Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11

by Damon DiMarco, Thomas Kean (Foreword)

Damon DiMarco's Tower An Oral History of 9/11 eternally preserves a monumental tragedy in American history through the voices of the people who were in Lower Manhattan and elsewhere in New York City on that fateful day.

The stories DiMarco has collected come from a diverse group of human individuals who managed to escape from the Towers; the bereaved of 9/11; the policemen, firemen, paramedics, reporters, and volunteers who risked their lives to help others; eyewitnesses who stood in shock on the streets below the Towers; WTC structural engineers, political experts, political dissidents, small business owners, and, of course, children whose lives will be forever impacted by the horror and chaos they witnessed.

In the tradition of Studs Terkel, DiMarco's moving oral history chronicles the stories of everyone from the small group of people who miraculously made it safely down from the 89th floor of Tower 1 to the New York Times reporter trying desperately to fight her way through the fleeing crowds into Lower Manhattan, to the paramedic who set up a triage area 200 yards from the base of the Towers before they collapsed to the ordinary citizens of New York City who tried to get on with their lives in the days following the tragic event.

This expanded second edition of DiMarco's literary time capsule includes follow-up interviews that track contributors' lives in the years since 9/11, as well as dozens of never-before-published photographs.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, True Crime, Oral History, American History, Terrorism, Biography Memoir

528 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Damon DiMarco was born in Princeton, New Jersey and currently lives in New York City. He holds a Masters degree in Fine Arts from Rutgers University.

Damon has been a guest on national television and radio, including FOX, CNN, The National Geographic Channel, and the Premiere Radio Network. He has been a guest speaker at colleges, universities, and community groups across the country.

A professional actor as well as a writer, Damon has appeared in primetime and daytime television programs on CBS, ABC, and NBC; commercials; independent films; regional theatres; and trade shows. He has written for the stage, television, and screen, and taught acting on the faculties of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey and the New York Film Academy in Manhattan.

In 2012, Damon initiated the Writing for Public Intellectuals workshop for PhD students in the History and Culture program at Drew University's Caspersen Graduate School.

For more information, visit www.damondimarco.com.

Reviews

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down. Very compelling oral history of 9/11, from survivors, rescue workers and volunteers, and family and friends of the victims. The editor, Damon DiMarco, wisely divided this 524-page book into five sections: At the Towers; Outside the Towers; Ground Zero and the Volunteers; The Aftermath; and Viewpoints. So it covers a wide spectrum—from the attacks and the fight for survival, to the rescue effort, to the clean up and rebuilding of communication networks, to the effect it had on families and New Yorkers and Americans, to finally what came afterward.

[Paperwitches ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much for allowing me to read this, I would've been only 3 years old when 9/11 happened and in way - due to the sheer horror of the day, I am grateful to be too young to remember it. However, this doesn't mean I do not want to grow to appreciate the day and I own a multitude of books written by the survivors of that day. This is a great compilation of stories that tells the historical significance of this day. Its even more important now that it can provide updates and annotations. Overall this is a must for all fans of nonfiction and historical events.

[Amanda]

Abandoned 157 pages into it. Aside from multiple factual inaccuracies on the timeline of events (e.g. the north tower was struck at 8:46 AM not 8:45 AM, the south tower was struck at 9:03 AM not 9:04 AM and collapsed at 9:59 AM not 10:05 AM, and on and on) there’s the oral history from “Homicide Detective ‘Y’”. Half this chapter is a rant that goes on for PAGES about the incompetence of the FBI (FBI = “Famous, But Incompetent”, “they’re college graduates…they got no common sense”), “these liberals” who care too much about civil liberties (“To me, freedom is not free”), and an anecdote about how threatening someone he was questioning with physical violence yielded results and the guy then answered the detective’s questions: “As soon as I got a little heated, this pilot kinda understood we weren’t fucking around. I said ‘I’m gonna throw you out the fuckin’ window in about two seconds if you don’t shut the fuck up and answer my questions. You think I’m playing? Try me…I’ll throw you out that fuckin’ window so fast, your head’ll spin.’ What can I say? He came around.” Such a turn-off. The guy he was questioning was guilty of nothing btw — a jilted lover just wanted to jam him up.

