In this heart-stopping tale, the passengers of the Hudson River crash landing evoke in compelling detail the terrifying explosion as both engines were destroyed, the violent landing on the river, and the thrill of their rescue from the wings and from rafts. Jay McDonald, a thirty-nine-year-old software developer, had survived brain-tumor surgery just two years earlier and now faced the unimaginable. Tracey Wolsko, a nervous flier, suddenly became other people’s rock: “Just pray. It’s going to be all right.” As the plane started sinking, Lucille Palmer, eighty-five, told her daughter to save herself: “Just leave me!” Featuring moments of chaos and stoicism, fortuitous mistakes and quick instincts, Miracle on the Hudson is the chronicle of one of the most phenomenal stories of recent years, one that could have been a nightmare and instead became a stirring narrative of heroism and hope.
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Product Description
In this heart-stopping, page-turning tale of fear, heroism, and redemption, the passengers of the Hudson River crash landing tell their remarkable stories.
Millions watched the aftermath on television, while others witnessed the event actually happening from the windows of nearby skyscrapers. But only 155 people know firsthand what really happened on U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on January 15, 2009. Now, for the first time, the survivors detail their astounding, terrifying, and inspiring experiences on that freezing winter day in New York City. Written by two esteemed journalists, Miracle on the Hudson is the entire tale from takeoff to bird strike to touchdown to rescue, seen through the eyes and felt in the souls of those on board the fateful flight.
Revealing many new and compelling details, Miracle on the Hudson dramatically evokes the explosion and "smell of burning flesh" as both engines were destroyed by geese, the violent landing on the river that felt like a "huge car wreck," the gridlock in the aisles as the plane filled swiftly with freezing water, and the thrill of the passengers' rescue from the wings and from rafts—all of it recalled by the "cross section of America" on board.
Jay McDonald, a thirty-nine-year-old software developer, had survived brain-tumor surgery just two years earlier and now faced the unimaginable.
Tracey Wolsko, a nervous flier, suddenly became other people's rock: "Just pray. It's going to be all right." Jim Whitaker, a construction executive, reassured a nervous mother of two young children on board, only later admitting, "I was pathologically lying the whole time." As the plane started sinking, Lucille Palmer, eighty-five, told her daughter to save herself: "Just leave me!"
Featuring much more than what the media reported—moments of chaos in addition to stoicism and common sense, and the fortuitous mistakes and quick instincts that saved lives that otherwise would have been lost—Miracle on the Hudson is the chronicle of one of the most phenomenal feel-good stories of recent years, one that could have been a nightmare and instead became a stirring narrative of heroism and hope for our times.
Look Inside Miracle on the Hudson Click on thumbnails for larger images
In this heart-stopping, page-turning tale of fear, heroism, and redemption, the passengers of the Hudson River crash landing tell their remarkable stories.
Millions watched the aftermath on television, while others witnessed the event actually happening from the windows of nearby skyscrapers. But only 155 people know firsthand what really happened on U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on January 15, 2009. Now, for the first time, the survivors detail their astounding, terrifying, and inspiring experiences on that freezing winter day in New York City. Written by two esteemed journalists, Miracle on the Hudson is the entire tale from takeoff to bird strike to touchdown to rescue, seen through the eyes and felt in the souls of those on board the fateful flight.
Revealing many new and compelling details, Miracle on the Hudson dramatically evokes the explosion and "smell of burning flesh" as both engines were destroyed by geese, the violent landing on the river that felt like a "huge car wreck," the gridlock in the aisles as the plane filled swiftly with freezing water, and the thrill of the passengers' rescue from the wings and from rafts—all of it recalled by the "cross section of America" on board.
Jay McDonald, a thirty-nine-year-old software developer, had survived brain-tumor surgery just two years earlier and now faced the unimaginable.
Tracey Wolsko, a nervous flier, suddenly became other people's rock: "Just pray. It's going to be all right." Jim Whitaker, a construction executive, reassured a nervous mother of two young children on board, only later admitting, "I was pathologically lying the whole time." As the plane started sinking, Lucille Palmer, eighty-five, told her daughter to save herself: "Just leave me!"
Featuring much more than what the media reported—moments of chaos in addition to stoicism and common sense, and the fortuitous mistakes and quick instincts that saved lives that otherwise would have been lost—Miracle on the Hudson is the chronicle of one of the most phenomenal feel-good stories of recent years, one that could have been a nightmare and instead became a stirring narrative of heroism and hope for our times.
