The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of September 11, 2001
Written by Holter Graham and Garrett M. Graff
Narrated by A Full 45-Person Cast
5/5
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About this audiobook
2020 MULTI-VOICED PERFORMANCE AUDIE AWARD WINNER!
Audio bonus! The audio edition includes an exclusive interview with Garrett Graff and Holter Graham as well as archival audio from United States Presidential addresses, In-Flight Communications, and Air Traffic Control.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“This is history at its most immediate and moving…A marvelous and memorable book.” —Jon Meacham
“Remarkable…A priceless civic gift…On page after page, a reader will encounter words that startle, or make him angry, or heartbroken.” —The Wall Street Journal
“Had me turning each page with my heart in my throat…There’s been a lot written about 9/11, but nothing like this. I urge you to read it.” —Katie Couric
The first comprehensive oral history of September 11, 2001—a panoramic narrative woven from voices on the front lines of an unprecedented national trauma.
Over the past eighteen years, monumental literature has been published about 9/11, from Lawrence Wright’s The Looming Tower to The 9/11 Commission Report. But one perspective has been missing up to this point—a 360-degree account of the day told through firsthand.
Now, in The Only Plane in the Sky, Garrett Graff tells the story of the day as it was lived—in the words of those who lived it. Drawing on never-before-published transcripts, declassified documents, original interviews, and oral histories from nearly five hundred government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends, and family members, he paints the most vivid and human portrait of the September 11 attacks yet.
Beginning in the predawn hours of airports in the Northeast, we meet the ticket agents who unknowingly usher terrorists onto their flights, and the flight attendants inside the hijacked planes. In New York, first responders confront a scene of unimaginable horror at the Twin Towers. From a secret bunker under the White House, officials watch for incoming planes on radar. Aboard unarmed fighter jets in the air, pilots make a pact to fly into a hijacked airliner if necessary to bring it down. In the skies above Pennsylvania, civilians aboard United 93 make the ultimate sacrifice in their place. Then, as the day moves forward and flights are grounded nationwide, Air Force One circles the country alone, its passengers isolated and afraid.
More than simply a collection of eyewitness testimonies, The Only Plane in the Sky is the historic narrative of how ordinary people grappled with extraordinary events in real time: the father and son caught on different ends of the impact zone; the firefighter searching for his wife who works at the World Trade Center; the operator of in-flight telephone calls who promises to share a passenger’s last words with his family; the beloved FDNY chaplain who bravely performs last rites for the dying, losing his own life when the Towers collapse; and the generals at the Pentagon who break down and weep when they are barred from trying to rescue their colleagues.
At once a powerful tribute to the courage of everyday Americans and an essential addition to the literature of 9/11, The Only Plane in the Sky weaves together the unforgettable personal experiences of the men and women who found themselves caught at the center of an unprecedented human drama. The result is a unique, profound, and searing exploration of humanity on a day that changed the course of history, and all of our lives.
Editor's Note
Audiobook of the year…
“The Only Plane in the Sky” — a comprehensive oral history of the 9/11 terrorist attacks — won the Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year (2019). “[Garrett] Graff has created a historical document with the deftness of a poet and this production only builds on it,” according to the Audie judges.
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Reviews for The Only Plane in the Sky
517 ratings42 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Over the years I have listened to hundreds of audiobooks. RIVITING, Epic, heartfelt, proud, an emotional rollar coaster ride of emotions consumed me as I remembered my own expierience and those directly impacted in ways I could not fathom until now. On 9/11/2001 time stopped. 18 years later, it stopped again when listened to this audiobook. I relived that day, I wept again for the fallen heros and a mourning nation. I will never forget the lives lost for the cause of a free nation and I am so grateful these events and stories were captured so a new generation can learn the lessons from first hand accounts. Every American needs to listen to this audiobook and remember who we are as a United America.
3 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I lived through it from a distance - New England. The book is gripping and traumatically emotional, of course. Very well done.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5No book, audio or program has brought me back to that horrible day and the years that followed better than this book!
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So memorable. Very interesting being told in a linear fashion from all the different points of view happening at the exact same time.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Never the same after reading this sacred piece of history. A must read for all
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This audiobook is a piece of art. What an amazing recollection of memories, events, words, and emotions. I binge listened to it for a couple of days while feelings once burried came back to the surface with all the tears. Thank you for such an amazing work!
