Customer Reviews

Among the Heroes: United Flight 93 and the Passengers and Crew Who Fought Back

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I heard the author interviewed on National Public Radio recently, bought the book immediately and read it straight through. I hardly know what to say about the book lest I trivialize such a horrible event in our nation's history. Mere words become cliches in the face of such courage and bravery of the passangers and crew of United Flight 93.

Two things jumped out at me when I read this book. First, several of the passengers and/or friends or relatives had premonitions that they should not take this flight. Second, many of the passengers changed their flight plans at the last minute and got on this plane because there were so many empty seats.

I was also taken by the diversity of those aboard. (After all, wasn't that one of the problems of the misguided monsters, that they did not believe in the diversity of the U. S.?) There were Caucasians, African Americans, a Puerto-Rican American, a Japanese student, a gay man, a married Baptist couple, Jewish folk, a disabled person, older people, young people, people on vacation, others on work assignments.

The book is extremely well written although I suspect that it almost wrote itself. I do not mean to take anything away from Mr. Longman, but a writer would have to work hard to make such a tragic event uninteresting. He includes photographs of the crew and passengers and fleshes out their lives. One passenger is on his way to pick up the remains of a loved one. Another passenger we find out collects refrigerator magnets from cities she has visited, a fact that made we smile since I have the same quirk.

Although these 40 people lost their lives, they did not go gentle. From the flight attendant who boiled water to throw on these devils to the other passengers who apparently stormed the cockpit, surely they are the best of our country's best citizens. There are goverment officials walking around Washington today who most assuredly owe their lives to these valiant passengers and crew.

One final thing. The people who got to the plane after it crashed in that field in Pennsylvania said that had they not known better, they would have thought the plane was empty, that it was as if the plane had made a previous landing and let off all the passengers. And I learned a chilling new phrase. The official cause of death of these passengers and crew was "death by fragmentation."

It is fitting that someone in this book compared the resting place of these good people to Gettysburg. In the words of our greatest orator: "We cannot hallow this ground."

Lesser men hijack planes. Great men thwart them. Such were the men and women on Flight 93. In "Among the Heroes: United Flight 93 and the Passengers and Crew Who Fought Back" we read the details and facts of people who rose from being mere travellers to heroes to be reckoned with.

Todd Beamer and the rest were not intending to die, nor did they expect to be heroes. Give a chance to think twice, who knows what they might've done. But they thought once, did what needed to be done, and showed us the spirit of Paul Revere is not lost in the late 1700s, but is awake in this generation. And that the valor of Bunker Hill, the courage of men who did not shoot until they saw the whites of their opponents' eyes... Beamer and company pressed through the odds against their success. Not just Beamer, though he is now the best known of the heroic team.

In forcing a plane to crash, they raised the American flag higher into the sky than it had seen in many decades. And, in the case of Beamer, it showed that a man of deep Christian faith was willing to give his life that others may live, an example for all Christians worldwide.

The details of the book bring reality to a story too easy to make into a myth. There was a real plane over a real field, and real people hijacked it, and real people were killed in the process. I fully recommend "Among the Heroes: United Flight 93 and the Passengers and Crew Who Fought Back" by Jere Longman. The call, "Let's roll!" will echo through the years, and hopefully never lose its volume.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

I was a reluctant to read this book, unitl I heard the author, Jere Longman, interviewed on CNN. He said he tried to focus more on the lives of the passengers of United Flight 93 - not as much on their deaths. So, I decided to give it a shot and ordered the book.

Once I started reading, I literally could not put it down. It was wonderful to gain an understanding of who the people were that fate placed on that particular flight. I valued the author's effort to provide a glimpse into their lives through the lens of familiy members and friends. Although, it didn't feel like voyeurism at all. Instead, it felt like attending a memorial service - a celebration of life and of the American spirit.

The personal memories were touching, but the book was balanced with factual information on the events leading up to the crash in Shanksville. It was difficult to read the specifics about phone calls that were made by the passengers and crew, their attempts to gather facts on the other hijacked planes, and the tender goodbyes to their loved ones. However, it is the type of book that helps you examine your priorities and reflect on relationships in your life.

"Among the Heroes" by Jere Longman examines the ordinary lives of the passengers and crew onboard hijacked United Flight 93, and their extraordinary attempt to regain control of the plane once they learned from friends and family via cellphone and Airfone that commercial planes were being used as missiles against American cities.
I normally would have read this book in one sitting. But it's hard to read while your eyes are filled with tears. "Among the Heroes" is a heartwarming yet heartbreaking tale of courage and grace.

I recently read the book, "Among the Heroes", by Jere Longman. Through multiple interviews and various news accounts the author attempts to create a chronological account of the horrific journey. His words enable me to feel as though I know the Passengers and Crew of Flight 93 personally. Stopping far short of crediting any particular person or persons, he paints a picture that forces the reader to realize each and every one of them was, indeed, heroic. Longman leaves many questions unanswered, admitting we will never know exactly what happened. Nonetheless, the book, or the [real-life] characters within, left me in awe. Within two days I had traveled to Shanksville, PA, the site of the crash. Read the book. You'll be lending it out to friends-- I nearly guarantee it.

