Among the Heroes is a book about Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked in the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. It was the only one of the planes that did not hit the intended target because the passengers and crew fought to regain control of the plane. The book is excellent not because it details the events of the day (which it does) but because it tells the story of the people on the plane, including who they were and what their lives were like before that day while they were traveling that day, and as much as the author could piece together, what they did during the hijacking. The author interviewed the families of all but one of the passengers and crew members and thus told a very human story about the people caught up in the horrible events. And, it includes information that has not been included in other documentaries and in other books, like the story of the boyfriend of one of the passengers who tried to switch his flight to Flight 93 so they could travel together. He had a flight that connected to Minneapolis and then was going to San Fransico, and because of the price, he did not switch flights and ended up in Toronto, where he learned of her fate. The author was also able to interview the family members of the pilot hijacker and people who knew him here in the US. His family refused to believe that he was involved in the hijacking and said he did not hate America while admitting they had not heard from him after 9/11, and the people who knew him in the US were amazed that he had anything to do with the attacks because he acted kind and easygoing, and never indicated any hatred toward America.
The book does not really tell the story of the flight in a detailed timeline. It chronicles the events from the time the flight crew arrived at the airport, then cuts to talking about one of the people, and then goes back to the events of the day. So, it would be something like "the plane started boarding at "x" time" and then discuss the life of one or two passengers or crew members, and then continue with the timeline like "the plane pulled back from the gate at "y" time. The author does not speculate about events that have not been confirmed, like whether the passengers and crew successfully got into the cockpit or not. He did point out, however, that given how low the plane was flying and the speed it was going, it would have been unlikely for a commercial airline pilot (much less anyone who was likely still alive on the plane during the fight with the hijackers) to save it from crashing.
It is a very well-written book that is very sad (as all the books about 9/11 are) but does a wonderful job honoring the people and their families. It is definitely worth reading, and at just under 300 pages, it is a fairly quick read. I highly recommend it.
The book does not really tell the story of the flight in a detailed timeline. It chronicles the events from the time the flight crew arrived at the airport, then cuts to talking about one of the people, and then goes back to the events of the day. So, it would be something like "the plane started boarding at "x" time" and then discuss the life of one or two passengers or crew members, and then continue with the timeline like "the plane pulled back from the gate at "y" time. The author does not speculate about events that have not been confirmed, like whether the passengers and crew successfully got into the cockpit or not. He did point out, however, that given how low the plane was flying and the speed it was going, it would have been unlikely for a commercial airline pilot (much less anyone who was likely still alive on the plane during the fight with the hijackers) to save it from crashing.
It is a very well-written book that is very sad (as all the books about 9/11 are) but does a wonderful job honoring the people and their families. It is definitely worth reading, and at just under 300 pages, it is a fairly quick read. I highly recommend it.
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