Book Review: The Red Bandanna: A Life. A Choice. A Legacy.

 

The Red Bandana is a biography of Wells Crowther, one of the heroes of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Wells worked as an equities trader for Sandler O'Neil on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center South Tower. He was at his desk when Flight 175 hit the building and managed to find the one staircase that survived the crash. Even though he worked in finance, he dreamed of being a firefighter. He had been a volunteer firefighter in his hometown and had filled out an FDNY application shortly before 9/11. Therefore, instead of getting out of the building, he stayed and helped people who were injured, many of whom were on the 78th-floor skylobby, where the wing of the plane made a direct hit. He wore a red bandana around his face, a fact that some of the people he helped to safety distinctly remembered, and ultimately helped his parents find out what happened to him. 

The hardcover version of the book is just over 200 pages. It is both hard to read and impossible to put down. Author Tom Rinaldi interviewed many people from Wells' life, detailing what he was like growing up and piecing together the events of his final hour. Wells was ultimately killed when the South Tower collapsed, having made it down to the lobby just steps away from safety. He was found with a group of firefighters at the command post in the lobby, indicating that he was very likely still trying to help when the building collapsed. It is estimated that he helped about 12 of the 17 people who were at or above the impact zone in the South Tower get to safety. Because of his heroism, he was posthumously made a member of the FDNY after 9/11, and his story was told in an ESPN story and a longer documentary called The Man in the Red Bandana. The book is very sad yet very inspiring and uplifting. It is absolutely one of my must-reads.