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Between Heaven and Ground Zero: One Woman's Struggle for Survival and Faith in the Ashes of 9/11
A Second Chance at LifeOn the sunny morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, terrorists murdered more than twenty-seven hundred people in an attack on New York City.Thousands died when a hijacked Boeing 767 slammed into Tower One of the World Trade Center.It was first blood. For Leslie Haskin, it was a second chance at life.This is the riveting account of Leslie's harrowing escape--down 36 floors in a doomed and dying building and away from a life focused on perks, prestige, and power. The intervening months brought crippling mental and emotional distress, but from the rubble and ashes, the corporate climber rediscovered the faith of her childhood and now embraces a new life of serving others.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
55 people are currently reading
329 people want to read
About the author
Leslie Haskin
9 books8 followersLeslie's story begins in Chicago ---- The youngest girl of a family of fifteen, she describes herself an outspoken, independent thinker who was always in trouble.
Leslie excelled in college and in business. By 2000, she was one of only two African American executives for one of the largest insurance companies in the country. Living all the privilege of an executive's life, Leslie surrounded herself with all of the "right" people and "right" things.
Then at 8:43 am on the morning of September 11, 2001, everything changed.
Leslie was in her office on the 36th floor of Tower One when a Boeing 747 airplane slammed into her building, her friends...her life. From that precise second, time was both accelerated and suspended as that once privileged corner office sky, filled with furniture, paper and unimaginable things. Panic was instantaneous, and a mad dash toward the exit stairs began. She closed her eyes and prayed, "God help us."
In the months that followed the terrorist attacks, Leslie was committed to a mental hospital and diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Eventually the medical bills mounted, the illness intensified and Leslie Haskin lost everything that she had worked for. She became homeless with her son, Eliot Hill.
Today, Leslie is successful author and the founder and director of Safe Hugs Ministries. She provides consultation to international humanitarian organizations such as Save the Children, and travels internationally encouraging thousands in their journey with the Lord God. Her message is a simple one, "God is bigger than our burdens."
She has become a favorite on national media such as CNN, The 700 Club, Moody Radio and others. And her books, HELD, God Has Not Forgotten about YOU and the best seller, Between Heaven & Ground Zero continue to inspire readers internationally.
Leslie Haskin makes her home in the catskill mountains of New York.
Leslie excelled in college and in business. By 2000, she was one of only two African American executives for one of the largest insurance companies in the country. Living all the privilege of an executive's life, Leslie surrounded herself with all of the "right" people and "right" things.
Then at 8:43 am on the morning of September 11, 2001, everything changed.
Leslie was in her office on the 36th floor of Tower One when a Boeing 747 airplane slammed into her building, her friends...her life. From that precise second, time was both accelerated and suspended as that once privileged corner office sky, filled with furniture, paper and unimaginable things. Panic was instantaneous, and a mad dash toward the exit stairs began. She closed her eyes and prayed, "God help us."
In the months that followed the terrorist attacks, Leslie was committed to a mental hospital and diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Eventually the medical bills mounted, the illness intensified and Leslie Haskin lost everything that she had worked for. She became homeless with her son, Eliot Hill.
Today, Leslie is successful author and the founder and director of Safe Hugs Ministries. She provides consultation to international humanitarian organizations such as Save the Children, and travels internationally encouraging thousands in their journey with the Lord God. Her message is a simple one, "God is bigger than our burdens."
She has become a favorite on national media such as CNN, The 700 Club, Moody Radio and others. And her books, HELD, God Has Not Forgotten about YOU and the best seller, Between Heaven & Ground Zero continue to inspire readers internationally.