I trudged through a few more chapters but I was so turned off that I just didn’t want to read the book anymore.

[Mike S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a group of stories collected by the author, Damon Dimarco who started collecting the stories within months of the 9/11 attacks. The book was originally published a few years after 9/11 and then updated for the 20th Anniversary to add a new forward by the former NY governor, George Pataki, and provide some updates on some of the people that he originally interviewed.

The book exclusively details the experiences of people who were in or around the towers that day as well as people whose lives were affected in the aftermath, such as a woman who basically became the organizer who made sure workers at "the pile" were fed daily, got supplies, etc. The people whose stories are told in this book are generally not the more well-known people who have been interviewed many times, but that does not lessen the impact at all. The author does a very good job of conveying the emotion of the people who he interviewed, which was sometimes very raw, and did a good job of introducing who that person was and what they were like during the interview.

My only nitpicky point about the book is that it does contain a number of errors, mostly about the timing of events on 9/11, both in the timeline at the beginning of the book (e.g., saying that Flight 93 took off at 8:01 AM when it took off at 8:42 AM and that it crashed at 10:10 AM when it really crashed at 10:03 AM), and in the footnotes (e.g., in one he said the south tower was hit first by Flight 175). Even if these made it into the initial printing, they should have been corrected in the update. However, those do not really take away from the rest of the book, and since the point of the book is not to detail the overall events of the day, but to tell the stories of the people affected, it is still a five-star book in my mind.

[Nancy Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damon DiMarco talked with people immediately after the 9/11 attacks, literally walking the streets and stopping passersby. The accounts he records have the ring of authenticity and immediacy. The author is channeling his inner Studs Terkel here! The stories read exactly as people talk, although I'm sure a great deal of editing was required. Mr. DiMarco is a fine writer who has made a valuable contribution to 9/11 literature.

Although difficult to read, the book is one I am glad to have read. Toward the end of the book my attention flagged, though, as the accounts widen out to include people whose stories seemed peripheral to me. After mourning the endlessly horrific ways people died, I didn't really care about the structural beauty of the Towers as expounded by an engineer, how Verizon got the stock market back up and running or the viewpoint of someone who was in L.A. at the time. And I really didn't want to read ruminations on the ethics of profiling airline passengers in the days immediately following the attacks.

I also had hoped for more insightful follow-up interviews. I want to know how the interviewees felt and thought about 9/11 today, not what plays they'd had produced in the intervening years, what shows they'd acted in or how many kids they had. The author may have been limited by who he could locate or what people wanted to say; one conversation with a paramedic who went on to be a skilled search-and-rescue medic is a great follow-up. Perhaps the author is working on updates like that to coincide with the opening of the Freedom Tower. I hope so.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I cannot handle any more of this book right now. I was under the impression there was a section where he interviewed people who lost relatives and in all 211 pages that I read I came across not even one of those interviews. I'm up to the third section and he's still talking about people who made it out alive; some of them harmed physically, some emotionally but none so far that were dead, like my loved one is.
I'm HAPPY they lived, that's not what I can't handle. But I'm finding it almost intolerable to listen to them all complain about how bad it was and the obvious evidence that they lived through it but he didn't.
I'm not as strong a person as I thought I was bc I can barely tolerate people who complain about living through something that took everything he had to offer, including his very life. I simply can't handle hearing one more person talk about how awful it was but not how good it was that they lived. Only a few have mentioned it. Maybe they think it's implied. With me, unfortunately, it's not that simple. I've lived around people who think they're long-suffering; guessing they were also happy about something would be incorrect.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say I found this book a great disappointment. Basically we get a book that is 1/3 about 9/11. A great amount of the book was filled with the stories of people who contributed in the days and weeks after the attack. They contributed a great deal to the recovery but more stories of the day and then of the immediate aftermath were missing. There was a great deal of information that was lacking and turned the story to far away from what it should be.

