Good evenin and welcome to Inside the cover.

I am your host Ted Ayres and as always, it is an honor and privilege to have these next few minutes with you.

Tonight's book is one that I've finished in one sitting on a recent Friday afternoon.

It was, as they say, a book I could not put down.

What's an even greater interest to me is that I had never heard of the book or the other subsequent works it inspired, even though it was originally copyrighted back in 2002.

My sister in law recently mentioned she thought this was a book that I might appreciat and man, was she ever correct.

Thank you very much, Sandy.

Will you join m now as we go inside the cover.

Tonight's book is the Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede.

Jim DeFede has been an award winning journalist for several years.

This book covers six days from that fateful September in 2001, September 11 through September 16.

It is a story of survival, kindness, challenge, adversity, emotion and humanity.

It is a story of what happens when 6132 passengers from 38 different flights from around the world are suddenly and unexpectedly diverted to a solitary airport in Gander, Newfoundland.

Considering the logistics of dealing with over 6000 unexpected visitors who didn't want to be there and didn't know how long they would be there who had no toiletries or clothes other than those on their back, who, after landing in Newfoundland were forced to sit on the tarmac for several hours while airport and government officials were trying to determine what to do and how to do it.

Some of the visitors didn't speak English.

Some had young children and all the guests, and they're forced-to-be hos were understandably frightened, worried and upset because of the snippets o information they were receiving and trying to absorb that the United States of America had been the victim of a terrorist attack.

This book describes multiple examples of sacrifice, generosity, kindness, humanity, and the unbelievable organizational efforts by the Canadians.

Shortly after the attack i Manhattan, the mayor of Gander began mobilizing aid organizations and members of the community in an effort to foresee the needs of the stranded passengers.

Striking bus drivers winter their busses to transport passengers from the airport.

The Salvation Army was in charge of gathering supplies and acting as a centra clearinghouse for the shelters.

A line of cars that extended miles brought blankets and pillows to the community center.

I don't mind sharing tha this book often had me weeping, and at one point I was actually sobbing.

Reading President Bush's address to the nation brought back emotional memories.

When one passenger commented on how wonderful everyone in town had been, the commander of the Canadian Air Force base in Gander responded “We're all Americans tonight”.

Finally, there was th story of a mother from Australia desperately trying to reach her son by phone.

She and her son had argue before his flight took off and she was upset that their last words were filled with anger.

Upon receiving the message, Eithne Smit finally located the young man.

She walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

She said, “That's from your mother.

She wants you to call her.

She says she is not angry.” The young man started sobbing uncontrollably, saying he was afraid to call her.

Smith led him to a phone and said, “Call your mother this instant”.

As I noted, the book I read had a new afterword shared on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

I enjoyed finding out what had happened to many of those DeFede had written about.

Tonight's book has been The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede.

I anticipate this will b one of my top ten reads for 2024 and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

I would also remind us all to alway share our reading discoveries.

Goodnight and see you next time.