with him.

“Here, I’ll show you,” he says.

He picks up her hand from the table and covers it with his. They pantomime lighting the middle candle, then using it to light the rest. Even without real flames, his hand feels warm over hers and she realizes this isn’t the worst way to spend Christmas Eve.

“Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tsivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah,” he whispers in her ear as they pretend to light the candles. “Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, she-asah nisim la’avoteinu bayamim hahem bazman hazeh.”

“What does it mean?” she asks.

“Oh, you know, the usual,” he sighs. “Bless you God, we thank you for all your wondrous deeds. Although the Yankees haven’t won a World Series in nearly 20 years, so I'm not sure exactly what we’re thanking him for.”

They’ve mock-lit all the candles now but he’s still holding her hand. She knows she should pull away but she doesn’t want to break the spell. He’s her partner and, she’s slowly starting to realize, her best friend. They don’t do this enough—simply spend time together. That’s not entirely true. They spend nearly every waking hour during the week at each other’s sides, but they’re typically debating a theory or investigating a case, not simply enjoying one another’s company. And for all the times he frustrates, challenges, irritates, and even ditches her, she really does enjoy Mulder’s company.

“Thank you for sharing this with me,” she says.

He shrugs, taking his hand off hers to pick up his beer bottle. She immediately notes its absence. “That’s my first time lighting the candles since Samantha was taken. She disappeared a few weeks before Hanukkah, which kind of put a damper on that year’s festivities, and then after that, we stopped practicing.”

“I understand,” she says, suddenly embarrassed. “I’m sorry if this triggered any bad memories.”

“No, not at all, Scully,” he chuckles. “It was my idea, anyway. Besides, we’re a lot like the Maccabees.”

She isn’t sure where he’s going with this, so she raises an eyebrow as an invitation to continue.

“We’re the underdogs fighting for what we believe in against all odds, looking for a little light in the darkness.”

He grins at her and she returns the smile. She doesn’t underestimate the significance of him including her in his quest. For so long, he’d been chasing windmills on his own but for three years now he’s had her by his side. She’s seen things she hasn’t been able to explain through science or logic, she’s had her own body manipulated by these shadowy men, and she’s lost her sister to the cause, but she never fled. She never considered abandoning him, tossing him back into the darkness alone. That, at least, is something to celebrate.

#eightdaysofmulder #eightnightsofmulder #8dom #txf #xf fanfic #xfiles fanfic #msr

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