Garrett M. Graff has spent nearly two decades covering politics, technology, and national security. The former editor of Politico and contributor to Wired and CNN, he's written for publications from Esquire to Rolling Stone to The New York Times, and today serves as the director of the cyber initiative at the Aspen Institute. Graff is the author of multiple books, including the FBI history The Threat Matrix, Raven Rock (about the government's Cold War Doomsday plans), When the Sea Came Alive (an oral history of D-Day), and the New York Times bestsellers The Only Plane in the Sky and Watergate, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History.
"A riveting step-by-step account of the day . . . The technique of
letting the witnesses tell the story does a remarkable job of
bringing to life the horrific day in a way that a writer's
narrative would have a hard time matching. . . . It makes for a
gripping read--and a reminder of the country at its best while
under attack."
--Will Lester, Associated Press "Graff has woven a powerful,
graphic narrative of how September 11 played out everywhere from
the International Space Station to the inside of the collapsing
World Trade Center towers. . . . I repeatedly cried. I could feel
my pulse elevate. I often had to put it down after a dozen pages.
But I think that's the point of the book. September 11 was terrible
and confusing, and the more time passes, sometimes the harder that
is to remember. No matter how much we try to describe those
feelings to children who didn't live through them, something will
be lost in the translation and telling. This book captures the
emotions and unspooling horror of the day. It will be a good text
to hand to a curious teenager when he one day asks: What was
September 11 really like?"
--Scott Detrow, NPR "Over 64 fine-sliced chapters, Mr. Graff . . .
gives us 'the stories of those who lived through and experienced
9/11--where they were, what they remember, and how their lives
changed.' The result is remarkable, and Mr. Graff's curation of
these accounts--drawn from hundreds of his own interviews and from
the reporting of other journalists and historians--is a priceless
civic gift. . . . The book is refreshingly free from
editorializing, ideology and ululation. It gives us instead
poignant, often distressing, vignettes and impressions of the day
and its aftermath. On page after page, a reader will encounter
words that startle, or make him angry, or heartbroken, or
queasy."
--Tunku Varadarajan, The Wall Street Journal "Remarkable . . .
Incredibly evocative and compelling . . . Allows you to experience
this fateful day in an intimately visceral fashion, starting with
the ordinary (the sky was gorgeously blue) and progressing to
confusion, fear, numbness, and grief. . . . By letting those who
were present tell stories in their own words, Graff has created a
remarkably effective and deeply moving history. Be careful if you
read this book in public--at some point you may encounter a story
or detail that will bring back memories that overwhelm you."
--Lucinda Robb, The Washington Post "Intense . . . Dramatic . . .
Graff's project beautifully achieves its chief goal--educating
people too young or born too late to remember what the day of
September 11, 2001, felt like. But it also restores a form [oral
history] to its rightful place as necessity."
--Ginia Bellafante, New York Times Book Review "An ambitious oral
history of 9/11 from the perspective of nearly everyone
involved--from Laura Bush to the first firefighter on the scene to
the young gate agent who checked the hijackers' plane tickets.
Every single line is breathtaking and heartbreaking, weaving
together the story of previously unimaginable and tragic events
that changed the course of history."
--Newsweek "Compelling . . . The voices in The Only Plane in the
Sky are so vivid. . . . There are snippets in Graff's oral history
from those who perished--messages for loved ones left by office
workers stranded on the upper floors of the towers; calls from
flight attendants and passengers aboard United Flight 93 that were
recorded or remembered. But most of the voices in the book belong
to survivors. That may explain, at least in part, why The Only
Plane in the Sky manages to feel hopeful. . . . Eventually, of
course, all of us who remember 9/11 will be gone, and some of our
stories will be forgotten. But, thanks to Graff's fine work, many
will endure."
--Jay Carney, Air Mail "A harrowing account of the September 11
attacks, told through the voices of many who were personally
affected. Graff weaves together the stories of airline workers,
first responders, generals at the Pentagon and more to
contextualize and seek to further understand the trauma, humanity
and history of 9/11."