Leslie Haskin makes her home in the catskill mountains of New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
November 10, 2013
My son first read this book, then he loaned his copy to me and recommended that I read it. I'm glad I did. This is the first hand account of the the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, by Leslie Haskin, a business woman who was at work on the 36th floor of Tower One when the first plane hit. She writes about the unimaginable horrors she encountered as she, and thousands or her fellow office workers, made their way down the stairs and out of this office building turned giant torch. Haskin doesn't hold back or sugar coat the death, dismemberment, blood and carnage she witnessed. Her description of her own experience in exiting the building and then making her out of the city and finally home makes the readers feel as though he or she is right there along side Haskin, experiencing and feeling the same things. The author writes about the horrors she faced not only on 9/11 but afterward as she suffered for years from PTSD associated with her experiences in the World Trade Center. It was finally her return to the Christian faith she was raised in and a strong and personal relationship with Jesus Christ that healed Haskin and allowed her to go forward and rebuild her life. The book is less than 200 pages so it is a quick and easy read. Highly recommended for those who clearly remember 9/11 and those, like my son, who were very young and have only vague personal memories. This is an unforgettable book that will stir your soul and build your faith. As Haskin eloquently writes, "Never forget that September 11, 2001, was a day that we put compassion over power. We saw heroes up close and they touched us. We saw love transform pain into healing, hate into tolerance, anger into compassion, and fear into peace."
December 18, 2008
Loving books as I do, I'm always fascinated to read the variations in styles when an author is telling his personal story. Some authors write in a forceful, in-your-face style; other authors write in a way that will cause you to empathize with their plight; and then, there are the authors who write with grace, honesty and beauty.
Such is the writing of author Leslie Haskin in her book, Between Heaven and Ground Zero: One Woman's Struggle for Survival and Faith in the Ashes of 9/11. Author Haskin writes with such beauty that at times it's hard to believe the subject that you're reading about is one that is so harsh and painful, yet at the same time, she in no way glosses over the harshness of what happened on 9/11.
As the title states, this is her story - before, on, and following the tragic events of 9/11. Ms. Haskin was in Tower One when the plane hit. The plane not only destroyed and left in ashes Tower One, but her carefully built life. As is so often the case with those who put their faith in Christ, beauty comes from the ashes and Ms. Haskin shares that beauty with the reader.
Prepare to relive that horrible day and prepare to find the breathtaking hope and beauty that can only be found in Christ. Prepare to be encouraged, reminded, and challenged. This book will not only draw you in but help draw out of you the hope that Christ has put in you. More importantly it will draw you into action that hope compels from us.
Here are a couple of excerpts from the book:
"Once upon a time in the year 2000, we were kings and queens in two tall graceful towers, kicked back and easy in the beauty of the sky. Prestige and power were plentiful in our kingdom. We were above it all in our land of abundance and pride. But then, as pride comes before a fall, and with force equal in boldness to its beginnings, our kingdom fell."
"You see, I didn't expect that one day I would be the one left standing in a crowd of hundreds taking their last breath. I didn't know that my words would be the last words that someone else would ever hear.
I never knew life could make such demands...I never understood the accountability that comes with truth...I never accepted the responsibility that comes with real love."
"September 11 found many of us in complacency. As Christian believers, we were off the mark and simply existing from day to day. We were lukewarm in our faith, self-centered in our desires, carnal in nature, and caught up in a search for the latest and greatest addictions to make us feel alive.
As a church body, we compromised the Word of God for an affinity with the world and holiness for the modern tactics of reaching the unchurched. Our congregations were indistinguishable from those outside the church, and our families were without godly example.
The corporate 'we' sacrificed godliness and the anointing, placed our own desires ahead of God's will, and closed our eyes to the certainty of a dying generation. I know I did."
I hope Ms. Haskin writes more books. Not only do I enjoy the beauty of her words, but I want to learn the lessons she has to share.
Such is the writing of author Leslie Haskin in her book, Between Heaven and Ground Zero: One Woman's Struggle for Survival and Faith in the Ashes of 9/11. Author Haskin writes with such beauty that at times it's hard to believe the subject that you're reading about is one that is so harsh and painful, yet at the same time, she in no way glosses over the harshness of what happened on 9/11.
