Customer Reviews

Closure: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Recovery Mission

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lt. William Keegan never expected the horrific job he was about to be put in charge of, "Rescue and Recovery" of Ground Zero. Let me first commend your wife Karen and your three daughters Kristine, Tara, and Rory for the support and love they gave you every day. Without this it would have been an impossible task for you to handle Ground Zero. Your book gives me closure in many ways. There is not one person who can say they didn't know someone that was involved or perished on that sorrowful day. It enlightens me to see how the rescue and recovery was handled and shows how the departments of the PAPD, NYPD and FDNY finally realized that everyone was there for the same reason. Hopefully to find people still alive. In my opinion the book is fantastic and everyone should read it. It tells the details of how you looked in every area hoping to find someone to "Rescue or Recover". This book was written for everyone. Bill Keagan never gave up he was always there trying to bring closure for all the families involved. I'm sure the hardest part of 9-11 was when the rescuers would find a friend. But in the end they had "CLOSURE". Great Book. Totally enlighten me as to what the rescue workers went thru and how they survived during that time.

"Closure" is an emotional, informative, and ultimately fascinating account of the Ground Zero recovery efforts, led in part by Lt. William Keegan, the PAPD night commander of the recovery crew. Keegan offers an inside look at the countless obstacles and routine horror the crew encountered at the site on a daily basis, as well as the tolls such unwavering dedication and efforts would take on his family life. Keegan also discusses the NYC politics that came into play during these many months of recovery, which sometimes presented even more obstacles for Keegan and his guys.
"Closure" is an emotional read but also an incredibly informative one, proving that after five years, there is still plenty to be learned about 9/11 and the Ground Zero recovery. As a lifelong New Jersey resident, I thought I had read or heard everything there was to know about 9/11 and the recovery. However, Keegan brings to light several facts I wasn't aware of, two of which have to do with the black boxes and the gold that was found.
At times horrific and highly emotional but also incredibly informative and inspiring, "Closure" is a remarkable read.

Bill Keegan is a natural storyteller and, although, the tales he weaves together in CLOSURE are heartbreaking, they are an inspiring testament to the courage and resilience of ordinary human beings. As night commander of the clean up at Ground Zero, Bill Keegan's personal history and professionalism as a police officer for the Port Authority Police Department combined to make him the "right person for the right job." His harrowing tales of the nine months that he and his fellow comrades spent as rescue and recovery workers are softened by his insights, humor and compassion for all whose lives were destroyed or forever changed by 9/11. We are all better-informed and enlarged citizens by these stories that he so poignantly shares with his readers.

Nan Penman
08/24/06

Without the human touch and sensitivity of the author, this unspeakable historical tragedy - sometimes unbearable, could not be told.

Lt. Keegan lets his guard down in a personal account of his 9 months at Ground Zero. His duty to defend the honor of the victims, their families, and the PAPD is uncompromised by his conversational dialog and graphic, often disturbing, passages. Closure is a valuable contribution to the body of works about the attacks on September 11th.

I was honored to read an advanced copy of "Closure" and the author certainly lets you into the daily lives of not only the rescue and the recovery teams, but also into the lives of the families of the men and women killed in this horrific attack. He speaks of one Dad that comes to the site night after night looking for his son, and even after his son's remains are found, the Dad continues to come back to help search with others for their family members. Lt. Keegan takes us with him on his daily journey into hell exposing the shattered hearts of his men and their "never give up attitude" while always keeping sight of the goal to bring closure to the families that lost someone in the 9-11 attack.

Closure by William Keegan takes us into the billowing clouds of rubble at Ground Zero, expressing the horror, but also linking us to the humanity of those who sacrificed so much during the recovery mission. In his book, the author gives facts about the struggles of individuals, families, and NYC Departments, but doesn't get mired down with blame. Instead, the PAPD Lieutenant focuses on the struggle, especially by his team, to make contributions to the effort, to figuratively and physically bear a heavy steel cross, and to finally get to some level of closure. The story is personal, uplifting, and extremely touching.

I'm writing this on 9/11 . . . we all know what happen this day. This book is the story of what happened next. The aftermath. The recovery. There are heroes in this world that we would never meet if someone didn't tell their story . . . the people that didn't have television specials made about them. The people that used shovels and hardwork to do their part. William Keegan is not only a worthy teller of their story, he's one of the heroes too. CLOSURE is filled with amazing anecdotes, insights, images, and inspirations. I can't reccomend this book enough. I'm telling everyone I know about it . . . and after you read it, you will too. The daunting and massive recovery effort described in this book serves as a beautiful metaphor to what all of America has had to go through, layer by layer, to recover from the devasting impact 9/11 had on our souls. CLOSURE proves that human spirit can endure anything and come out stronger for it. Great book.

I have not even finished reading this book yet, but I am blown away by the extraordinary story this man has to tell, and told with such heart. This is a major contribution to the history of 9/11.

From the depths of our losses ... more than we could bear ... came the rescue and recovery workers. The stories at the time of their perseverance helped us all to face yet another day of pain. We had lost our best, our brightest, our bravest & our finest. The recovery workers toiled day & night with those spirits, finding strength. The author bravely exposes the pain & torment, touching every nerve. Yet he beautifully reaches the actual nerve center - reminding us we could feel something more than the pain. Could we dare to live again ?