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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
    Ebook296 pages4 hours

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

    By Jim DeFede

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    The True Story Behind the Events on 9/11 that Inspired Broadway’s Smash Hit Musical Come from Away, Featuring All New Material from the Author

    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.

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJul 12, 2011
    ISBN9780062103284
    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

    4.5/5

    67 ratings13 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Fascinating - great story of hope and encouragement during tragedy.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book, but two things.. the ending was underwhelming. I guess it wa supposed to convey relief. And it felt like there was a big gaping hole that the author tip toed around .. Islam, Muslims... idk felt like the possibly Muslim characters were footnotes. Did no one get to know the girls from Iran? Were there no American Muslims on the planes in gander? I doubt it. It feels weird.
      It’s such a wholesome feel good book but some of the story has to be missing..
    • 4/5
      I’d never heard of this being where so many planes had been diverted after 9/11. Very interesting.
    • 5/5
      When ever humanity gets me down I pick up this book and remember their is some good in this world. On one of the worst days ever, there was also good.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this book about the people of the small city of Gander, Newfoundland and the surrounding area, and how they coped with the influx of thousands of airliner passengers forced to land there when US airspace was closed on 9/11.There was so much to love about this book! Right off, Defede startled me into the realization that the US handed off some of our security nightmare to Canada, which the Canadians accepted without hesitation. After all, the fear was that there were more terrorists lurking on airplanes, right?The book takes a look at a number of folks whose travels and lives were interrupted by the plane diversion -- including (among others) the parents of a FDNY firefighter at Ground Zero, a couple returning to the US with a newly-adopted daughter, and a US general high up in the Army intelligence community.And then there are the "Newfies." The people of the Gander area went so far beyond allowing these people to land. They toook them to heart. They stripped their own beds so the visitors could have sheets. They invited strangers into their homes to shower, in those cases were the shelters lacked such facilities. They offered their telephones and internet connections and ears to hear sad stories. They cooked and commiserated. This book was filled with many, many heart-warming interactions between the Newfies and their guests.And in the process of reading, I learned a lot about Newfoundland, and the history of Gander -- and why in the world so many people wound up there on 9/11.I can't say enough good things about this book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland is a book to read on a day when you just know that a good cry will make you feel so much better.When US airspace was closed on 9/11, 43,895 people were aboard airplanes diverted to Canadian airports. Thirty-eight planes, carrying 6,595 passengers landed in Gander, Newfoundland, a town of approximately 10,000 people.This book is the incredible story of the way in which the people of Gander responded to the events and took care of those stranded passengers and it will bring tears to your eyes.This is a book about triumph, not tragedy. It's a wonderful read.
    • 5/5
      The love and giving nature of the town of Gander, Newfoundland when planes diverted from United States airspace on September 11 had to land and disembark in their small town.
    • 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

    • 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.
    • 5/5
      I don't think any of us will ever forget September 11, 2001. We don't even need the year to remind us what happened on 9/11. It was a day of unspeakable horror, shock, sadness, and anger. And yet, despite the incredible display of human hatred and aggression, we've all heard stories of equally incredible kindness and generosity and cooperation as strangers reached out to help one another. This book is one of those stories. When American airspace was closed that day, there were dozens of planes bound for the United States that were not going to be permitted to enter the country. Our neighbor, Canada, was faced with the dilema of either accepting the flights we were refusing or sending them back. When they decided to accept them, no one knew how long it would take before travellers could continue on to the US. In the case of Gander, Newfoundland, though, people didn't wait to find out. As soon as the decision was made to force US-bound flights to land, the townspeople began preparing for company. Even though it would be hours before passengers were allowed off the planes, shelters were being set up, food was being prepared, and transportation was being arranged for the waylayed travellers. Gander used to be the site of a US military base, and has long been used as a re-fueling stop for trans-Atlantic and military flights. They have the facilities to handle large aircraft and that day they received more than 3 dozen planes in-bound from Europe, carrying more than 6,000 people. The individual stories of how the 10,000 local residents cared for all those strangers - feeding them, giving them bedding and shelter, taking them shopping and sightseeing and drinking, inviting them into their homes for showers and offering their telephones and computers to contact loved ones, and then staying up most of the night watching over sleeping families and doing laundry so that there would be clean towels in the morning - were absolutely heartwarming. Sometimes, with the constant barrage of bad news in the media, it is refreshing to be reminded that people are mostly good. We are giving, caring and generous. It's only too bad that it takes a tragedy to be reminded of that. Highly recommended.
    • 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).
    • 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.
    • 5/5
      If you want inspiration -- to feel hopeful about humankind, this is the book.

    Book preview

    The Day the World Came to Town - Jim DeFede

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