Between Heaven and Ground Zero

by Leslie D. Haskin

Between Heaven and Ground Zero

Genres: Nonfiction

216 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Paul Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this powerful book is a very descriptive first-person account of what actually happened to the narrator on 9/11 when she was working in the World Trade Center. It is a realistic and horrific account of what it was like to be in the midst of the chaos and violence on that terrible day. From the moment the first plane hits, to the moment she eventually makes it home and finally let's the terrified screams out as she collapses, it is a riveting narration that is hard to take because it is so real, but so important to hear. The second half of the book is very different because it turns into a sort of preachy sermon as she shares about her personal re-connection to Christianity and her spiritual message for the reader (I am not against her sharing this, especially since I am a Christ-follower and because i think she can freely share whatever she feels called to after what she went through; however, I did find it becoming overly "evangelical" for my tastes and spiritual beliefs).

[Lauren Carter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not very in-depth and was overly superficial. I feel bad rating this as this but I tend to read to either feel something or learn something and this did neither.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very difficult to read. Not as in-depth about her journey as it could have been. I was confused at times, it was difficult to follow her thought patterns.
Leslie Haskin had it all. She was reaching the pinnacle of her career as one of only two African-Americans to hold an executive title within the eastern region of her insurance corporation. Leslie's whole world was focused on financial gain. But all of that changed on September 11, 2001. Leslie was at work on the 36th floor of World Trade Center Tower 1 when the terrorist attacks took place. Between Heaven and Ground Zero follows Leslie's account of the horrific day and its aftermath in her life and the lives of those around her.

Leslie's story is raw and real. At times it is extremely difficult to read, but anyone who wants to truly understand the emotions and after-effects of this event on those who were directly in the line of fire will stick with it, even when it becomes uncomfortable. The book doesn't stop with Leslie's experiences on that day. The truly miraculous part of the story is that the event was a catalyst for Leslie to allow God back into her life. The God of her childhood, Who Leslie had shoved to the back burner on her quest for success.

After the attack and before Leslie found God's strength and healing, she suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and those experiences are also chronicled. At times, the tale is rather disjointed, which makes it slightly difficult to follow the chain of events. However, this powerful story has something to teach every reader. As the events of September 11 become more of a distant memory, Between Heaven and Ground Zero brings to light the real people involved and the stories of God's mercy and redemption they have experienced.

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book courtesy of Christian Audio for the purpose of writing a review.

Narrator Thoughts - I had mixed thoughts about the voice. Normally, I love it when authors read their own works because they can put their own emphasis into the words. But for this woman, the words came hard and slowly. Her emotions at times overwhelmed her. While it did garner sympathy, I'm not sure that she was ready to read her own words yet. Also for any quotes and scripture readings they had a different lady read them. All of those had poor recording quality which detracted from the message.

Book Thoughts - Overall I wasn't very pleased with the book. Even though she survived the horror of Tower 1 on 9/11, she seemed to look back on it all with a deep depression. She suffered from PTSD and looking back was very hard for her.
Maybe it was that I had hoped that faith would play a more central part in her accounts. Now by her own admission she has struggled in her faith and God had been put on a back burner, Until 9/11 came and shattered her world. Yet even as she was remembering, I felt like she didn't infuse the memories with hope. I know that 9/11 was a horrible tragedy, but I also know that through it God showed us some amazing examples of love.
She did however do an amazing job of showing you what it was like to be in one of the world trade centers as they fell. It also gave me more of a sense of what it was like before the towers fell. That aspect I enjoyed.
Some of her description of her walks with God since 9/11 were beautiful and thought-provoking.
Yet again I didn't like some of her conclusions about 9/11 and what it meant for Christians. She claims that with 9/11 the Apocalypse has began. I think that Biblically that is unsound, but will leave it to you to decide.
One final note is that I didn't think she organized her thoughts very well. Scriptures seemed to be thrown in for no apparent reason. Some stories didn't connect to what she was going through. I just seemed a little off to me.
As I said, overall I wasn't pleased with the book, but that may have been a matter of opinion. I leave it to you to make the final call.

To buy this or other titles, please visit the book site www.christianaudio.com

[Kathleen Hagen]

Between Heaven and Ground Zero: One Woman’s Struggle for Survival and Faith in the Ashes of 9-11, by Leslie Haskin, Narrated by the author, produced by Christian Audio, Downloaded from audible.com.

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. This book included things I love and things I don’t love, somewhat polar opposites in terms of the feelings it roused. I’ve never read another book about 9-11 that more clearly showed what life was like for those who worked in The Towers before that fateful day-that fateful minute. She clearly describes the horror of trying to get out of a building which, after it was hit,never stopped swaying, where holes opened up in the floor, where papers, furniture and people were thrown through the upper story windows as they were blown out, and finally the people who chose to jump to their deaths rather than burn alive. We see how her world changed in an instant. What I did get tired of was the continuous joy she portrayed in being born again. I’m just not into that religious kind of fervor so I found it hard to listen to. The other thing is that the book was not recorded at a very high technical quality, and it was disconcerting to have a separate voice come in at the beginning of each chapter and read a Bible verse or a quotation. It just felt slightly disjointed. But the good qualities in this book, especially her descriptions of the Towers themselves, of working in The Towers, and of the day itself make it worth reading.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author was one of the people who worked in Tower 1 and had to escape after it was struck by the plane on September 11th. Since then she has suffered from Post Traumatica Stress disorder, and this book is partly a result of her journaling to work through the trauma of her ordeal. She honestly relates the horror of her experience--I didn't realize how gruesome it was for people to have body parts rainng down on them and scattered about on the ground. I had a hard time tracking with her style at first, she seems to communicate on a slightly different wavelength than I do. But I did appreciate learning more about what it was like for the people involved in the Sept. 11th attacks and it was meaningful to read this as we were remembering the 6th anniversary. Never Forget!

[Anita]

One woman's account of having survived the attack on the Twin Towers in September 2001, having been at work on the 36th floor that fateful day. It is not so much about the horrors which she saw, and was part of, that day -- but of her attempt to reconcile spirit, heart and mind through that ordeal. From a high-level corporate job, the tragedy knocked her off the pedestal of high society and onto her knees -- looking for and turning to the faith which she had sidelined in her quest for the "egotistical and materialistic."

[Jenny Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very encouraging in the sense that God can change everything. This is one lady's story, and I found it a very interesting account. It makes you think about how the meaning of life is lost in the way materialism, and jobs are worshipped.

[Donna Azure · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a stunning first person account of the events of September 11, 2001 as they unfolded. It is a reminder that those who survived that day may suffer the effects for years after. This woman writes a story of hope in the darkness. Very inspiring!

[Liz V.]

A survivor's tale of the 9/11 attacks and her return to her religious roots to deal with the PTSD.

[Melissa]

Not what I thought it was about.