Ethan Casey, the book’s editor, said several hundred submissions were received, and in the end, he says, it came down to determining which of the stories were best suited for the book. There were three sources of material. The first source was material that first ran on the Blue Ear Forum (http://www.blueear.com/forum) moderated discussion list; the second was material sent in by many people as the result of an email campaign to solicit manuscripts for the book. Casey said, “Some of the material that came in this way was brilliant stuff I'm delighted to have found - some is reprinted newspaper articles by journalists, some personal essays by "ordinary people.” The third source was material written by faculty and students at New York University’s Department of Journalism, either specifically for the book or already written and submitted for inclusion in the book, Casey explained in an email to me.

While I am not one to be emotional over tragic events, I found myself at times having eyes filled with tears while reading this book, and at other times all I could do was shake my head in bewilderment. The book was read at home, but also in public, but not with a specific purpose. Several people who saw me reading the book gasped when they saw the title. Others asked where I obtained the book.

Through the writings of the 75 authors, the book shoots straight to the heart. I found myself moved by one story called “Suburban Fallout,” by Mary Quigley. She related that she was in church on the Saturday following the attacks. The church was full of somber people – people seeking comfort in God and in each other. She told how the preacher pulled a piece of paper and read off a list of some 30 names of victims of the World Trade Center attacks. Those 30 people were all men and women from her hometown. God, it hit me hard that one community had lost so much, so many – all without warning or provocation. That must be why the attacks were classified as terrorism. Other people, people who normally would not have been at the church, were there, as well during the service. They were friends and acquaintances of those who had fallen. Tears flowed from my eyes with those people in the church. Looking back, I realize why the story hurt me, touched me, and made me cry. The story is one equal footing with a moment of very personal loss. I have suffered through similar situations, although nothing so public or dramatic – the unexpected death of someone that was very much apart of my daily life. My nephew, Frank, died. No, he didn’t die in New York City. His place of death was in Philadelphia. No, he didn’t die on September 11, 2001. He died in 1993. No, he didn’t die as the result of an act of terrorism. He suffered a seizure and was rushed to the hospital. He was declared brain-dead in less than 24 hours. That same punch-in-the-gut feeling, the same cry from my soul was felt all over again for those 30 people being remembered in that church. Tears for their families, their neighbors, and their friends. Thirty people. All of them now gone. How is that possible?

The book is filled with brief glimpse of the events, as they unfolded on September 11 – through the eyes of others. Empathy personified, if you will. The book tells the tale of people living blocks away from the WTC, and in one case, the story of a homeless man who called the WTC home. He lived in the monolith’s shadow. He sought shelter from the elements of the seasons, and now, post-September 11, the little corner of Ground Zero he used to call home is gone. It’s been reduced to nothing more than a landfill – a pile of rubble on the other side of a tall fence. It’s gone. Did any of us even know this homeless man existed before September 11? How many of those who died or are missing saw him each and every time they entered or exited the building? How many of the people who used to work in the World Trade Center handed him change or a sandwich are now gone? It’s a sobering thought, and one none of us would have without this excellent work.

From the story about the homeless man to the story of an airline pilot caught in the air, far from home. We follow one pilot’s steps from the plane he was piloting at the time of the attacks to his pacing a hotel room. Then we follow him back to the airport to hear a list of dead co-workers’ names read, then it’s back to the hotel. He, and we, as voyeurs in his life, finally makes it back home to his wife and family. The last lines of his story really stick out. Shortly after arriving home – amid fanfare and celebration for his safety, one of his neighbors calls to tell him to ignore the noises from behind his property. It seems his neighbors were taking time for serious target practice. Welcome home, Captain.

If you don’t want to cry, if you don’t want to run through the dust cloud with someone who escaped the World Trade Center attacks, then this book is definitely not for you. If you don’t want to be forced to think, to think about how other cultures perceive what is happening in the United States, don’t bother considering this book. If you don’t want to consider the fact that the U.S. may offend other nations in the process of doing “good works,” put your credit card back into your wallet. If you want a breath of fresh air, if you need to grieve and heal with the people that were in New York City that fateful day, be sure to get a copy of this book.

Casey, who lives in England, says “Mitchell Davis, BookSurge.com’s VP Marketing and co-founder, emailed me, suggesting the project on Friday, September 14. We spoke by phone on Saturday, September 15, and by the following Monday, September 17, we were rocking and rolling. I turned in the manuscript on Saturday, September 29, and we finalized it very late that evening. By Monday, October 1, it was shipping to stores and individuals.”