Look Inside Miracle on the Hudson
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From Publishers Weekly
In a stunning display of skill and steely nerves, pilot Chesley Sullenberger managed a Hudson River water landing in freezing weather, with no engines, to save the lives of every single person aboard his aircraft. Aided by New York and New Jersey emergency responders steeped in post-9/11 training, Sullenberger and his crew did everything right when everything around them had gone horribly wrong. Interviewing survivors of flight 1549, husband-and-wife journalists Prochnau and Parker piece together a detailed, moment-by-moment account of the accident and its aftermath, getting inside the heads of ordinary people who demonstrated remarkable courage and humanity. Anyone who remembers the dramatic 2009 event will be riveted by this account, even with a forgone happy conclusion. Notably absent is the testimony of Captain Sullenberger, who saved his insights for his own book, Highest Duty, but this passengers'-eye-view narrative makes an absorbing, inspirational record.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is one of the best real-life yarns I've read in a long time. Great reporting. Great entertainment. The authors do a fine job of introducing the characters, setting the scene on that icy day, and letting you feel the emotions felt by the passengers on that plane. As a reader, I felt gripped. I almost ralphed at one point. If you love true-action thrillers, this occupies the top 10 of the year.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Passengers of Flight 1549 Tell Their 'Miracle on the Hudson' Stories
October 23, 2009
Format:Hardcover
'Miracle on the Hudson': Survivors of US Airways Flight 1549 Recount Their Stories of the Famous Crash
Reviewed By David M. Kinchen
The news coverage of the 'Miracle on the Hudson' of Jan. 15, 2009 has focused on Capt. Chesley B. (Sully) Sullenberger's skillful landing of his 75-ton Airbus A320 on the Hudson River after bird strikes knocked out both his engines.
A month after the landing, a Greenwich Village pub, the Half Pint, created a cocktail honoring the heroic captain, "The Sully," which consists of two shots of Grey Goose vodka and "a splash of water." And, as noted below, he has his own book about the "Miracle" and his life before and after it.
"Miracle on the Hudson: The Survivors of Flight 1549 Tell Their Extraordinary Stores of Courage, Faith, and Determination" (Ballantine Books, 272 pages, $25.00) by William Prochnau and Laura Parker gives Sully his due, as well as First Officer (co-pilot) Jeffrey Skiles, who saw the flock of geese first, moments before Sully, who took over the controls. "Miracle" concentrates on the experiences and backgrounds of the passengers, 108 of whom were interviewed by the two reporters. The 108 were among the 155 passengers and crew on board the Charlotte, NC-bound U.S. Airways flight that frigid January afternoon.
The year started out with a miracle, with everybody surviving, despite some scary rescue moments, but the authors note that by mid-2009, more than 500 people had died in commercial airline crashes around the world, making it the worst year for aviation fatalities in seven years.
On Feb. 12, a Colgan Air commuter plane crashed near Buffalo, NY, killing all 49 on board and a man on the ground. On June 1, an Air France Airbus A330 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil, killing all 228 on board. A month later, another Airbus, a Yemenia Airlines A310 crashed into the Indian Ocean near the Comoros, killing all but one of the 153 people on board.
Prochnau and Parker are not only meticulous reporters, with their detailed summaries of the backgrounds of the passengers, they're also skilled storytellers; the book reads like a novel, say "The High and the Mighty" published in 1954 and written by the late, great Ernest K. Gann. Or at times like a waterborne disaster like Paul Gallico's "The Poseidon Adventure."
The survivors are a casting director's dream team. There's the obligatory plucky older woman, 85-year-old Brooklyn born Lucille Palmer, headed for her great-grandchild's first birthday. There's Greenwich village architect Martin Sosa and his wife Tess, traveling with a nine-month-old baby and their young daughter. There's the so-called "Belk Six", five women and a man representing the Belk department store chain, returning to Charlotte from a New York buying trip.
We learn of the stresses of "road warrior" bankers -- Charlotte is home to Bank of America and Wachovia -- lawyers and other frequent fliers, some of whom changed their pressure-cooker lives after the events of Jan. 15. One of them, a lawyer, received a message after the rescue that he was being laid off. The actual layoff was delayed until two months later.
At times the authors, Prochnau and Parker -- both of whom have worked for The Washington Post -- seem to be padding out the book with discussions of the financial meltdown and its effects on the workers that weren't laid off. Still, despite this caveat and their sometimes florid prose, "Miracle on the Hudson" is a well-written, moving account of everyday people reacting to an extraordinary event that deserves the phrase bestowed upon it by NY Gov. David Paterson: It was truly a "Miracle on the Hudson."