All-in-all this is a weak book and it should of and could have been better. Go ahead and pass on it.

[❀⊱RoryReads⊰❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much of an agenda for me. The stories I read all seemed a little off- something seemed very different from all the other books I've read on 9/11. I think it's the pessimism and the intent to all present similar political views. There are vastly better books on 9/11 accounts from various perspectives.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damon DiMarco's "Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11 (20th Anniversary Commemorative Edition)" is a powerful and poignant tribute to the resilience and heroism of the people who witnessed and survived the tragic events of September 11, 2001. This book serves as a literary time capsule that preserves the voices of those who were in New York City on that fateful day and captures the unbreakable spirit of the American people in the face of unspeakable tragedy.

DiMarco's approach is to let the survivors, first responders, journalists, and ordinary citizens who experienced 9/11 firsthand tell their stories in their own words. The result is an emotionally charged narrative that allows readers to connect with the individuals whose lives were forever changed by the events of that day. The voices in this book are haunting, heartbreaking, and ultimately heroic.

The 20th Anniversary Commemorative Edition of "Tower Stories" preserves the impactful stories from the original edition but also includes new interviews that provide a contemporary perspective on the 9/11 tragedy. These additional voices, including Alice Greenwald, Father Jim Martin, Tom Haddad, and Stephen Adly Guirgis, offer fresh insights and reflections on the world-shattering event.

"Tower Stories" captures the enormity of the 9/11 events while simultaneously celebrating the resilience and courage of the people who found themselves at the epicenter of the tragedy. The book illustrates the strength of the human spirit and the capacity for individuals to rise to the occasion during the darkest of times.

DiMarco's writing is evocative and empathetic, allowing the interviewees' stories to shine through without unnecessary intrusion. The book is a heartfelt tribute to the countless heroes who emerged from the chaos and devastation of that day. It's no surprise that MSNBC labeled "Tower Stories" as "arguably the most successful attempt at capturing the enormity of the events of 9/11." Publishers Weekly aptly noted that "DiMarco's contribution to the memory of that horrific day is enormous," and it truly is a one-of-a-kind account.

"Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11 (20th Anniversary Commemorative Edition)" is a moving and essential work that pays tribute to the memory of those who were affected by 9/11. Damon DiMarco's dedication to preserving these stories ensures that the heroism and resilience of the people who lived through that day will never be forgotten.

"A heartfelt tribute to the unsung heroes of 9/11, capturing their stories with unwavering respect and empathy."

"An emotionally charged narrative that honors the resilience and courage of those who lived through the 9/11 tragedy."

"Damon DiMarco's powerful oral history combines voices of survivors, creating an unforgettable tribute to their experiences."

"A literary time capsule that ensures the memories of 9/11 heroes and survivors will endure for generations."

"A poignant and respectful commemoration of the heroes and witnesses of 9/11, preserving their voices with profound reverence."

"'Tower Stories' offers an intimate and heartrending portrait of 9/11's impact on the lives of everyday people."

"A celebration of the human spirit's capacity to rise to the occasion during the darkest of times, brought to life through authentic voices."

"A testament to the enormity of the 9/11 events and the resilience that emerged from the chaos."

"An evocative journey through the memories of those who were there, honoring their experiences with deep empathy."

"A one-of-a-kind account that captures the essence of 9/11 through the voices of the individuals who lived it."

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Tower Stories was an emotional experience for me, especially since I live in New York City and remember exactly where I was that Tuesday morning, just arrived at work. This oral history brings together the voices of people who lived through 9/11—survivors, first responders, journalists, family members, and others. I really appreciated how the book didn’t try to summarize or simplify what happened. Instead, it gave space to each person’s story, and that made the impact feel very real and very human.

Some of the accounts were heartbreaking, others incredibly brave or thoughtful, and all of them made me stop and reflect. What struck me most was how different each person’s experience was, yet how they all shared a sense of deep loss and resilience. I felt like I was listening directly to people who had been through the unimaginable, and I was grateful for their honesty.

