HomePress“Tower Stories” featured at Mobile, AL museum
“Tower Stories” featured at Mobile, AL museum
Reprinted from the Press Register-Correspondent (Mobile, AL 9/11/11)
Thought-provoking titles accompany ‘Recovery’ exhibit at the Museum of Mobile
Beginning today, the Museum of Mobile, located at 111 South Royal Street, will host “Recovery: The World Trade Center Recovery Operation,” a traveling exhibit documenting the historic project to recover human remains, personal objects and material evidence from the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings. The exhibit will open at 10 a.m. Thanks to a generous donation by ThyssenKrupp, all local first responders and their families will be given free admission to the “Recovery” exhibit for the first week.
For the most part, the publishing world has approached today’s commemoration of the September 11 terrorist attacks with muted tones. Many have simply opted to reissue earlier books with updated materials or thought-provoking additions. This more contemplative approach is a refreshing change from the first anniversary in 2002, when publications littered the landscape, making the truly worthwhile books about 9/11 difficult to find. A marketing executive for a large bookseller recently praised her profession’s low-key approach to the 10th anniversary: “The books being published now seem to have a real sense of purpose – preserving the memory and celebrating the heroes.”
The Shop in the Southern Market, located inside the Museum of Mobile, will carry several impressive books that complement the “Recovery” exhibit. All of the titles do indeed carry a real sense of purpose and, taken together, represent part of the collective memory of that fateful September morning.
Damon DiMarco’s “Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11” (Santa Monica Press, $27.95) is a compelling compilation of long interviews with New Yorkers who witnessed the attacks firsthand, many from inside the World Trade Center. William F. Buckley praised “Tower Stories,” now in its second edition, for its “editorial acuity.” DiMarco preserves the tone of each of his many subjects. He presents their recollections in a near raw form, leaving everything – their political views, fears, prejudices and oftentimes colorful language – intact. One of the more well-known stories covered in the book is of Polish immigrant Jan Demczur, a window washer at the World Trade Center who helped free several people from an elevator shaft just before the North Tower collapsed.
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On 9/8/11, Alex Smith and Rick Schindler compiled a list of “Five must-read books about 9/11 and its legacy.” I’m proud to say that my book, Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11 was the first book cited. Mr. Smith and Mr. Schindler write:
‘Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11’ By Damon DiMarco (Santa Monica Press)
“Arguably the most successful attempt at capturing the enormity of the events of 9/11, Damon DiMarco’s sprawling oral history runs a wide gamut of testimony from survivors, responders, witnesses and people whose lives were forever altered by the attacks. The human stories are presented with a raw candor a thousand times more affecting than any cold statistic offered by a commission. The most recent, expanded edition includes follow-up interviews with some of the individuals initially profiled, providing updates on their lives and their ongoing struggles to come to terms with the events of a decade ago. “Tower Stories” is a riveting and disarmingly emotional read.”
“Tower Stories” was recently mentioned in The New York Times on Friday, August 26, 2011 (“Stories of 9/11 and its Aftermath” by Sam Roberts) as one of eleven books which the Times called “heart-breaking reminiscences by New Yorkers who survived the attack and then endured a decade of denial, doubt, and rebuilding.”
A video about the book recently debuted on Odyssey Networks’ “Call on Faith” smart phone app for iPhone, Blacberry, and Android. Odyssey Networks is the nation’s largest multi-faith coalition dedicated to promoting tolerance, peace, and social justice through the production and distribution of media. Odyssey’s membership includes over 60 faith groups and organizations. Their “Call on Faith” app features over 120 videos representing faiths from around the world and across all cultures.
