Artie Van Why

Everything changed September 11,2001. The resulting pain and anguish will remain immeasurable. To watch the horror of the events of that day on TV was one thing. To have watched them first hand is another story. That Day in September written by Artie Van Why is his story of what happened that day and of the impact it left on him.

Mr. Van Why moved to New York City in 1977 with hopes of becoming an actor. After years of working temp jobs he took a full time job with a firm that eventually merged with another firm. The merger led to a move that changed his work place to a building across the street from the World Trade Center. He came to love the World Trade Center. He drank his morning coffee while sitting on a bench close to the fountain. Lunch time outside gave him the opportunity to watch the ongoing theater. There were summer concerts and people danced. All that changed September 11, 2001. He writes " I don't remember which came first, the shudder of the buildings or the loud sound. They probably came at the same time." Mr. Van Why then describes in vivid detail what he saw once he came outside. People were jumping from the North Tower. The ground was covered with wreckage, glass and paper. Then the second plane struck the South Tower. Chaos and panic continued. He was able to make his way to Midtown where he lived. He describes the walk home: "A mass of silent humanity walking together." He slept with a light on that first night. He couldn't watch replays of the horrors of the day. He had seen it for himself. He eloquently explains what it was like to be in New York City after September 11,2011.

This is a beautifully written book which encompasses so much emotion and insight that it is often heart wrenching to read. With incredible inner strength he manages to cope but thinks of the events of that day every day. He pays tribute to those who died and to those who tried to help save them. This is a moving book and can be read over and over.
I received this book free of charge from Review the Book and I give this review of my own free will.… (meer)

*deep sigh* This was a hard book to read and an even harder book to review. When faced with something like this, how can you so easily dissect it, analyze it, and determine it's value and merit? This book has left me utterly speechless; completely at a loss for words.

"One of the pieces of falling debris seemed to be moving. It was moving, and it wasn't debris. It was a person falling, arms and legs waving madly." (22)

This book was moving. With the images still playing in my mind from watching the new cast nearly 10 years ago, Artie's story adds flesh, detail, and humanity to the tragedy. What makes his story more profound is his personal experiences before the occurrences of that nightmare.

After working for several years in a smaller law firm in NYC, the company Artie was a part of decided to merge with a large entity. This merger would place them on the 23rd floor of a building across the street from the World Trade Center. Living in NYC for over a decade, Artie had experience with the Center, but had never fully enjoyed it. Starting a few short months before the tragedy, Artie was given a chance to fully experience his new surroundings. He talks candidly about the coffee vendor across the street from Building 5, enjoying his paper and morning coffee on a stone bench in front of the World Trade Center fountain, his favorite bookstore in Building 5, and noontime concerts in the summer that would draw tourists and local business people. While I never had the opportunity to see the Trade Center while it was still standing, Artie's words made me feel as though I had.

Being allowed to experience these happy moments with the author opens the reader up to a new level of understanding and an access not granted by the television screen. Reading about Artie's horrifying ordeal of watching person after person falling from the Towers onto a waiting pile of bodies, his run through the streets with over survivors, etc., puts the whole incident at a completely different level.

"I can't bear to think of how many spouses, partners, parents, or friends received a call from a loved one that morning, telling them they were okay and were leaving their offices and never came home." (53)

This book was moving and riveting. To say I didn't read it with a box of tissues nearby would be a lie. Even though I was moved by the events at the time, this story brought me to a deeper level of understanding and compassion. If you really want to understand the events of 9/11, read this book. Honestly, we owe it to ourselves to remember and not forget.… (meer)

We all remember where we were when we first heard the news that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. Artie Van Why was at work, just across from the towers, when the planes hit. His short memoir, That Day in September, traces how he came to live in New York and work near the towers, his own experience of September 11, 2001, and his recollections of the days that followed. It is a brief but beautiful personal story, one man’s struggle to process and deal with a national tragedy, yet it feels universal.

More on my blog, Erin Reads.… (meer)