As the title states, this is her story - before, on, and following the tragic events of 9/11. Ms. Haskin was in Tower One when the plane hit. The plane not only destroyed and left in ashes Tower One, but her carefully built life. As is so often the case with those who put their faith in Christ, beauty comes from the ashes and Ms. Haskin shares that beauty with the reader.
Prepare to relive that horrible day and prepare to find the breathtaking hope and beauty that can only be found in Christ. Prepare to be encouraged, reminded, and challenged. This book will not only draw you in but help draw out of you the hope that Christ has put in you. More importantly it will draw you into action that hope compels from us.
Here are a couple of excerpts from the book:
"Once upon a time in the year 2000, we were kings and queens in two tall graceful towers, kicked back and easy in the beauty of the sky. Prestige and power were plentiful in our kingdom. We were above it all in our land of abundance and pride. But then, as pride comes before a fall, and with force equal in boldness to its beginnings, our kingdom fell."
"You see, I didn't expect that one day I would be the one left standing in a crowd of hundreds taking their last breath. I didn't know that my words would be the last words that someone else would ever hear.
I never knew life could make such demands...I never understood the accountability that comes with truth...I never accepted the responsibility that comes with real love."
"September 11 found many of us in complacency. As Christian believers, we were off the mark and simply existing from day to day. We were lukewarm in our faith, self-centered in our desires, carnal in nature, and caught up in a search for the latest and greatest addictions to make us feel alive.
As a church body, we compromised the Word of God for an affinity with the world and holiness for the modern tactics of reaching the unchurched. Our congregations were indistinguishable from those outside the church, and our families were without godly example.
The corporate 'we' sacrificed godliness and the anointing, placed our own desires ahead of God's will, and closed our eyes to the certainty of a dying generation. I know I did."
I hope Ms. Haskin writes more books. Not only do I enjoy the beauty of her words, but I want to learn the lessons she has to share.
June 29, 2015
This is a book with two faces.
One is compelling, horrific, vividly told. It's the story of one woman's experience of being in the World Trade Centre on 9/11. It's dark, it's told in its completeness, it omits nothing. Leslie Haskin makes you feel as if you too were there, even though you don't want to be, among the disintegrating buildings and exploding flesh. She re-tells every second of her journey to work that day, the impact, and the endless journey down from the 36th floor to the ground. And then, the PTSD that followed. She tells it with total honesty, and plumbs the very depth of her being, and how her life changed forever.
The other is the story of Haskin's religious conversion, a direct result of what happened on that fateful day. For her, as a result of 9/11, her life not only changed completely but - in her perfect hindsight - was an inevitability. It's uncomfortable to live with, because on the one hand you feel that she is perfectly entitled to her conversion, having lived through something beyond even the nightmares of us who never experienced it. But it does come across as something of a sermon, and somehow seeks to remove the stain of 9/11 through the subsequent spiritual odyssey of just one person. Again, there's a discomfort here. It feels insulting to criticise, just as it would be to criticise a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust if they wrote in similar vein.
However, she ends the book by translating her own spiritual journey to a generalisation about the "End-times" and the "Rapture", in which she believes. At this point many readers will breathe a sigh of relief, all discomfort flown, and see that what started as one kind of horror story, ends as a kind of religious horror story, all Revelations and fundamentalism.
If you read only the first two thirds of this book, it will be an unforgettable experience. If you read the whole thing, you may end (in your imagination) in the church of your childhood, the one your parents may have taken you to, and from which you couldn't get out fast enough.
Two additional notes (I have the audiobook - this is not relevant to readers). One: Haskin reads this with great emphasis, as if she is trying to convert you through the very way she speaks, like a preacher. It brings the first section of the book to life effectively, but it becomes rather tiresome when she moves into 'preacher' mode. Two: all the Biblical readings (and there are many!!) are read by a computer voice. Bizarre, or what?