Throughout American history, otherwise ordinary people have displayed extraordinary courage when in life-threatening situations. The tragic events of September 11th offer a number of examples. The most publicized involves those aboard United flight 93 which crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. While huddled to the rear of the plane, several called loved ones; Todd Beamer spoke at length with an GTE-Verizon operator and, together, they recited the Lord's Prayer. She then heard Beamer ask "Are you guys ready? Let's roll!" By then, Beamer and his fellow passengers knew the fate of the other three skyjacked planes and rushed the cockpit. The plane crashed. Everyone aboard died.

What we have here is a combination of transcriptions of cell phone calls and the "black box" tapes, mini-biographies, obituaries, reminiscences by the victims' relatives and friends, and Longman's own highly skillful analysis of what he learned during his extensive research. It is possible but unlikely that much more information about specific developments during the flight will be forthcoming. Lisa Beamer has already written one book and, over time, I think others among the victims' relatives and friends will also share their own thoughts and feelings about the impact on them following the crash of United flight 93.

A chronicle such as this helps to give "human faces" to the victims' names. The same is true of a special section {"A Nation Challenged") which the New York Times published each day from September 15th until February 5th. A total of 1,800 "portraits of grief" were eventually featured. (This material is now available in a single volume, Portraits of 9/11/01: The Collected "Portraits of Grief" from the New York Times.) Obviously, heroism was demonstrated by so many people throughout and following the four skyjackings. The general public knows almost nothing about what happened aboard the first three flights and not much more about the fourth. For example, at what point did at least some of 93's passengers decide to rush the cockpit? Assuming Beamer was their leader, who else accompanied him? Then what happened? What aboiut the United flight crew? For me, such details are far less significant than the fact that people very much like those with whom I have traveled on numerous flights over the years became "citizen soldiers" and responded courageously to what must have been a terrifying crisis. Because of Longman's book and the "portraits of grief," it is possible to appreciate what Stephen Ambrose has characterized as "uncommon valor."

This extremely well-written and well-paced book should be an inspiration to all as we approach the first anniversary of that tragic day. Written with great care and with an eye to the families of the dead, Jere Longman has woven together the lives of these men and women with the minutes of the tragedy of their final flight. Not only do we get to know the passengers but Longman also gives us a full chapter about the hijackers....after all, they were part of the picture, too. And in graphic detail he minces no words when it comes to the plane crash and aftermath itself.

The author's narrative spins back and forth between the passengers, their histories, their families and the actual time of flight......the final hijacking segment lasted a mere half hour. During that time numerous phone calls were made from the plane to loved ones....some saying good-bye, some expressing fear, some calmness.....all apprehensive. I'm a little uncomfortable about the author's discussion with regard to the word heroes, however. Certainly there were brave people on that flight who attempted to right the hijacker's wrong and in doing so gave up their lives and saved many other lives on the ground. But the word "hero" has become a little confusing these days. Would people who were certain their plane would go down in a thunderstorm as it raced toward a populated area be called heroes after their plane crashed? Was everyone on United flight 93 a hero? I understand the sensitivity of this particular flight and how it affected us as a nation, but I still wonder about that word and its usage.

This book should be read by everyone. I highly recommend it and commend the author, Jere Longman, for his ability to tell this story in a way that is unnerving and comforting.

As a dispatcher from Westmoreland County 911, I waited for this book. It was a worthwhile wait. Following Jere's details of the accounts I can personally verify, I am certain of the amount of time he has spent and the extra mile he has gone to get all the details. The heroes of Flight 93 deserve to have their story told by a caring author who is attentive to the details surrounding their efforts, and this has been accomplished. While everyone who was involved with or witnessed the incidents that occurred on September 11, 2001 certainly could not begin to believe what was unfolding, this book puts you up close to the individuals involved with Flight 93, those who witnessed the plane prior to the crash, those on the plane, and the families affected. A full picture in prose.

A must read if anything good came out of September 11th, it was because of the hero's on Flight 93. They alone made September 11th, the story of what our great country is all about. We all should model ourselves after them and never forget ever the heroic actions of the passengers and crew of this flight.

This book goes through every detail of Flight 93. Every passenger and the hijackers. It's amazing how many people had premonitions before they took that flight. Some had changed from a 10:00 flight to the earlier 8:00 flight. Some were afraid to fly. The author brings each person to life, to appreciate the tremendous loss of so many that day. Almost every passenger was a type A personality. There was immense talent and courage onboard and after reading the accounts of their lives, it's clear to see why they went down fighting. Every person's story was compelling from Todd Beamer's to Nicole Miller's. Nicole had tried to get on another flight that morning with her boyfriend as she was apprehensive about flying. His flight was booked so he tried to get on her flight but it was too expensive. The what ifs could drive you crazy. Warning: You won't be able to put it down. We've heard that saying "It's a small world," and the author proves it at the very beginning tying different passengers and their families together in unusual ways. The author has done a tremendous job of compiling facts and loved ones accounts to make this a book I will remember for a very long time.