Jim DeFede has written a wonderful and engaging account that reaffirms the remarkable humanity and kindness that flourished in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Gerald Posner A map would have made an excellent addition to the book. When I read a book that includes a map, I am a happy camper. It just makes the story much more interesting and if it's a place I've never been I like to see where the story is set. Excellent point! There was no hatred. No anger. No fear in Gander. Only the spirit of the community. Here, everyone was equal, everyone was treated the same. Here the basic human of man wasn’t just surviving but thriving. And Baldessarini understood that he was a witness to it and it was affecting him in ways he’s never imagined.” The Day The World Came To Town is his first book and is based on extensive interviews with residents and officials in Gander. It was published in 2002 by Regan Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. If you want to read a book that reaffirms your faith in humanity’s inherent goodness, this is the book for you.

The Day the World Came to Town: 9 11 in Gander [PDF] [EPUB] The Day the World Came to Town: 9 11 in Gander

The Day The World Came To Town is full of anecdotes of spontaneous offers of help. Full of individual stories about stranded passengers like the family returning from Kazakhstan with their newly adopted daughter or the couple who were supported by their new friends as they anxiously awaited news of their son, a New York firefighter.

In the first twenty-four hours...filled more than a thousand prescriptions. All at no cost to the passengers. That has never left me, the feeling of love by perfect strangers that looked after us. You know, I’ve never experienced anyting like that in my life.” because they didn’t care if their adoptive child’s skin was a different color from their own. They were just looking for a child to love. And” I was moved to tears several times, especially in the beginning. I think they did a great job trying to capture the various tales people had to go through at that time - the personal stories.

Book Review ~ The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede Book Review ~ The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede

John Alexander (25 January 2019). "Emmy Award-winning journalist from Bay Ridge receives prestigious duPont Award". Brooklyn Reporter . Retrieved 25 January 2021. I read this book because we are going to see the play Come From Away in a couple of weeks in Chicago. This book gives context to the play. At times it felt like I was reliving 9/11. It has a vey emotional impact at times.

On September 11, 2001, 38 airplanes in the midst of international flights were diverted to the Gander, Newfoundland airport and landed within hours. The city of Gander and a few neighboring communities absorbed 6,600 passengers and crews for 5 days. A Herculean feat for air traffic controllers and the population of Gander. Jim DeFede is a broadcast journalist who works as an investigative reporter for CBS4 News in Miami Florida and also hosts the station’s Sunday morning public affairs programme.