One is compelling, horrific, vividly told. It's the story of one woman's experience of being in the World Trade Centre on 9/11. It's dark, it's told in its completeness, it omits nothing. Leslie Haskin makes you feel as if you too were there, even though you don't want to be, among the disintegrating buildings and exploding flesh. She re-tells every second of her journey to work that day, the impact, and the endless journey down from the 36th floor to the ground. And then, the PTSD that followed. She tells it with total honesty, and plumbs the very depth of her being, and how her life changed forever.
The other is the story of Haskin's religious conversion, a direct result of what happened on that fateful day. For her, as a result of 9/11, her life not only changed completely but - in her perfect hindsight - was an inevitability. It's uncomfortable to live with, because on the one hand you feel that she is perfectly entitled to her conversion, having lived through something beyond even the nightmares of us who never experienced it. But it does come across as something of a sermon, and somehow seeks to remove the stain of 9/11 through the subsequent spiritual odyssey of just one person. Again, there's a discomfort here. It feels insulting to criticise, just as it would be to criticise a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust if they wrote in similar vein.
However, she ends the book by translating her own spiritual journey to a generalisation about the "End-times" and the "Rapture", in which she believes. At this point many readers will breathe a sigh of relief, all discomfort flown, and see that what started as one kind of horror story, ends as a kind of religious horror story, all Revelations and fundamentalism.
If you read only the first two thirds of this book, it will be an unforgettable experience. If you read the whole thing, you may end (in your imagination) in the church of your childhood, the one your parents may have taken you to, and from which you couldn't get out fast enough.
Two additional notes (I have the audiobook - this is not relevant to readers). One: Haskin reads this with great emphasis, as if she is trying to convert you through the very way she speaks, like a preacher. It brings the first section of the book to life effectively, but it becomes rather tiresome when she moves into 'preacher' mode. Two: all the Biblical readings (and there are many!!) are read by a computer voice. Bizarre, or what?
October 4, 2015
A really beautiful and deep read!
March 3, 2012
I just finished this book (an accomplishment for me, because I have started and not finished a dang lot of books lately), and I was most interested in the author's limited portrayal of what PTSD feels like for her. She was working in the first tower hit on 9/11 and escaped with her life but lost numerous friends and co-workers and saw some very gruesome and terrifying things that day. Pre-9/11 she was more self centered and focused on promotions and material things, post-9/11 she is a much more faith centered and better person. (But not without some challenges; she lost her home and went through financial devastation when she was unable to hold a job due to her severe PTSD.)
I like her, and I would be thrilled to meet her someday. Her book was only okay for me, though. She is obviously a poet. I am just not a reader of poetry. I swear I am not dumb, but when people speak poetically it is so hard for me to figure out what they are actually saying. (Like a poem in the middle - I thought it was talking about the last ten seconds before the building collasped, but it occurred to me later on that it was the last ten seconds before a person jumped out of the top of the building to their death.) Sometimes I'd read a sentence and just think, "Huh?" (I just flipped through the pages to find an example. Here you go: "Uncertainty is that seamless monster of polarity that obliterates us all." If you know exactly what she's talking about without reading it nine times, well good for you. You win.)
So anyway, instead of saying that "our kingdoms fell", I wish she had just said, "the towers fell". I like writing to be basic and straightforward. So if you love poetry, this is your book. If you need footnotes like me, you can still enjoy the book but you'll have to reread parts.
And one more thing - if you love scripture quotes on every other page and a lot lot lot of talk about Jesus and redemption at the end, you'll really like this book. I think it's good this book was written how it was for her posterity, who will have no doubt what she believed in. But for me, if I hadn't been mere pages away from finally finishing a book for the first time in awhile, I probably would have just skipped over the Jesus parts. Sorry, Jesus. I really like you, too.
