“And given everything that was going wrong in the world, it was reassuring to see that right now, right here, in one small corner of the planet, something was going right.”

Sept. 11, 2001, changed the entire world. For the people of Gander, Newfoundland, the day was a way to change the world in a good way. Once the United States’ airspace was closed that fateful day, planes that were still in the air had to find a place to land. Many were in the middle of crossing the ocean and were diverted to Gander, a familiar checkpoint to pilots who cross the Atlantic. Thousands of people were stranded on the island for days and they found nothing but people who wanted to help them, and the stories are told in The Day the World Came to Town.

My husband actually was the one who wanted to read The Day the World Came to Town  and he spoke so highly of it that I started reading it shortly after he finished it. He had put it on hold through out local library in the Libby app and it was about a month before it became available.

The Day the World Came to Town takes the reader through the chronological story of how Gander dealt with an influx of people coming to it with just the luggage they carried on the plane for a six to eight hour flight. From babies who needed diapers to smokers going through withdrawal, the entire island brought supplies and opened their homes to the strangers. The passengers were taken off planes in the order they landed and then taken to shelters around the island. Stores donated supplies, families cooked and phone and Internet lines were set up for communication. The true good spirit of humankind is shown by what happened those few days on Newfoundland.

I think this book is a must-read for every adult. I think it would be a great book to have on a bookshelf and when the news makes a person start to lose hope in mankind, he or she should pick up The Day the World Came to Town and read a chapter and remember that there is still an awful lot of good in the world. I will be recommending this book highly to anyone who asks me for a good book to read. The book was written in 2002 and could use an update just to find out where people are now. Read this book!

How were you affected by Sept. 11, 2001? Share your story on the blog!

To read my story, visit my post about a commentary I wrote for the Air Force.

Buy the book here (affiliate link).

This book review was shared with #AnOpenBook through Carolyn Astfalk’s My Scribbler’s Heart blog.