The structure of the book made it easy to take in each story at its own pace. I didn’t feel overwhelmed, even though the subject matter is intense. It helped me see 9/11 not just as a historical event, but as a deeply personal tragedy that touched countless lives in different ways.

This wasn’t an easy read, but it felt important. It reminded me how powerful it is to listen—to witness someone else’s pain, courage, and humanity. I won’t forget it.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am obsessed reading all the history and book about 9/11. I think the survivors stories and voices should be heard by many. We also have the duty to never forgot. The book was separated into five sections: At The Towers, Outside The Towers, Ground Zero and Volunteers, The Aftermath, and Viewpoint, along with a in-depth Timeline of that day. All of the stories were well written and made the reader really imagination what it was like to be there on that day, weeks, and months later, even though you can't possible imagination what the people and the citizens of America went though that day. All the stories were very memorable with different things I never thought about before (For example: Many of the citizens in New York feels that tourist should be taken pictures of Ground Zero because it a just a sacred place where loved ones are still there), but the one the stick out for my was Patrick Charles Welsh who wife Deborah was on Untied Flight 93 because I remember her character in the movie Flight 93 and Untied 93.
#Neverforget

[Jennifer Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a hard read for me. Some of the stories I wasn't as connected to. Some made me uncomfortable, but honestly that is the point. 21 years ago, I was getting ready to head for my first class of the day at my community college. I saw the second plane hit the tower on Good Morning America and was stunned. We lived in a coastal community, with multiple bases around me, so I headed to the college to make sure that things were mobilized there with our Student Government office. We were trying to make sure that the students knew what was going on, but also try to get in touch with friends/family/help others do the same and try to make sense of it all. To read these stories it is compelling. Again, some of them are harder to read than others. But it was worth the time to do so.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating stories in the words of the survivors with a little information about who they were and why they were at the World Trade Center on 9/11. I found the accounts interesting and how lucky everyone was with their brushes with death and how terrified they all were watching everything unfold. Occasionally there were updates from a few years later which were nice to see as well. Recommended for a different view on the events that happened that day.

I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written book. Obviously a lot of research was done.

Overall the first part is engrossing....you can really get a feeling for what these people suffered.

The story starts getting bogged down toward the 2/3 mark. I know the author wanted to give a picture from a variety of different people but the further we get from the buildings, the slower the stories got.

[Erin Wyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s taken me a bit to read this collection in its entirety, due to the emotional subject matter. I very much appreciated the structure and organizational layout of the interviews. It was a progression of events and impact, and I learned of people and tasks I knew nothing about. I hope that they got half as much in sharing their stories as I did in reading about them.

[Citri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the concept of this, but feel it could use some tighter editing. Some of the stories drifted a little too far away from the tragedy, especially near the end. The one story I didn't like was from the detective that just casually mentions his racism and prejudice like it's no big deal. It was so jarring among all the stories of sorrow, grief and moving on.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny how a consistent memory of people is how the city of New York and the nation joined together after the tragedy, but the movement didn't last for long. Are we doomed to be constantly at odds with each other?

[Sharon Zink · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book put together in an excellent way. Towards the end it got boring, like the writer who tried to explain the remembrance museum, and the business guy who tried to explain the leases and what not connected with Port Authority.

[Maria Padilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an insightful read to me. I remember this day as if it were yesterday. Although I didn't know anyone who passed due to 9/11, I was sad to see, read, and hear what all those people went through. I couldn't put this book down. It's my first big read.

[Stephanie Dargusch Borders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely an important part of the 9/11 canon. What sets this book apart is that it is not just focused on what happened inside the towers on 9/12, but also on the recovery efforts and general aftermath of that day.

[Hollie-Mystery Girl 27 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book as a lesson to all of us to live, help, and love whoever we can. The stories in this book are inspiring, heartbreaking and extraordinary.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 5 out of 5]

So powerful and raw. So many of the stories were told just months or even weeks after September 11. Full review to come.

[Darren Jowsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible insight as to what people were doing, what they heard and saw on that terrible morning, and what they have done since that time.
A great book, if that doesn’t sound too weird.

