Memorable September 11 Book Quotes, 9/11 #NeverForget

A bouquet of September 11 Book Quotes on the 20th Anniversary Commemoration of the 11 September terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, because this was a tragedy that pulled our world apart, and brought us all together. 9/11 #NeverForget

“And then, on September 11, the world fractured. It’s beyond my skill as a writer to capture that day and the days that would follow…”

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, Barack Obama

“she was a bookkeeper for the Port Authority, one week shy of her sixtieth birthday. She had limped down about one thousand steps from the 73rd floor, hobbled by fallen arches, a bad leg from having been hit by a car several months earlier, and assorted maladies. An office manager and others had helped Josephine to get this far…”

Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11, by Mitchell Zuckoff

“It was as if real life had been canceled for the day.”

Who Do You Love, Jennifer Weiner

“The significance of the date of September 11th, 9/11, was seared into the nation’s collective memory, altering the way those affected looked at the calendar and even clocks.”

The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 , Garrett M. Graff

“It says in the Qur’an that the taking of a single life destroys a universe, and there was evidence in front of me- twenty-seven hundred universes shattered in a few moments. Universes of family, of children, of friends.”

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

“I resented being connected to those monsters in any way. I hated that this […] cloth on my head made me look like I was complicit in that shit. I was just as terrified of the terrorists as everyone else. My life was as shaken up as everyone else’s. My heart broke for all the victims, just like everyone else’s.”

Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam, Yasmine Mohammed

“About five floors up from the top . . . you have about fifty people with their faces pressed against the window trying to breathe.”

102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers, Jim Dwyer, Kevin Flynn

“Standing out there in the dark, I felt many different things. One of them was pride in my fellow Americans, ordinary people who rose to the moment, knowing it was their last. One was humility, for I was alive and untouched by the horrors of that day, free to continue my happy life as a husband and father and writer.”

Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog, John Grogan

“Two days after the tragic events of 9/11, I found myself anxious, upset, and desperately in need of the color green.”

Mad About Hue: A Memoir in Living Color, Eleyne-Mari Sharp

“What separates us from the animals, what separates us from the chaos, is our ability to mourn people we’ve never met.”

Love Is the Higher Law, David Levithan

“I was fresh out of College on September 11. Woke up early and went to vote. I was working for a Taxi company in New York so I didn’t want to be too late to work. Mornings were good for tips, nights better. I had my first customer in the back when traffic became still. We were near Times Square. Suddenly CNN ‘Breaking News’ was showing on all the big TV screens all over the buildings. And they were all broadcasting the same image, over and over again. The Twin Towers…”

Silent Heroes, Patricia Furstenberg

Have you read any books that depict the events of September 11, 2001? Do you know other relevant book quotes?

23 Replies to “Memorable September 11 Book Quotes, 9/11 #NeverForget”

  1. Many years ago, I lived in the lower east side if manhattan and I worked in the twin towers. My cousin was a fireman back then and he lost friends. Thank you for this tribute and post.

    1. So very sorry to hear this, Martie. Thank you so much for sharing!
      I’ve known the 1989 Revolution that swept the East European countries, but that was nothing compared to the US 9/11.

      Perhaps the big earthquake that gripped Bucharest when I was still a small child. I remember how it dropped like a lightning bolt. And the pain, the insecurity that united the people afterwards. Still, nothing like the US 9/11.

      Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Martie. Hugs

      1. I think , however, Patricia, that it is very touching or impressive how a disaster suffered together may unite people in general!

  2. Patricia, what a warm diverse collection of thoughts about this tragedy. No one will forget where they were when they first heard the breaking news as it unfolded that day. Sometimes words are not adequate enough to express our sorrow in such a in time as this. Peace and blessings my friend! ☮️

    1. Thank you, Kym.
      Yes, a part of history that’s still attached to us.
      Blessings to you.

  3. what a beautiful tribute in quotes Pat. On a happy note is it’s one of my Godson’s birthdays today!
    A hard but blessed day to share your birthday with such tragic loss

    1. Happy Birthday to your Godson, Cindy!
      Birthdays are such joyful celebrations, a reminder that life goes on, and that new dreams and hopes await for us each day.

      Thank you, Cindy!

  4. Hi Patricia, thank you so much for this collection of quotes, a beautiful tribute to September the 11th. The funny thing about 9/11 is that we all remember what we were doing that day, as it left everyone heartbroken. Thank you so much for sharing.

  5. For some reason your posts don’t appear immediately in the reader. But one day later, the 9/11 quotes are as powerful and painful and indicative of the resilience of human beings in the face of so much tragedy. ❤️ A beautiful tribute, indeed.

  6. Thank you, Jo. Sometimes, resilience is all that can get us through today.

    Maybe the WP takes its time. I don’t think I can influence that in any way, but thank you for telling me 🙂

  7. Cannot comprehend the loss of those directly affected by this act of terror. Those lives were altered forever. The quotes are so touching and chilling. They give a glimpse of the horror and suffering.
    Thanks for sharing this, Patricia.

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