There was no hatred. No anger. No fear in Gander. Only the spirit of community. Here, everyone was equal, everyone was treated the same. Here, the basic humanity of man wasn’t just surviving but thriving” If you need something to make you believe (again) that there are good, kind and generous people in this world read this book. Inside it's covers is an uplifting and incredible story about the 38 planeloads of passengers (6,600 people) who had to be diverted to the very tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland after the events of 9/11. It is also very much about their hosts, the citizens of Gander who made every person feel comfortable and welcome.

The Day the World Came to Town Updated Edition – HarperCollins

I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.” I was extremely disappointed. I could find none of the characters convincing and the plot device of two romances threaded throughout just didn't work. And poorly acted to boot. My Year in Nonfiction 2023 #NonficNov #NonfictionNovember #NonfictionBookParty #bookblogger #blogger October 31, 2023 A volunteer had taped a large map of the world to the wall and with a crude red marker drew an arrow pointing to Gander. YOU ARE HERE , the volunteer wrote on the map. Exhausted passengers would stop and stare at the map for several minutes, trying to regain their bearings.A Newfoundlander likes to put his [or her] arm around a person and say, ‘It’s going to be all right. I’m here. It’s going to be okay. We’re your friend. We’re your buddy We’ve got you.’ That’s the way it’s always been. That’s the way it always will be. And that’s the way it was on September eleventh.” The general that was mentioned in the book came from US European Command in Stuttgart, Germany. My husband's last assignment before retiring was at USEUCOM in Stuttgart. We were stationed there from 1992 to 1994. But what I want to focus on here is the idea that

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

The technical and organizational aspects of housing, feed and caring for 6,000 people! It was a well organized effort. There were so many people and organizations involved, but everyone seemed to pitch in where needed! The selfless acts of kindness The people of Gander did so much: They cared for the animals that were being transported on the planes, including two rare Bonobo monkeys bound for the Columbus, Ohio zoo. They arranged for new toys to be given to all the children. They found kosher meals for a handful of orthodox Jews and creatively figured out how to break the language barrier with the hundreds of international guests who spoke no English. They stripped their own beds of sheets and emptied their linen closets of towels to take to the community centers and churches hosting the plane people overnight. They even shared their showers, guest rooms, and living room couches with total strangers. Just feeding all these people for up to six days was a Herculean effort, and one they did with good cheer and homemade cooking. For a low-budget film the actors did a good job considering what they were given to work with! Kodos to them... But as for the rest of it... I expected more. It is not a long story, and the heroes in it do what you hope any good person would do, but it is amazing the impact the simple gestures of a small community can mean to hundreds of suddenly displaced and frightened airline passengers; forced to land in a country that is not their own with no idea exactly what is going on or when they might finally make it to their destinations. And, while it might seem like common sense that human nature would be towards kindness and compassion, hearing these stories and finding out how amazed the people were that they would be treated so well shows how we may not have been going in the best direction as a society and maybe Gander’s selfless approach to the situation shows us a bit of how we should all try and be.

Their actions were more than just taking in passengers whose flight had been delayed. The Newfoundlanders had provided a caring haven for humdreds of people at a moment when they were scared and far from home. They were made to feel safe and secure when the world around them seemed anything but.” They always ask why we did it. They can’t figure it out. And I tell them that for us, it’s normal. I’m still not sure what all the fuss is about.” From the moment the pilot announced there was an airspace problem, to what would possibly be his short term plan, and nothing more than that- I began living it.

The Day the World Came to Town Updated Edition - Waterstones

I’m sure there are so many more stories that weren’t told, but are just as impactful! Do I Recommend? The Day the World Came to Town opens with a history of the town and an explanation of the strategic military and commercial importance of Gander International Airport. On September 11, DeFede reports that Gander, with a population of approximately 10,000, accepted 38 previously unscheduled planes carrying approximately 6,800 passengers and crew, most of which were stranded there until U.S. airspace reopened nearly a week later. [3] One of the more beautiful aspects of this story is the juxtaposition of the horrors happening in New York City and realizing just how evil some humans can be, versus the care, concern and friendship shown to these strangers stranded in a strange town in a strange country! What a wonderful book that tells the story of the town of Gander, Newfoundland when over 30 planes were diverted to this remote area on 9/11. The book garners these stars not so much for the quality of the writing, but rather for the people and acts of humanity that town provided to over 6,000 passengers and crew that were forced to land there when US airspace was closed. We follow a few main passengers, a lot of the townfolk and a whole lot of compassion that this area of Canada was able to give (at no cost) to these unfortunate people whose lives were put on hold that day and for almost 6 days thereafter.On 9-11, thirty-eight jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land at Gander International Airport in Newfoundland (Canada). This is the inspiring story of how the people (the heroes) of Gander (a town of barely 10,000) cared for nearly 7,000 passengers with gestures of friendship, acts of kindness, and attitudes of goodwill at a moment’s notice. My Thoughts: Having lived virtually my entire life in the big city of Toronto, I then had the chance to live for three years in the mid 90's in a small outport in Central Newfoundland, about a 2 hour drive west of Gander. Everything I had heard about Newfoundlanders I found to be true. They were welcoming, hospitable, friendly, funny - a truly unique and wonderful culture. That Gander was able to rise to the challenge of feeding and housing almost 7,000 stranded airline passengers whose flights had been diverted to the city after the closure of US airspace on that terrible day of September 11, 2001 was no surprise to me. This movie attempts to tell that story by offering a fictionalized account focusing largely on the experiences of the people of a particular flight who found themselves in Gander on that day.