I like her, and I would be thrilled to meet her someday. Her book was only okay for me, though. She is obviously a poet. I am just not a reader of poetry. I swear I am not dumb, but when people speak poetically it is so hard for me to figure out what they are actually saying. (Like a poem in the middle - I thought it was talking about the last ten seconds before the building collasped, but it occurred to me later on that it was the last ten seconds before a person jumped out of the top of the building to their death.) Sometimes I'd read a sentence and just think, "Huh?" (I just flipped through the pages to find an example. Here you go: "Uncertainty is that seamless monster of polarity that obliterates us all." If you know exactly what she's talking about without reading it nine times, well good for you. You win.)
So anyway, instead of saying that "our kingdoms fell", I wish she had just said, "the towers fell". I like writing to be basic and straightforward. So if you love poetry, this is your book. If you need footnotes like me, you can still enjoy the book but you'll have to reread parts.
And one more thing - if you love scripture quotes on every other page and a lot lot lot of talk about Jesus and redemption at the end, you'll really like this book. I think it's good this book was written how it was for her posterity, who will have no doubt what she believed in. But for me, if I hadn't been mere pages away from finally finishing a book for the first time in awhile, I probably would have just skipped over the Jesus parts. Sorry, Jesus. I really like you, too.
April 11, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I think everyone should read it so we as a nation do not forget Sept 11th. Some parts are very hard to read due to the details and I can't say I loved her way of writing but she did a great job describing that day in regards to things the media did not tell us or we could not have known at the time. For you Christians out there, this is a must read.
September 13, 2014
Good read
First half was excellent on 9/11. The second half religious but somewhat preachy in places. but I do like knowing the author is ok because of her faith.
First half was excellent on 9/11. The second half religious but somewhat preachy in places. but I do like knowing the author is ok because of her faith.
December 17, 2022
I give very few five stars, but this was amazing read. The actual story of the downing of the north & south towers was tragic. Details from this heroine's escape, the detail under duress, the willingness to help others. Wondering around aimlessly on the concourse level. I felt there with her, trying to escape. Horror at people walking around with missing arms or shrapnel sticking out of their bodys. Believe it or not, this was the secondary story. The primary story being the complacency of a nation, the waking of a spiritual giant the world had ever seen. Everyone going to church, tolerance of one another & the unification it fostered. For Leslie, the effects of PTSD, the lessons on forgiveness by God. As a former soldier I understand. The invitation for Christ at the end was the most important & most lasting part of the book, if you are not a Christian, don't let it scare you away. If you are it reinforces your belief. There is a God & he cares.
October 16, 2016
While this woman endured a horrendous experience and I really appreciate the fact that it brought her into a relationship with God, her retelling of it is rather meandering and at times difficult to follow. The Bible verses she quotes don't always seem relevant to the part of the story she is narrating. And I find the last section very "preachy." One can share one's testimony and bring glory to God without having to preach a sermon. I think the author could have benefited from professional writing assistance to make this story really as powerful as it has the potential to be.
January 10, 2017
Excellent heartfelt memoir with a call to forgiveness
While Haskin is clearly not a professional writer, the pathos of her personal story overcomes her writing style and imbues every page with meaning. She uses a flashback pattern to discuss parts of her earlier life that brought her to the point where she worked in the north tower on 9/11. She finished not only with a heartfelt discussion of how her heart and life have changed, but with a call to action toward her reader. Let this book change your life.
While Haskin is clearly not a professional writer, the pathos of her personal story overcomes her writing style and imbues every page with meaning. She uses a flashback pattern to discuss parts of her earlier life that brought her to the point where she worked in the north tower on 9/11. She finished not only with a heartfelt discussion of how her heart and life have changed, but with a call to action toward her reader. Let this book change your life.
September 14, 2014
A look at a survivor and the struggles she experienced with her continued recovery. An experience that causes the author to reevaluate her Christian faith. Some vivid description of the suffering and misery of the 9/11 attack. The writer is sincere and is brave in her telling of her story of healing.
