Reclaiming the Sky: 9/11 and the Untold Story of the Men and Women Who Kept America Flying | 
 enlarge | Author: Tom Murphy
Publisher: AMACOM
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
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Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 126843
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.6 x 1
ISBN: 0814409091
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.931
EAN: 9780814409091
ASIN: 0814409091
Publication Date: September 5, 2006
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Product Description
On the morning of September 11, 2001, thousands of airline and airport professionals headed off for what they assumed would be just another day on the job. Of course it was anything but. Now, as the nation approaches the fifth anniversary of that tragic day, the stories of the heroes and casualties among our dedicated air travel workers remain largely untold. Until now. Reclaiming the Sky honors not only those workers who died doing their jobs, but also the ones that soldiered through on that day and in the aftermath, tirelessly piecing back together the fragments of a shattered industry -- and indeed a critical social and economic force -- while putting aside their own fears and grief. In conjunction with a website, reclaimingthesky.com -- where readers can share their stories and thoughts -- the book not only honors the heroes and casualties of 9/11, it also offers common ground to those seeking meaning, purpose, and the strength to move forward.
Book Description
"When asked about the death toll from the September 11th attacks, New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani stated simply and eloquently that the number would likely be ""more than any of us can bear."" He was right, of course. Yet often obscured in that inconceivable number is the fact that among those who died, as well as those who lived and continue to live, were many thousands of aviation professionals with names, families, lives, and individual experiences that are an important part of the 9/11 story. Some five years later, these stories are being told for the first time in Reclaiming the Sky. In the pages of this book, you will meet some of the people whose hard work propels a critical social and economic force -- the aviation industry -- and who on the morning of September 11th, were suddenly thrust into front-line positions in the battle to put our nation back on its feet. For many of these men and women and their families, the pain and after-effects of 9/11 are exceptionally acute, but their stories will serve as touchpoints for the thousands of people whose journey to closure is still ongoing. This powerful and ultimately uplifting book not only honors the heroes of September 11th, it also offers common ground to those in search of meaning and purpose in a changed world -- both in and outside of the air travel industry -- and gives Americans in all walks of life something they still seek five years after 9/11: the courage and strength to move forward."
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
Great Gift October 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Fast delivery and good packaging. I bought this book as a present for my father and he was very pleased with it.
A passionate, involving set of experiences of ordinary individuals placed in unusual situations calling for action. November 6, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
These personal stories of aviation employees whose lives changed after September 11th, 2001 makes for an outstanding collection of memories of those who acted courageously and behind the scenes. RECLAIMING THE SKY: 9/11 AND THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE MEN ND WOMEN WHO KEPT AMERICA FLYING offers stories of professionals who were on duty on that day: it makes for a passionate, involving set of experiences of ordinary individuals placed in unusual situations calling for action.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
9/11 - an honest perspective October 14, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
What strikes me most about this book is the honesty, time and care taken by the author in ensuring that the story told is true to the maturing experiences of those involved. I am sure that it would have been relatively easy for Mr. Murphy to rush a book out, given his proximity to the people and events of that terrible day. But he didn't do that. This approach must have required great patience and absolute dedication, but these traits have in the end been richly rewarded in what is a unique account and a developed perspective.
I think this is key. I myself was caught up in the '93 bombing. My experience was relatively mild of course - a bad scare and a long walk down from the 99th floor. But even in my case I've learned that it takes time and reflection to judge the true impact of these seemingly unreal events.
I loved those towers very much. As a Brit in New York I was in "adult Disneyland" - perhaps the best 3 years of my life. Whenever I could, wherever I was in New York, I'd look for the towers, as if addicted to their beauty and iconic majesty. I didn't realise that '93 was just the start of a greater tragedy. My firm relocated and our space was taken by another firm. They were a client of mine and I loved working for them - such great people, with real character. When I left New York to return to London I was given a football by my boss, with signatures of those I'd been closest to in New York. Tragically, 4 of those signatures are from people that were lost on 9/11.
Having left New York I was confined to experiencing 9/11 through a TV, remote and detached. For so long my '93 experience and also 9/11 have seemed and felt to me to be a work of fiction, something from the movies. The relevance of this to the book is that time and reflection have taught me not to gloss over or bury past events but to recognise that they were real, they did happen, it really was intended to topple the towers as I sat in them, that evil had its moment but that the memories of the spirit of the good and the great has in the end prevailed. Thank you Tom for allowing me to find my own maturity and honest perspective.
Enduring and Prevailing: the definitive roadmap September 18, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book is structured around the stories of about two dozen aviation industry personnel at three airports (Logan, Newark, Dulles) and two airlines (American, United) who although not at ground zero on September, 11, 2001, were on the front line in every significant sense. Although many people rose heroically that day, these stories make a strong case that the performance of those in the aviation industry was second to none, not only on 9/11 but in the days, weeks, and months following. The author has long experience in the aviation industry, largely developing and running customer service training programs. Due to a cancelled meeting that morning in the North Tower he was heading home to the west coast earlier than planned and was among the last to see from the air the twin towers standing. But professional associations and personal friendships within the aviation industry gave him many other perspectives on 9/11 and its aftermath - perspectives that in variety and scope may well be unmatched.
The stories are well told and woven together to show connections, both personal and professional, between people. In addition to their responses to the events of that day, we learn in some cases why they chose aviation as a career, their pride in the industry and part in it, and other aspects of what makes them "tick." The individuals range widely: a security agent, several flight attendants, a pilot, customer service reps, airline operation officers, to name a few. One of the more striking stories focuses on the general manager of the Newark Airport. Her sharp instincts, clear thinking, and ability to act decisively under considerable pressure illustrate leadership of the highest order. Not all these people survived that September morning but this book leaves no doubt that the memory and spirit of those who didn't are alive and well and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. These stories also give an inside look at the aviation industry beyond the gate agents and flight attendants that most of us are familiar with.
But the personal tragedies of that day were just the beginning. The economic and emotional aftermath of 9/11 hit the aviation industry especially hard. Over 100,000 jobs were lost in the first post 9/11 year alone as funding priorities shifted dramatically, and those remaining in aviation took on additional burdens. How these people not only adapted and endured but prevailed - in essence reclaimed their lives - is the central question the author explores. The later part of the book sheds considerable light on this question and distills much of value from these people. Although individual paths to personal recovery varied common themes were unmistakable. Indeed this book is an excellent guide for anyone recovering from a loss of almost any kind or severity.
At a time when the national discourse seems to dwell so much on the fearful, the negative, and the cynical it is refreshing to be reminded - as this book does - that this need not be so. Here are stories of a few, from among undoubtedly many and unsung others, who under crisis conditions were not paralyzed by fear, were able to act decisively, and were willing to reach out to others. And equally impressive they refused to become victims of that experience in the tough months and years that followed. This book provides an occasionally needed reminder of what seemingly ordinary people can do.
enlightening perspective September 18, 2006
This book brings such a unique perspective to what happened on 9/11. There's this whole "world" of people who had to continue, not just for their own livelihood, but to help maintain one the freedoms that makes us who we are. I really enjoyed the down-to-earth way the author writes, and his honesty with how this has affected him and those around him. This is a great book that helps to explore some of the unspoken sorrows, while not replaying events we've seen so many times. Well worth it. Bravo to the author, and to all those people who kept us flying.
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