Sully's book, "Highest Duty: My Search for What Matters," written with Jeffrey Zaslow, was published earlier this month. And on Nov. 10, Vanity Fair international correspondent William Langewiesche, who has written on flying from the perspective of a former professional pilot, will publish his "Fly By Wire: The Geese, the Glide, the 'Miracle' on the Hudson".
Langewiesche, who manages to explain technical matters better than just about any writer I've read, discusses the technology that helped Sully and Skiles accomplish their "miracle."
Which leads me to my pet hobby horse: why can't aviation engineers come up with a grille or screen to keep Canada geese -- which have wingspans of six feet -- and other large birds out of jet engines? My Ford Ranger pickup has a grille to keep objects from damaging the radiator, as does my liquid-cooled Honda Shadow motorcycle. As a matter of fact, there are guards that do just that for jet engines. I don't know if Boeing or Airbus uses them or has plans for them in the future. For a look at one that received a U.S. patent, click on: [...]
Reviewed By David M. Kinchen
The news coverage of the 'Miracle on the Hudson' of Jan. 15, 2009 has focused on Capt. Chesley B. (Sully) Sullenberger's skillful landing of his 75-ton Airbus A320 on the Hudson River after bird strikes knocked out both his engines.
A month after the landing, a Greenwich Village pub, the Half Pint, created a cocktail honoring the heroic captain, "The Sully," which consists of two shots of Grey Goose vodka and "a splash of water." And, as noted below, he has his own book about the "Miracle" and his life before and after it.
"Miracle on the Hudson: The Survivors of Flight 1549 Tell Their Extraordinary Stores of Courage, Faith, and Determination" (Ballantine Books, 272 pages, $25.00) by William Prochnau and Laura Parker gives Sully his due, as well as First Officer (co-pilot) Jeffrey Skiles, who saw the flock of geese first, moments before Sully, who took over the controls. "Miracle" concentrates on the experiences and backgrounds of the passengers, 108 of whom were interviewed by the two reporters. The 108 were among the 155 passengers and crew on board the Charlotte, NC-bound U.S. Airways flight that frigid January afternoon.
The year started out with a miracle, with everybody surviving, despite some scary rescue moments, but the authors note that by mid-2009, more than 500 people had died in commercial airline crashes around the world, making it the worst year for aviation fatalities in seven years.
On Feb. 12, a Colgan Air commuter plane crashed near Buffalo, NY, killing all 49 on board and a man on the ground. On June 1, an Air France Airbus A330 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil, killing all 228 on board. A month later, another Airbus, a Yemenia Airlines A310 crashed into the Indian Ocean near the Comoros, killing all but one of the 153 people on board.
Prochnau and Parker are not only meticulous reporters, with their detailed summaries of the backgrounds of the passengers, they're also skilled storytellers; the book reads like a novel, say "The High and the Mighty" published in 1954 and written by the late, great Ernest K. Gann. Or at times like a waterborne disaster like Paul Gallico's "The Poseidon Adventure."
The survivors are a casting director's dream team. There's the obligatory plucky older woman, 85-year-old Brooklyn born Lucille Palmer, headed for her great-grandchild's first birthday. There's Greenwich village architect Martin Sosa and his wife Tess, traveling with a nine-month-old baby and their young daughter. There's the so-called "Belk Six", five women and a man representing the Belk department store chain, returning to Charlotte from a New York buying trip.
We learn of the stresses of "road warrior" bankers -- Charlotte is home to Bank of America and Wachovia -- lawyers and other frequent fliers, some of whom changed their pressure-cooker lives after the events of Jan. 15. One of them, a lawyer, received a message after the rescue that he was being laid off. The actual layoff was delayed until two months later.
At times the authors, Prochnau and Parker -- both of whom have worked for The Washington Post -- seem to be padding out the book with discussions of the financial meltdown and its effects on the workers that weren't laid off. Still, despite this caveat and their sometimes florid prose, "Miracle on the Hudson" is a well-written, moving account of everyday people reacting to an extraordinary event that deserves the phrase bestowed upon it by NY Gov. David Paterson: It was truly a "Miracle on the Hudson."
Sully's book, "Highest Duty: My Search for What Matters," written with Jeffrey Zaslow, was published earlier this month. And on Nov. 10, Vanity Fair international correspondent William Langewiesche, who has written on flying from the perspective of a former professional pilot, will publish his "Fly By Wire: The Geese, the Glide, the 'Miracle' on the Hudson".
Langewiesche, who manages to explain technical matters better than just about any writer I've read, discusses the technology that helped Sully and Skiles accomplish their "miracle."
