Book Review: The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11

 

The Only Plane in the Sky is a book by Jared Graff that details the events of 9/11. The book incorporates quotes from various individuals who were involved in the events of that day. The author has used quotes from survivors, people who talked to people on the planes before they crashed, government officials, and even just people who lived through the day. The book is divided into chapters, and then in each chapter, there are quotes from people discussing the topic of the chapter. So, it does not quite read like a traditional book. Each quote identifies the person giving it and where they were (if they were in the buildings). If you have watched any of the documentaries on 9/11, you will know that some of the quotes the author uses are lifted from interviews that people have previously given about 9/11. However, the author also conducted numerous firsthand interviews. Because the book was written in 2019, some of the material he included was from a modern-day perspective on how a person's life had changed since that day.

The paperback version of the book is about 460 pages long. Overall, the book is very good. It is very emotional in parts and does include some material that I had never heard about, despite watching many of the 9/11 documentaries and reading a lot of books about 9/11. It can be very jarring reading firsthand accounts of what happened from the people who lived through the attacks, and you get a sense of just how lucky some people were, where literally being able to turn a corner was the difference between life and death. Ultimately, it is not an easy read, but it is a book that everyone should read. I highly recommend this for people who experienced 9/11 or are interested in history and historical events.