The Day The World Came To Town is a book about 9/11 but also about so much more.
This week marks twenty years since 9/11. In honor of 9/11, I was going to share a list of books about 9/11. Books like Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11, but since the world feels heavy right now, I decided to focus on just one book, and it is one that shares a positive story in the midst of the tragedy.
It is hard to say that you love a book about such a terrible event, but when I read The Day the World Came To Town a few years ago, I could not put it down. I really did love it.
Why did I love a book about one of the toughest days in U.S. history?
Because this book is a reminder that in the middle of evil, there is still good. In the middle of the pain, there is still hope. In the middle of hate, there is still love to be found. And in the midst of a world with people trying to destroy, there is also a huge number of people still building up.
On September 11, when the U.S. closed its airspace, thirty-eight jetliners were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland. Gander was a small town of around ten thousand people, and in less than twenty-four hours, it almost doubled in size.
In the midst of a horrific event, the people of Gander came together and showed they cared.
Thousands of exhausted, hungry, passengers, from all over the world, were welcomed and cared for by strangers in a small town in New Foundland. Friendships were formed that will last forever.
The town banded together and gave those stranded passengers a welcome like no other. People with very little found ways to make a difference.
The Day the World Came To Town covers the lives of everyday people. Air traffic controllers, school teachers, bus drives, and more who were from Gander and stopped their everyday lives to help strangers.
It is about the stranded everyday people who were in the air when the towers went down. A Texas family returning home after adopting a child, business owners, people vacationing, a CEO, a military general, and more.
Everyone stranded was in the same position. They were in a strange country, longing for information about the tragedy at home. They were concerned about their family and friends in America, and they were longing to return to the people and family they loved.
Gander came to the rescue. They fed the travelers and provided for them. The people of Gander welcomed to their town the people that were forced to land and in some cases opened their homes.
In the midst of a terrible disaster, Gander, Newfoundland stepped up and showed what ordinary people can do to make a difference.
The Day The World Came To Town shares an inspiring story in the midst of a terrible tragedy. It is a reminder that small towns, full of everyday people, can make a big impact.
If you need an inspiring story to read right now, this is a great one. It will make you laugh, and it will make you cry. But most of all it will remind you that there is still a lot of love to be found in a world full of suffering.
We just bought this book a few days ago. Our local bookstore is closing, so we visited on Monday and came home with a big haul, this book included. Thanks for the review. It will be a good read.
It is always sad to see a bookstore close, but I am glad that you found some good books. I hope that you enjoy The Day The World Came To Town.
The musical “Come From Away” is based on this book and on Apple TV+ right now. We had a season pass to the Traveling Broadway shows a few years ago and went to it not knowing anything and I was blown away by it–how could you make a musical about 9/11 AND you leave touched, not depressed?
I did not know that the musical was on Apple TV+ right now. Thank you! I will try to watch it. I have heard great things about it. I feel the same way about the books, instead of reading a book about 9/11 and being depressed it touches you and reminds you that everyone can make a difference. It gives you hope in the midst of tragedy.