The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede

 

In October, we met at the Palo Alto downtown library to discuss Jen's pick, The Day the World Came to Town 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede. This non-fiction book is an account of how the people in the small town of Gander and nearby communities in Newfoundland, Canada welcomed thousands of passengers from 38 flights diverted from US closed airspace on 9/11/2001. The book was written by a journalist who recounts many personal stories about the residents and passengers across four days (and beyond in some cases). With no forewarning, the townspeople were able to organize themselves and offer shelters in schools and churches with some residents opening their homes to complete strangers.

Although terrorist attacks were the impetus of the events in the book, the author shows us the positive side of human nature and how people give of themselves to help others in the face of tragedy. We learned about key members of the town such as the constable, mayor, and town manager who handled many of the logistics, workers such as bus drivers who ended a strike to transport passengers and pharmacists who provided free medication and nicotine patches for smokers, and volunteers who donated clothing, offered their showers, provided emotional support, and rescued pets and stranded animals on the planes. The book follows the stories of many of the passengers such as a family that had just adopted a little girl from Kazakhstan, a woman trying to track down her missing son who was a firefighter in NYC, a rabbi and other orthodox passengers who didn't eat for a time because no one had thought to prepare kosher food, immigrants who could only communicate with gestures, a military intelligence officer who was flown back to Europe, a daughter of an African chieftain who was initiated in a lighthearted, traditional Screech-In ceremony involving a dead fish, and many others. 

Everyone who read the book found it readable and interesting. Some noted that it was definitely written in the style of a journalist as opposed to a novelist. Even though we all remember that day, there were details that we did not realize, such as the fact that passengers were stranded for days, that Gander had been a prominent refueling location, and that all the passengers had to be screened for fear of more terrorism. Given all of the events described, it felt like the time duration in the book was much longer than four days. The main impression was that the situation encompassed both the worst and best of humanity and that it was inspiring to read about the heartwarming way people came together.

Liz shared some of her experiences having lived in a small town and drew some parallels with Gander where everyone knows what's happening with everyone. We missed Karen and Lisa and hope to see them next time. Also, Liz was able to capture a picture of a bit of excitement as the folks in CA realized they were locked in the room in the library and could not get out! Will they be in there until next bookclub? Stay tuned.