--Time magazine ("The 42 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2019")
"Oral history at its finest . . . Graff's skillful organization and
flawless pacing allows him to present multiple perspectives,
quickly shifting locations and points of view around the country,
to follow every moment. The result is a smooth-flowing, moving and
thoroughly human narrative with emotional impact, a sense of detail
and immediacy more powerful and moving than any dramatic film or
documentary."
--Rich Kienzle, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Much has been written over
the past 18 years about 9/11, but none have told the story of that
day as powerfully and intimately . . . Sure to become an essential
addition to the literature of 9/11, it is the only panoramic
account of the day told by the people who experienced it. . . .
Graff has created an enduring portrait of a day that changed the
world forever, a day that the world will never forget."
--Joel Meador, The Messenger "Graff excels at re-creating the
anxiety and terror of that day . . . Readers who emerge dry-eyed
from the text should check their pulses: Something is wrong with
their hearts."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Harrowing and powerful . . .
This vivid, moving work is painful to read but honors both those
who died and those who survived that awful day."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "This is history at its most
immediate and moving. In The Only Plane in the Sky, Garrett Graff
has crafted an enduring portrait of a deadly and consequential day,
a day that has shaped all other subsequent days in America for
nearly two decades. A marvelous and memorable book."
--Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America "As I read The Only
Plane in the Sky, I was instantly transported back to the chaos,
shock, and fear that we all felt on September 11. Reliving the day
in real time, through the eyes of Americans on the ground and in
the air, had me turning each page with my heart in my throat. I may
have known how the story would end, but reading these intensely
personal accounts reminded me why this tragic day would change us
forever, while the stories of courage and resilience renewed my
faith in humanity. There's been a lot written about 9/11, but
nothing like this. I urge you to read it."
--Katie Couric, author of The Best Advice I Ever Got "Although many
years have passed since 9/11, this book, told with such immediacy,
brings so vividly back to mind the shock of that day, and why it
continues to shape the tragic history that has followed."
--Lawrence Wright, author of The Looming Tower "The Only Plane in
the Sky is a stunning and important work--chilling,
heartbreaking--and I cannot stop thinking about it. To hear the
voices of those who survived, and those who did not, is so moving
and powerful. I learned so much, and am so thankful for this
book."
--Anderson Cooper, author of Dispatches from the Edge "Raw,
emotional, and intense, this jaw-dropping narrative, composed
entirely of firsthand accounts, strips away the politics that have
grown up around 9/11 and have clouded its brutal impact on the
American psyche. Rarely is history delivered with such vivid
sensory detail. Garrett Graff's meticulous reporting transported
us, with visceral clarity, back to those horrifying hours that
changed us all forever."
--Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic, authors of Indianapolis "Garrett
Graff has deftly used oral history to take us into the one of the
most horrific and consequential moments in American history, in a
book that will be particularly important for those readers too
young to remember September 11, 2001."
--Michael Beschloss, author of Presidents of War "Before there was
the written word, there was oral history--one human telling another
his or her experience--and Graff takes us back to our human roots
in doing what he does here in this harrowing, relentless but
ultimately soaring tale. Using 500 or so "voices" culled together
from large-scale oral history projects and personal interviews
alike, Graff weaves together a narrative that takes your breath
away. . . . Intensely readable, deeply personal, and profoundly
transformative."
--Annie Jacobsen, author of Operation Paperclip and The Pentagon's
Brain "9/11 is one of the hinge events of American history and
Garrett Graff adds considerably to our knowledge of the horrors and
the heroism that characterized that terrible day. The Only Plane in
the Sky is a deeply researched and authoritative account."
--Peter Bergen, author of Manhunt "A truly riveting book, at once
tragic and thrilling, and a testament to the power of memory."
--Tim Weiner, author of Legacy of Ashes
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