Which leads me to my pet hobby horse: why can't aviation engineers come up with a grille or screen to keep Canada geese -- which have wingspans of six feet -- and other large birds out of jet engines? My Ford Ranger pickup has a grille to keep objects from damaging the radiator, as does my liquid-cooled Honda Shadow motorcycle. As a matter of fact, there are guards that do just that for jet engines. I don't know if Boeing or Airbus uses them or has plans for them in the future. For a look at one that received a U.S. patent, click on: [...]
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In full disclosure someone at my company was on this flight, so I was a bit more interested than the average reader. I've met him once or twice so I was very curious about his experience.
All I can say is "oh my", I truly had no idea how crazy it was on board that flight. I think everyone has some sort of fear of flying, particulary after this past spring when there were some really horrific air disasters. The writers do a good job at putting the reader right inside the plane and in a seat and eventually in the river. You can feel how frightening it was. I dont' think there was a passenger on that plane that didn't think they were going to die. I found it profound to understand all the ideas and thoughts that one thinks about when they believe they are moments away from death. I also found it interesting that most were just hoping for it to be quick and painless; they were more frightened, in some cases, of pain vs. death. Interesting!
I think the early part of the book and then the end are the best. The rescue became a little tedious and some of the story lines had me a bit confused. The seating chart at the beginning was helpful and I kept flipping back to it. (On that note, the photos were good, but I would have liked more. They were not color so that was a miss, this is 2009!) In spite of knowing the ending, I could not put it down. Overall I have to say it was a really good book and I can't wait to recommend. I would have given 5 stars but for some of the middle chapters that were a little messy.
The next time I see that man who works at my company I plan to let him know how much I enjoyed this book, even though he was only mentioned two times.
All I can say is "oh my", I truly had no idea how crazy it was on board that flight. I think everyone has some sort of fear of flying, particulary after this past spring when there were some really horrific air disasters. The writers do a good job at putting the reader right inside the plane and in a seat and eventually in the river. You can feel how frightening it was. I dont' think there was a passenger on that plane that didn't think they were going to die. I found it profound to understand all the ideas and thoughts that one thinks about when they believe they are moments away from death. I also found it interesting that most were just hoping for it to be quick and painless; they were more frightened, in some cases, of pain vs. death. Interesting!
I think the early part of the book and then the end are the best. The rescue became a little tedious and some of the story lines had me a bit confused. The seating chart at the beginning was helpful and I kept flipping back to it. (On that note, the photos were good, but I would have liked more. They were not color so that was a miss, this is 2009!) In spite of knowing the ending, I could not put it down. Overall I have to say it was a really good book and I can't wait to recommend. I would have given 5 stars but for some of the middle chapters that were a little messy.
The next time I see that man who works at my company I plan to let him know how much I enjoyed this book, even though he was only mentioned two times.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Warm and Inspiring !
Miracle on the Hudson: The Survivors of Flight 1549 tells the story of the passengers on that fated flight. Read more
Published 25 days ago by Bonnie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Miracle on the Hudson
Excellent details on what happened that day, from the passengers point of view. Quick reading. I passed it on to a pilot, he liked the story, he had mostly heard the story of the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jeannine S. Pelletier
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting, Interesting & Suprising!
This is the whole story and it is well written, exciting, interesting and suprising! Great follow up with all the passengers. A great read!
Published 2 months ago by Nathan Bales
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truly a miracle!
This book documents the thoughts and actions of many of the passengers on this flight. I would like to have read more about Captain Sully, but I appreciate that the author took a... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Elaine
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's a book.
I had a family member on the plans so it was interesting for me to read more into their experiences.
Published 4 months ago by Christopher Spears
4.0 out of 5 stars
4 stars
A fascinating minute by minute account as experienced through a variety of people. Makes you want to put yourself on the plane that fateful day to examine how you would have... Read more
Published 4 months ago by trevade
5.0 out of 5 stars
We've seen the plane!
We have visited the museum where this plane is now located and it is indeed a miracle that the people were saved. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Janet Chilton
4.0 out of 5 stars
miracle on the hudson
Reading this was like being there. I could't put it down. It was clear at every turn that this was indeed a miracle.
Published 7 months ago by jrow
5.0 out of 5 stars
Riveting
Miracle on the Hudson is an important account of the event as told by the passengers. It's well written and will keep you fascinated with the endless stories and viewpoints of the... Read more
Published 13 months ago by J. M. Tuell
2.0 out of 5 stars
Miracle Perhaps !
The pilot brought the plane safely down, but it seemed to me he didn't do very much in calming passengers and helping once the plane was in the Hudson. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Carlinparadise