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I highly recommend this book. Even though I can remember where I was and what my family, friends and I did, hearing the personal stories of those who went through this day was both eye-opening and heart- wrenching.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Absolutely moving. A must read for anyone who lived through that day.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The audio narration brings the intensity and intimacy of 9/11 to life. A day that changed the world forever. I recommend listening to Mitchell Zuckoff’s account as well; Fall and Rise.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of the best audio books I have ever listened to. Spoken by many of the actual people that had the experience. Have your tissues nearby as you experience first hand what it was like for so many on September 11, 2001.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5WOW! I would give 500 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️if I could! What a heart wrenching oral history of 9/11. Very thorough and extremely well done Ask anyone where they were or what they were doing on September 11, 2001 and they will remember. Listening to this as an audiobook is a must. This audiobook shares the facts and personal stories in a comprehensive oral history that every American needs to hear. Yes, I cried and it’s an emotional ride but I also felt proud to be an American and never want to forget this historic day. THANK YOU Garrett Graff for doing such an exceptional job of piecing together this amazing oral history. This is by far the best Audiobook I have ever listened to!!!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent and worthwhile read. Highly recommend to anyone who is interested in reading an authoritative, informative and truly moving account of 9/11. A book every American should own. The audio was very good and should be included right next to the written word. 5 stars.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Outstanding audiobook. I didn’t know about the 15 hours that I’d need to invest in this audiobook but now I can say it was well worth my time.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hands down the best audio book I’ve listened too. Very informative & utterly heartbreaking. I learned & I cried. Highly recommend.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is gut wrenching but very necessary. It’s also very timely as politics, a new generation and a sense of safety seem to make 9/11 a thing of the past
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very emotional account of the events of 9-11. A great presentation! Well done.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5BRILLIANT - HEART WRENCHING AND HEART WARMING!
This book may go down as my favorite book of all time! - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Best audiobook I have ever listened to! Highly recommend and feel it should be required reading.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I felt all kinds of emotions as each person tells their own story. I had tears in my eyes as I felt their fear. I could not have imagined how brave many people were on 9/11. This audiobook is the best and it was extremely well put together given it was described by so many people.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wow - so powerful! This should be required reading/listening!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A chilling read but very valuable for millennials , like me, who are too young to remember much. I had to take a lot of breaks from this one. My most interesting conversation to come out of this production was with my uncles who were adults at the time. They were talking about the 10,000 people who had died that day. I told them actually it was just under 3,000 but the death toll keeps rising due to lingering illnesses. They were surprised to hear the number wasn't as high as they remembered.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of the most powerful books I've read in years. The power comes from witnesses providing first-hand accounts in their own words of one this country's worst days. Garrett Graff has gathered an extraordinary cross-section of voices from first responders, those in the buildings who escaped with moments to spare, air traffic controllers, news reporters, senior government officials, voice mails from those on the ill-fated planes. One of the revelations is that those in the buildings had no idea what was happening on the outside. The book opens with the unique perspective of the one American above it all, Commander Frank Culbertson, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station who could see the black cloud streaming from lower Manhattan. One of the extraordinary heroism that stands out is that of a Fire Chief Ray Downey, the head of NYFD's Special Operations who survived the collapse of the South Tower, and went back into the North Tower to direct rescue operations. He was last seen staying with a heavy-set gentleman on the stairway would couldn't move. There is even a section of the "9/11 Generation": perspectives from kindergarteners to college students. A difficult but compelling read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book provides an oral history of the events of 9/11, compiled from hundreds of interviews. It documents the personal stories of people involved in the tragedy of the twin towers, Pentagon, and hijacked aircrafts. The audio is read by a cast of professional narrators and includes excerpts from the actual recorded conversations with the flight attendants aboard the planes. The author has spoken with people who escaped the twin towers, family members of victims, first responders, military personnel, air traffic controllers, politicians, news reporters, White House staff, and eyewitnesses. It is intense, harrowing, and extremely sad. It is comprehensive, including many peripheral topics, one-liners, and interviews with high-profile individuals who were far removed from the events. The stories of ordinary people who were directly involved are gut-wrenching.