September 17, 2024
A powerful story from a survivor of 9/11. This interesting perspective shows the long term struggle with PTSD, survivor guilt, and other mental health difficulties caused by living through a traumatic event. With the support of her faith, Haskin shares what she has learned from this experience.
October 22, 2017
I really appreciated the spiritual side of her journey as well as her miraculous survival. She details everything that happened graphically and the horror of that day, the suddenness, how in an instant all can change really captured my imagination. I appreciate the redemptive side of the story. She really had a hard time with PTSD. I read this book in September as I continue to want to remember. I hope others will never forget or take for granted the incredible loss of that day and how this event changed our world
December 15, 2013
I picked up this book in our church library today and read it in a single afternoon. Leslie Haskin has a wonderfully personal and poetic style of writing ... I was profoundly MOVED by her story. She tells better than anyone I've read, about the details of what happened on 9/11 (specifically as they happened to her). This is not an autobiography or a detailed account of her life story ... it is a collection of reflections on the events of that day the world changed forever and how they IMPACTED her life and brought her to realize what REALLY MATTERS in life. She was in an executive position in one of the biggest insurance companies in the U.S. ... whose office was in Tower One of the WTC. She writes with honesty and humility. I wish I could give this book 10 stars ! ...
December 15, 2019
The author worked in one of the Twin Trade Towers and tells her story about how that day impacted her life. She had fallen away from the faith of her childhood and God used the events of 911 to draw her back to Him. I appreciated the simple honesty of her testimony - she doesn’t shrink from telling us how she had become arrogant, power-hungry and materialistic and how all of that got swept away in that terrible journey down the stairs of the tower. While I don’t agree with her eschatology, I love that she wants her story to have an impact on others for Christ. The title chapters and Bible verses/quotes were all read by a British computer voice, which seemed odd and out of place compared to the author’s voice.
September 22, 2014
This book was a heart-wrenching & exhilarating book for me to read; however, I would recommend to all those who love to read. This is not a fiction story, but it is one that is sad but true. I can only imagine the horror that these folks suffered, those who survived & those who did not, but this book helps give us just a glimpse of what that day was like. I appreciate the honesty and candor with which the author told her story, and I pray for her daily that she continues on her road to recovery. May all those affected by that tragedy find comfort & peace in their lives.
June 11, 2007
This was hard for me to read because of the content of the book itself, but it was very good in the end. It showed the incredible strength and most importantly, the faith, this woman had to draw on to survive. I felt as though I was going through it with her and cried at times and cheered when it became obvious she was going to get out alive.
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July 2, 2009This is an amazing book - Leslie Haskin tells the harrowing story of the day she turned up for work and a plane flew into the side of the building. She was one of the lucky ones - escaping the events of the World Trade Center she went on to tell the story of how that day strengthened her faith in God.
August 11, 2017
An excellent book. I haven't read many things written about 911, but Leslie's story drew me in at the beginning and kept my interest until the end. She shares her struggles and gives an honest assessment of her own weaknesses amidst such a horriffic event. This is her personal story of survival on all levels and one I will remember for a long time.
February 21, 2018
Great Insight into what went on Inside the Twin Towers on that Fateful Day
Leslie tells her story with great openness and detail. The story takes the reader on a harrowing and traumatic adventure. Leslie journeys from brokenness to healing and liberation. Leslie is a good writer and the story is gripping and easy to read.
Leslie tells her story with great openness and detail. The story takes the reader on a harrowing and traumatic adventure. Leslie journeys from brokenness to healing and liberation. Leslie is a good writer and the story is gripping and easy to read.
July 30, 2008
I am sorry but I could not get through this book. I tried, I really did. To me is appears to be someone who has decided to make a little money off their misfortune. I have read several 9/11 books but.....this held no appeal.
