Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11

What a book - so much time, effort, and deep care went into its creation and it is a gift to those who read it now and into the future. I listened to the audiobook, which now seems like the only possible way to experience this oral history. A 45-narrator cast reads the snippets from various people sharing their experiences in September 11, 2001. All who lived through 9/11, no matter how closely linked we were to the tragedy, have a story to tell and it is clear the author intended for readers to be able to truly understand what it was like to live through that day. It includes real recordings of emergency calls and presidential remarks. Truly powerful and something that I’m grateful to have read.

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heather_c_w's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Powerful to listen as an audiobook with each account given its own actors' voice.

Detailed account really brings home the horror of everything that happened and how world changing it was. Everything is set up chronologically so you hear the accounts of each individual in the moment and return to them at various points.

This oral history really captures the humanity and the heroism of the individuals involved

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danimcthomas's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

Meticulously reported from first hand sources. The best way to get the full picture of that horrible, horrible day.

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ericadansereau's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Heartbreaking and incredibly well done, this book had me hooked on every word, though I did have to stop and take many breaks, as the content is so heart wrenching and hard to process through. Highly recommend the audio version.

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jkwiser's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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nadia's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

What an incredible, emotional, heart-wrenching book!

I'm so glad I started listening to audiobooks a few years back so I could experience The Only Plane in the Sky in this format, because reading this in print, while surely still being a 5-star read for me, would not have had the same impact.

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creolelitbelle's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Tears came to my eyes, I audibly gasped and felt chills, and I even shouted out during the listening of this audiobook. The entire book delivers nothing but powerful, emotional accounts of September 11th, 2001 in the US. That September I was 13 and in 8th grade, and even living in Louisiana I will never forget how the Tuesday unfolded. Thank you to all the brave souls who relived the events to recount the history for others and to the author for putting all the individual memories together. No one held back with their interviews, and the book could stand the test of time as a great primary source for the tragedies of September 11th.
Expect heartbreak, graphic gore, and death, because nothing but the truth is found here.

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