10/17/2026
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11
By: Garrett M. Graff
garrettgraff.com
🛍️ https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-only-plane-in-the-sky-an-oral-history-of-9-11-garrett-m-graff/307c0ed35159e67f
🛍️ https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/only-plane-in-the-sky-garrett-m-graff/1130641267
🛍️ https://a.co/d/08QGK0p0
Beans And Bookends Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review ⬇️
From the instant I read the author’s dedication and author’s note, I knew this book would be impactful. Graff’s opening note states, “This book is an attempt to listen, to hear others’ stories, to know what it was like to experience the day firsthand, to wrestle with the confusion and the terror.” To me, this book (the audiobook in particular), was a phenomenal tool to try to deepen my knowledge and understanding of this tragic day by listening to the firsthand accounts of those affected much more than myself. I personally was too young to truly grasp the full impact of 9/11 and how someone could choose to do something so horrible. I honestly feel like I’m still too young. In fact, none of us should have ever had to attempt to comprehend such evil. This book takes tremendous care to highlight the bravery, resilience, and hope of the American people that day.
Every chapter was heartbreaking and meaningful, but the particular chapter that resonated with me was “College.” I was 9 years old, a fourth grader, on 9/11. I could understand that something horrible was happening, but I wasn’t old enough to wrap my head around how life would never be the same from that day on. Hearing the stories of other elementary schoolers during that time made me feel a camaraderie with them. A book like this allows me to see that through the despair people were good to each other, they helped each other, and many made the ultimate sacrifice to do what was right during the scariest day of their life.
*Please note that this is my personal review and rating and is subjective to my personal preferences. I encourage you to read this book for yourself if you are interested!
#911
