The Only Plane in the Sky (Revised and Expanded Edition for the 25th Anniversary) (Hardcover)

Garrett M. Graff

ISBN 10: 1668247453 / ISBN 13: 9781668247457

Published by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, 2026

About this Item

Hardcover. Now with additional reflections and writing for the 25th anniversary of 9/11. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "This is history at its most immediate and moving.A marvelous and memorable book." --Jon Meacham "Remarkable.A priceless civic gift.On page after page, a reader will encounter words that startle, or make him angry, or heartbroken." --The Wall Street Journal "Had me turning each page with my heart in my throat.There's been a lot written about 9/11, but nothing like this. I urge you to read it." --Katie Couric A modern classic of American history: The first comprehensive oral history of September 11, 2001--a panoramic narrative woven from voices on the front lines of an unprecedented national trauma. Over the past twenty-five years, monumental literature has been published about 9/11, from Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower to The 9/11 Commission Report. But one perspective has been missing up to this point--a 360-degree account of the day told through the voices of the people who experienced it. Now, in The Only Plane in the Sky, Garrett Graff tells the story of the day as it was lived--in the words of those who lived it. Drawing on never-before-published transcripts, declassified documents, original interviews, and oral histories from nearly five hundred government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends, and family members, he paints the most vivid and human portrait of the September 11 attacks yet. Beginning in the predawn hours of airports in the Northeast, we meet the ticket agents who unknowingly usher terrorists onto their flights, and the flight attendants inside the hijacked planes. In New York, first responders confront a scene of unimaginable horror at the Twin Towers. From a secret bunker under the White House, officials watch for incoming planes on radar. Aboard unarmed fighter jets in the air, pilots make a pact to fly into a hijacked airliner if necessary to bring it down. In the skies above Pennsylvania, civilians aboard United 93 make the ultimate sacrifice in their place. Then, as the day moves forward and flights are grounded nationwide, Air Force One circles the country alone, its passengers isolated and afraid. More than simply a collection of eyewitness testimonies, The Only Plane in the Sky is the historic narrative of how ordinary people grappled with extraordinary events in real time: the father and son caught on different ends of the impact zone; the firefighter searching for his wife who works at the World Trade Center; the operator of in-flight telephone calls who promises to share a passenger's last words with his family; the beloved FDNY chaplain who bravely performs last rites for the dying, losing his own life when the Towers collapse; and the generals at the Pentagon who break down and weep when they are barred from trying to rescue their colleagues. At once a powerful tribute to the courage of everyday Americans and an essential addition to the literature of 9/11, The Only Plane in the Sky weaves together the unforgettable personal experiences of the men and women who found themselves caught at the center of an unprecedented human drama. The result is a unique, profound, and searing exploration of humanity on a day that changed the course of history, and all of our lives. The award-winning journalist and author of Raven Rock shares the first comprehensive oral history of September 11, 2001--a panoramic narrative woven from hundreds of interviews with government officials, first responders, survivors, friends, and family members.bers. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781668247457

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Only Plane in the Sky (Revised and Expanded Edition for the 25th Anniversary) (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1668247453
• ISBN 13: 9781668247457
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

';This is history at its most immediate and movingA marvelous and memorable book.' Jon Meacham

';RemarkableA priceless civic giftOn page after page, a reader will encounter words that startle, or make him angry, or heartbroken.' The Wall Street Journal

';Had me turning each page with my heart in my throatThere's been a lot written about 9/11, but nothing like this. I urge you to read it.' Katie Couric

The first comprehensive oral history of September 11, 2001a panoramic narrative woven from voices on the front lines of an unprecedented national trauma.

Over the past twenty-five years, monumental literature has been published about 9/11, from Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower to The 9/11 Commission Report. But one perspective has been missing up to this pointa 360-degree account of the day told through the voices of the people who experienced it.

Now, in The Only Plane in the Sky, Garrett Graff tells the story of the day as it was livedin the words of those who lived it. Drawing on never-before-published transcripts, declassified documents, original interviews, and oral histories from nearly five hundred government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends, and family members, he paints the most vivid and human portrait of the September 11 attacks yet.

Beginning in the predawn hours of airports in the Northeast, we meet the ticket agents who unknowingly usher terrorists onto their flights, and the flight attendants inside the hijacked planes. In New York, first responders confront a scene of unimaginable horror at the Twin Towers. From a secret bunker under the White House, officials watch for incoming planes on radar. Aboard unarmed fighter jets in the air, pilots make a pact to fly into a hijacked airliner if necessary to bring it down. In the skies above Pennsylvania, civilians aboard United 93 make the ultimate sacrifice in their place. Then, as the day moves forward and flights are grounded nationwide, Air Force One circles the country alone, its passengers isolated and afraid.

More than simply a collection of eyewitness testimonies, The Only Plane in the Sky is the historic narrative of how ordinary people grappled with extraordinary events in real time: the father and son caught on different ends of the impact zone; the firefighter searching for his wife who works at the World Trade Center; the operator of in-flight telephone calls who promises to share a passenger's last words with his family; the beloved FDNY chaplain who bravely performs last rites for the dying, losing his own life when the Towers collapse; and the generals at the Pentagon who break down and weep when they are barred from trying to rescue their colleagues.

At once a powerful tribute to the courage of everyday Americans and an essential addition to the literature of 9/11, The Only Plane in the Sky weaves together the unforgettable personal experiences of the men and women who found themselves caught at the center of an unprecedented human drama. The result is a unique, profound, and searing exploration of humanity on a day that changed the course of history, and all of our lives.

About the Author

Garrett M. Graff has spent two decades covering politics, technology, and national security. The former editor of POLITICO and longtime WIRED and CNN contributor, he writes the popular Doomsday Scenario newsletter and hosts the award-winning podcast Long Shadow. He is the author of ten books, including the #1 national bestseller The Only Plane in the Sky, the FBI history The Threat Matrix, Raven Rock, and the New York Times bestsellers The Devil Reached Toward the Sky, When the Sea Came Alive, and Watergate, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History.