February 2, 2017
This book was good. It got kinda creepy as Haskins was describing what she saw on that morning, 9/11/2001. But I understand how she would have PTSD after seeing what happened. I personally think that Haskins described the event with too many details. It does get a little draggy at the end.
October 18, 2019
Very easy read!!
Very easy read and what an inspiring story. Thank you, Leslie, for sharing your experiences and your journey. God Bless!!
Very easy read and what an inspiring story. Thank you, Leslie, for sharing your experiences and your journey. God Bless!!
January 17, 2020
It took guts for the author to write this book as a result of surviving the 9/11 tragedy. Solid Christian message!
May 25, 2018
This is my first time reading a survivor's story of 9/11 - wow. I had no idea the chaos that ensued in the towers after the planes hit. I can only imagine that most survivors, like the author, suffered from PTSD. The things they saw and experiences they had were harrowing, horrific and numbing. And despite that, there was kindness, help, encouragement and sacrifice shown by so many. It turned the author's life upside down in ways I had not given thought to. I wonder how many other survivors had the trajectory of their life completely changed. She finds peace and solace in her religion and devotes much of her life after 9/11 to helping others. I did skim read a few of the chapters that shared her religious views which were not particularly compelling to me but her story is incredible and the strength of the human spirit is alive and well in her life. Worth the read!
February 22, 2021
I found this book very interesting; it’s not what I normally read, and not really what I expected. The book is not written in a ‘classic story format’ telling all the details in a chronological order from start to finish. In the beginning of the book, Leslie writes about her horrific experience during 9/11, and then from there, you jump around through all her different revelations, experiences, thoughts, realizations and changes she goes through after that. I found it almost poetic, the way she describes her thoughts. I also liked that throughout the book, she inserted verses and sometimes quotes that really applied to what she was going through at the time. Overall a good book about reflection and inner discovery, discovering our purpose through God and reflecting on what really matters.
January 28, 2022
As an autobiography, I would definitely give it 5 stars, but for the last several chapters, she changes the book into Christian Living/Self-help. I found that those last few chapters dragged a bit. But most of the book is the author recounting the events of her life on Sept 11, 2001 when the planes hit the twin towers, and she was working in the 36th floor of tower one. She does not sugar-coat what she saw, and the content can be graphic; but through the horror of the events of that day, God did an amazing work in her heart. It's a great read; short book. The audiobook is read by the author, and I believe it is beneficial to listen to it because you can distinctly hear the emotion in her voice as she reads what she went through during that thragic day.
September 8, 2023
I have read a number of accounts now written by or about survivor’s of 9/11/2001, and this one is quite compelling. She leaves nothing out of the description of her first person account of her escape from the towers with people dying all around her, and some of the details are shocking. However, I had to remind myself that reading about it is nothing compared to those who lived it. The author has a poetic style of writing, and how she turned her tragic experience into a stronger and more committed faith in God is what is told in the aftermath of 9/11, and in her struggle to recover and deal with her PTSD and losses that she suffered when she was unable to work. I hope that 22 years later that her life is much happier and her faith as strong as it was at the end of this book.
November 20, 2017
This is a very powerful book of the author's first hand account of 9/11 and her escape from the World Trade Center and her journey to finding faith afterwards.. While many of us have watched and read the horror of that day, not many reports of what the survivors actually saw and experienced have been told especially first hand. This book tells us of what was happening and what they experienced and saw from the inside of the twin towers on that day. As we all remember that day forever, I was very moved with her experiences, strength, and faith. I also learned things I never knew about that day.
December 24, 2021
What the general public saw when the 9/11 attack and collapse of the twin towers happened is so different than what people who were closest to the tragedy, either those inside that escaped or that were right there watching is so, so different. Makes me wonder if we did all that we can to help those that were directly involved and survived, after reading this I'm not sure. I just can't imagine what it would have been like to be there, fighting your way out of the buildings. The author certainly turned her life around and healed as much as she could, I don't think anyone that close to this can completely heal.
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