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I was reading and listening to this book at first. I had to put the book away and listen to the audio version in its entirety. It was heart wrenching. My heart broke over and over while I was listening to this and the narrators did SUCH a good job. Including real snippets of the news briefings was such a great addition. This is a different side of 9/11. It isn't the side that we always speak to one another about... it's the side of those stuck in the rubble, losing their loved ones, and feeling helpless as this travesty occurred.I would not put myself through this emotional turmoil again, but it was beautifully written and I have no complaints about it at all.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book. The scope of it, the time that went into it. Oral history of 9/11. Incredibly powerful.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If journalism is the first rough draft of history, this effort twenty years after straddles the two. The focus is on the what and not the why, and any interpretation or context is the immediate and preliminary, as expressed at the time. Two decades begins to sound like history, but this book is mostly about the event itself as it unfolded and the events on the ground as they were lived. Passing the 20th anniversary of America’s worst terrorist attack, a whole generation has grown up unaware of the details of that grim day. And for those who lived through it, it remains an unforgettable “where were you then” moment in lives which for most contain only a handful of such moments.Garrett Graff has amassed a monumental collection of first person accounts, descriptions, and memories, as well as contemporaneous news reporting and commentary to tell the story of 9/11. We revisit that day through those who escaped the World Trade Center or survived the Pentagon attack, those on the phone with loved ones on the fourth plane, first responders, many of whom lost family and coworkers, and political and news figures. These accounts are organized into readable chapters, each telling a story chronologically beginning in the the early morning, and topically, as the day unfolded in multiple places and in multiple ways. The political reactions and responses are part of the narrative. Witness the title, which refers to the grounded US air fleet, and the one plane still airborne: that of President George W. Bush on his way back to Washington.Do you want to read a comprehensive narrative of the 9/11attacks? I can only say that I did want to be reminded. I will never forget both the confusion and horror for me personally that day, and the aftermath in NYC in the days following, as a feeling of shared trauma and intimate connection united everyone for a brief moment. It was a singular experience, and I recall a feeling of privilege to bear witness personally to the tragedy through the experience of New Yorkers. The details of that day are not pretty, although many are heroic. And forgetting isn’t my preferred style. I prefer remembering, acknowledging, being aware, and accepting where possible. An important piece of my life is more strongly anchored and won’t blow away.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/55764. The Only Plane in the Sky An Oral History of 9/11, by Garrett M. Graff (read 21 Nov 2021) This book, published in large print in 2019, is made up of words said by others than the author, and tells what numerous persons said of their experiences on 11 Sept 2001, when the four hijacked planes were crashed into the Twin Towers in New York, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. The oral statements are revealing and often of much interest. Nearly all the statements were made on Sept 11 and persons quoted range from government figures down to ordinary citizens. The large print book (the first Large Print book identified as such I have ever read) goes on and on for many pages and thus there is much repetition and eventually one palls reading some of the entries.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It is the month before the 20th year observance of 9/11. Author Garrett Graff begins the narration by explaining that nearly anyone who was alive at the time is eager to share their personal memories of that day. I definitely identified.I listened to the oral history which included survivors, family members, White House and Congressional leaders, journalists and neighbors in New York, Arlington and Pennsylvania. It provided me with more insight into the day and the personal stories.This was an important book. It was difficult. I will never forget the day and I will never forget this book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Over 15 hours long on audio, this riveting account of September 11 tells the stories of ordinary people, first responders, rescue workers, and politicians in their own words. It covers the lead-up to the attacks, what went on in the three planes that were crashed, how the government reacted, how people searched for loved ones - nearly every facet one can think of is covered, at least in part. Parts of it are harrowing, some inspiring, some heart-breaking, and some rage-inducing. The whole thing is very well done, but it took me over a month to listen to because it is extraordinarily detailed and truly took me back to that day, so much so that I could only listen in small pieces lest I get overwhelmed all over again.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Only Plane in the Sky – Garrett M GraffSubtitled AN Oral History Of 9/11, this is a collection of memories and statements that portray in timeline fashion what happened in the US on September 11, 2001. This was difficult to read. I could only read a bit before I had to put it down. Perhaps those who did not live through that day will have a different reaction. It brought back all the confusion and horror of that day for me.Photographs of the destruction and incidents of the day are included. There is a lengthy section of notes, acknowledgements and indexes. 5 of 5 stars