[Geicodave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of witness accounts of the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

[Courtney Salkeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fascinating to read so many different accounts and experiences.

[Hannah Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I was 6 years old when 9/11 happened, and so reading the POVs and understanding how people felt as adults going through such a traumatic event was astounding. Such a scary time.

I really enjoyed the viewpoints part where contributors spoke about how we got to this point in history, where they shared what the US had done to the Middle East, it truly educated me about so much and how complicated the whole matter truly was.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all remember what we were doing. Many people call it a Kennedy moment. I was doing homework. I was 6 or 7 at the time, so I don't recall much about what happened. But I remember my mom crying, I remember watching footage on the news, the Towers falling, the airplanes grounded, EVERYONE calling everyone they knew. And I was scared it would ruin my Birthday(Sept. 15).

Tower Stories is divided into 5 different parts: At the Towers; Outside the Towers; Ground Zero and the Volunteers; The Aftermath; and Viewpoints. Different viewpoints, different walks of life, different races, all trying to describe what they went through, what struck them the most. Taken as a whole, it becomes an overwhelmingly obvious fact most people just wanted to help in some way. Of course, someone said (Being me, I really couldn't tell you a 4th of the names in Tower Stories), it brought out the best in some and the worst in others.

Personally? I came away with a greater understanding and sympathy for everyone involved in the crash. But, you know, Someone said that it was the US Government's fault we got attacked in the first place. I take issue with that. When we start blaming the Government for the crimes of terrorists who drive planes into towers, we really are in trouble. As an anonymous note outside of Proffesor Gerges's office [one of the contributors to this book] said,

"To my fellow Americans,
No American actions, however flawed, contributed to the misfortune of the Middle East peoples-nothing in this world ever justifies the slaughter of one, let alone thousands of innocent civilians.
This kind of fashionable rationalization for evil is called "blaming the victim" and it must be exposed for what it truly is: mental poison that only adds insult to injury. America shoulders no blame for the evil perpetrated to her on September 11th. The people who freely choose a path of absolute wickedness, of terror, bear complete responsibility."

But, you know, yes, there were viewpoints I didn't agree with, but this book was all about the different people that make up America and obviously there's going to be some who rub you the wrong way. That's one of the beautiful things about America. We can all disagree, but we can still get together and talk, SHOUT, at each other without fear of imprisonment and harm. God Bless America.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a four star book for me until the very last chapter. True accounts from people in and around events from 9-11, specifically the Twin Towers. Amazing stories of self sacrifice, bravery, heroism, survival, and most of all the special and unique American spirit. I loved how the author provided all kinds of different stories from people in the building, people on airplanes, people who worked nearby, people who helped set up food and shelter for workers, people who helped get the phone lines up again, and even the perspective of a man who worked at the firm that built and constantly inspected the towers.

Unfortunately, all of these amazing stories were somewhat ruined by the very last chapter called "View Points." I do understand there are lots of view points to what happened on 9-11, however, I did not feel the author actually covered many of them. In fact the view points he did provide were more offensive than anything else. If you want to include a view points section you ought to include all kinds of different view points (as he did so well in the rest of the book).

All in all a decent read but I would skip the last chapter.

[Peggy Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read something looking back on the events of 9/11 at this time of the 10th anniversary. This was the update from 2007. There is another one that is more recent from 2009. I very sincerely recommend this book for a series of snapshots of that day and the aftermath. These were oral histories taken within days or at most about a month after 9/11. It is divided into sections roughly equivalent to the distance from Ground Zero. The first section was taken from people in the Towers who survived. Then stories from people immediately outside the Towers. There is an amazing section on the volunteers at Ground Zero and what they accomplished. There is a section from family members and friends left behind. My least favorite section was at the end with statements from people commenting on the culture of the Middle East and why America has become so hated. That is worthy of discussion, of course, but I feel it is out of place in this extremely poignant memoir from people immediately affected by the tragedy. There are some photographs taken at the scene as well. Extremely well done and highly recommended.