Women at Ground Zero: Stories of Courage and Compassion by Hagen, Susan, Carouba, Mary (2003) Hardcover

by Susan Hagen

-- The only 9/11 book to focus on the women heroes.-- A striking full-page black-and-white photo of each woman.-- Authors are a woman firefighter and EMT who is an award-winning writer and a writer, educator of helping professionals, and investigative social worker.There is no doubt in anyone's mind that September 11 will live on forever in the hearts and minds of all who witnessed that horrible day. And with each step we take toward healing, an undeniable importance is placed on the need to know. People ache to hear the stories of those who survived and the heroes who were only doing a job. While a great deal has been said about the men, the emergency workers, firefighters, and police officers who so quickly became the new American heroes, little has been said about the women heroes of what has become known as Ground Zero. But all that has changed with Women at Ground Zero, a new book by award-winning journalist and EMT worker Susan Hagen and social worker Mary Carouba.

Genres: Nonfiction, Womens, History, Memoir

Hardcover

First published July 10, 2002

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were so many heroes from the horrific September 11 attacks, but this particular book highlights 30 women (firefighters, police officers, paramedics and emergency medical technicians) that were there helping hundreds of people that day, and in the months afterwards in the rescue and recovery efforts. Some survived and some didn't, but none of them hesitated to do whatever needed to be done on that terrible day at Ground Zero.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of first hand accounts of thirty women that survived September 11, 2001. Stories of remembrance of the three women who did not make it out. Not only are their stories are very raw and eye opening but they show the world heroes come in all sizes, races and sexes.

[elizabeth roberts-zibbel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was drawn to this because a friend of mine from high school, Megan, was a first responder on 9/11 as an EMT. Her story is not part of this book, but she founded the organization “Ground Zero Workers for Peace,” visited Afghanistan, and later adopted two children with her husband. She still lives in New York.

The stories here are powerful and inspiring. I looked up many of the women: many continued advancing in rank; two died of 9/11 related cancers. Since this was written in 2002, it was still so recent and immediate. I had forgotten what it was like so soon after that event. Somehow it’s been almost 25 years.

[LaRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a moving collection of interviews with female first responders. I had to read it small doses because at times it was too heart wrenching. It brought back the memories of my waking in the firehouse to the unbelievable events occurring in NYC. I still get choked thinking about all those that sacrificed it all in an attempt to save others.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly moving. Interviews with many women who served in a variety of ways on 9/11 and the following days/weeks/months around Ground Zero. The interviews all seemed to have taken place within a year of 9/11 so very fresh emotions.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book I received for Christmas from my bookworm sis. Most folks probably haven't seen this book and it probably hasn't been widely distributed. My bias before reading it was that it might be a specialty book, a memorial-type missive that was potentially riding the emotional tide from the 9/11 disaster. I was wrong on many counts. This book affected me deeply in ways that I didn't expect. Some of you may have noticed during the immediate post 9/11 reportage that first responders were invariably referred to as brave "men" and "brothers" and so on. Exclusively masculine references. Where were all the women who also responded and served and pitched in and lost their lives and rushed in to save lives? True, in the New York City area their numbers were small in comparison to other parts of the country, but they were present nonetheless. Why were they being left out? This book ostensibly sought to tell the untold story of the women responders, and, in a clear and unapologetic way, it does just that. It presents a series of intimate interviews with women EMTs, firefighters, ambulance drivers, and so on who were present on that tragic day. They simply tell their stories of that day. And, in the process what is revealed to the reader is the unvarnished and unedited truth of that day, on the ground, as it happened, with the fear and confusion and truly human responses included. For me, on the west coast, our news reporting was extensive and exhaustive. However, there are ways that I now realize what was presented was somewhat sanitized and removed from reality (presumably to protect the privacy of and to respect the victims). Yes, we saw the towers fall again and again, we heard about the death toll, we heard about the tragedy, the people jumping to their deaths, the New Yorkers and responders staggering around in the choking white dust, the bravery of many, the shock and utter disbelief, the unimaginable destruction of human life pulverized beyond recognition in a colossal jaw-dropping series of events. And, some may argue that this is enough, enough horror, enough voyeurism, enough reliving the pain and grief of others. But something about this book allowed me to see this event in a way I had not seen before. It is not for the fainthearted to read these stories. It is hard and honest. It is what happened, on the ground, to a handful of real human beings - what they saw, and felt, and how they chose to act. It is much more than a book about the women who were unrecognized by the press and the politicians. For me, the focus actually became secondary to what was revealed here.

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories from 33 women who were at Ground Zero on 9/11, 3 in memorium....

It is totally amazing that the media still talks about all the men who were there, their heroism & those (men) who lost their lives, but sadly they omit the women as well as the private sector EMS/EMTs, the Port Authority of New York (who had jurisdiction of the World Trade Center), and the New Jersey Police Dept. who also came to the rescue.

"On Sept. 11, the Port Authority Police Dept. suffered the largest single-day loss of any police department in the history of the U.S. (They were stationed inside the World Trade Center).

An unprecedented number of women responded to the events at the World Trade Center. They came from every Borough in N.Y. City and from all across the countnry as firefighters, police officers, emergency medical providers, military personnel, and members of search-and-rescue teams. Women in the trades contributed their skills as construction workers, heavy equipment operators, steelworkers, electrictians, utility workers, and engineers.

Women were also among the First to arrive at Ground Zero to organize relief efforts for the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other organizations. Female doctors, nurses, counselors, physical therapists, and massage therapists brought Healing Arts to ailing rescue workers on the scene. Women volunteered to do anything and everything they could to help."

This is just a few of their stories...but it is no less powerful than those of their male counter-parts.

I've had this sitting on my shelf for over six months....my God-daughter a LAPD officer, met these women and bought this signed edition for me. I want to say Thank-you Book Bingo Ladies, if I had not pulled the Women tag, this would still probably still be sitting on my shelf unread.

[Jeane Slone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredibly riveting. I was only able read one of the interviews at a time, since they are emotionally draining.
I met the author the author Mary Carouba and I learned the story of how it came to be written.
Mary (a social worker) and Susan Hagen (former fire fighter) watched the attack on the World Trade Center on TV over and over again. They were both dismayed to never see any women mentioned as rescuers just "brave men" were spoken of. They were both able to take a month leave from their jobs and flew to New York City to interview all the brave women rescuers of 9/11. (They both were from California and never had been to NY!)
Not only did I learn more than I realized happened on that fateful day, but I was happy to acknowledge the brave women who helped our country in this terrifying time of crisis.
THIS IS A MUST READ FOR ALL!
Jeane Slone
"She Flew Bombers"
"She Built Ships During WW II"
"She Was An American Spy During WW II"

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well organized as well as well written biography of selected female Police Officers, Firefighters, EMT and other Rescue workers in New York City during the events of 9/11. Each chapter is dedicated to one of these women and their stories, which all differ in theme so it does not become repetitive, and you learn something new or see a different perspective with each chapter. The portraits are haunting, and the post script of the ones who didn't make it out of the collapse of the towers and heartbreaking as well. A must read.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the authors in person at CSUH and they gave such a great presentation that I just had to buy the book. It is a wonderful book of profiles of women who were first responders at ground zero.

[Sharla-owl Windsong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book by one of my good friends, Mary Carouba & Susan Hagen