Book Babble: "A Decade of Hope"

With the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center just a few days away, I was genuinely surprised to be notified by my library that a book I'd requested some time ago was ready for me to pick up. Perfect timing--"A Decade of Hope" by Dennis Smith turns out to be the kind of narratives collection that I appreciate. Many books and articles dealing with the tragedy have seemed too sentimental, or too fake-patriotic for my taste. I prefer unembellished, brutal honesty, without propaganda attached. These 25 stories "of grief and endurance from 9/11 family and friends" ring true to me, particularly because the author has captured and retained the storyteller's own "voice" in each one.

We've all read the recollections of New York City police and firefighters and 9/11 widows. There are stories from more of those here, but more interestingly, also stories from people you wouldn't expect, stories that enlighten about the events of that day from different perspectives. My favorite narrative is the one by a woman who lost her sister in the attacks. Ada Rosario Dolch was a principal of a high school a mere two blocks from the Towers, where her sister Wendy worked. On 9/11, she was responsible for evacuating 600 students, some with disabilities, from her 14-story, inner-city school building, amid the crashing of the towers and the mayhem that ensued. Her story is gripping and the lessons she's learned are powerful. Each of these storytellers end their narratives sharing with us what they have learned and what they take with them to this day.

I try not to dwell on 9/11, but it's hard this time of year not to remember back to when I once ate lunch high up in "Windows on the World" back as a teenager, or think of the skyline of lower Manhattan as it was when I last visited Brooklyn, on New Year's Eve 1999. Rather than relive the horrible events that took place, I want to hear from people who were there. What have they learned from the experience? How did they survive, both physically and emotionally? It gives me hope, too, to hear of the bravery of those who gave of themselves so selflessly that day.

There are tons of 9/11 books on the market right now. Earlier this summer, I elected to ask for just one from the library--this one-- based on good reviews for the author's previous work, "Report from Ground Zero," from The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Miami Herald, The Denver Post, and The Baltimore Sun, among others. If you have the time and inclination to revisit 9/11 through reading, I recommend this book. Because there are 25 stories in it, you can go at your own pace and read just one story at a time and pause between each for as long as you need.

My new calendar calls September 11, 2011 "Patriot Day." I prefer what others have proposed--that September 11 be considered a day of service to others. However you commemorate it, please stop and reflect this Sunday on the incredible events ten years ago.