Review: The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff

The Only Plane in the Sky - An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff presents a minute by minute picture of 11 September 2001 from the lived experience of countless people connected to the events at the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon that day. These include accounts from those who evacuated the buildings, those who were trapped and those who survived the collapse. It also includes testimonies from first responders, hospital staff, air traffic control, US military, passengers on Air Force One and more. In addition, the accounts from people whose loved ones died on the hijacked planes or in the Twin Towers and Pentagon are also included.

These accounts have been gathered meticulously from original interviews, recently declassified documents, never-before-published transcripts, previously published books and oral histories from almost five hundred government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends and family members. It also includes real radio transmissions from the hijacked planes.

The accounts have then been sorted chronologically so that in addition to the overarching narrative, we get perhaps 1 minute of this person's perspective, then 2-3 minutes of that person's experience and so on. The audiobook has been narrated by different actors who are reading all of these first person testimonials and accounts.

I'd heard this audiobook was a unique listening experience but I didn't think this choppy format was going to work for me. Still, I gave it a chance but was worried I'd find the snippets of introduction before each 'entry' distracting (e.g. Gordon Johndroe, Assistant Press Secretary, White House / Bruno Dellinger, Principal, Quint Amasis North America, North Tower, 47th Floor).

Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find this was an effective means of communicating the events of the day and the rhythm of entries meant the reader could pause their listening at any point and easily pick it up again. The audiobook is just under 16 hours in duration and the accounts aren't one offs as we return to the individual perspectives according to the day's progression.

Once I realised I didn't need to remember the full cast I was able to concentrate purely on their testimonies, like this one*:

"As I hit Vesey [Street] between Church and Broadway, the first thing that struck me was the amount of women's shoes. I couldn't understand it. Then I realised 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, Chapter: World Trade Centre Evacuation

I didn't know that many witnesses heard shots fired at the World Trade Centre during the evacuation phase which understandably created concern as it was believed terrorists were shooting civilians as they were running out of the building. It was later confirmed to be Police Officers shooting out the lobby windows so people could escape the building quicker but you can just imagine the fear and confusion at the scene.

On September 11 2001, I was up late watching the news in Australia and remember seeing the events unfold live on TV after the first plane hit the North Tower. Images of people waving items out of the windows above the impact zone was haunting, as was the realisation that some of them were jumping to escape the heat and smoke. In this audiobook, a person on the street recalled the sound of falling bodies resembling the fierce flapping of flags in the wind, growing louder as they neared the ground.

You might imagine reading or listening to these testimonies would be depressing after a few chapters, but while I did find it a sobering subject I was also inspired by the bravery and courage witnessed on the day. It also helped me to better understand the confusion and chaos of the events as they unfolded around the country. I watched live on TV as the Pentagon was hit and when both towers fell, and perhaps that's the reason I'm still moved by the events some 24 years later. I'm not interested in the political climate, who was to blame or the military retaliation that followed, but the examples of fortitude displayed by everyday people in the hope I could do the same if it ever came down to it.

The Only Plane in the Sky - An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff is powerful and touching and recommended for readers interested in the personal stories of those who unexpectedly found themselves involved in an unforgettable - and previously unimaginable - terrorist attack.

* In researching the spelling of James Luongo NYPD for this review, I came across the September 11 Digital Archive where you can listen to his testimony of the events along with many others.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★