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Flight 93 : the story, the aftermath, and the legacy of American courage on 9/11
2014
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Kirkus Review
Familiar story of the hijacked 9/11 plane that crashed intoan open field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.The so-called "fourth plane" involved in the 9/11 terroristattacks, United Airlines Flight 93 took off from Newark bound for SanFrancisco. When four young Middle Eastern men seized control of the cockpit,passengers fought back and prevented the terrorists from reaching theirintended target: the Capitol in Washington, D.C. In this debut, McMillan, vicepresident of communications for the Pittsburgh Penguins and volunteer at theFlight 93 National Memorial, re-creates the eventbased on passenger phonecalls, the cockpit voice recorder, interviews and the official record of thepast 13 yearsas well as the aftermath, including the dedication of thememorial in 2011. Noting that "we will never know everythingmany of the factsare buried with the heroes," the author pieces together a vivid picture of thescene within the plane: the hijackers instilling fear in everyone (stabbingpassengers, threatening to explode a nonexistent bomb) before killing thecockpit crew; the 40 varied passengers (from lawyers and businessmen tostudents and retirees), 12 of whom made 35 wrenching phone calls, learning thatother planes had just slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon; andthe brave decision to take back the plane before it destroyed yet anothericonic American place. Athletic passengers (a judo champ, a weight lifter,etc.) apparently joined businessman Todd Beamer ("Let's roll!") and others instorming the cockpit, while the hijacker pilot tried to thwart the sustainedassault by rocking the plane. Flight 93 crashed at 563 mph, killing everyoneand creating a crater 30 feet across and 15 feet deep. The author recounts thepost-crash heroics of coroner Wally Miller and many others in therural farming and coal-mining community.A solid retelling of the tragedy with no new disclosures. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Summary

United Airlines Flight 93, which took off from Newark Airport the morning of September 11th, 2001, is perhaps the most famous flight in modern American history: We know of the passenger uprising, but there's so much more to the story besides its harrowing and oft-told climax. Amazingly, the definitive account of this seminal event has yet to be written. 
The book offers the most complete account of what actually took place aboard Flight 93 -- from its delayed takeoff in Newark to the moment it plunged upside-down at 563 miles per hour into an open field in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania.  Flight 93 provides a riveting and complete narrative of the lead-up, event, and aftermath of the flight, based on interviews, oral histories, personal tours of the crash site and evidence recently made public. It examines the lead-up to that horrific morning; the stories of the victims who were launched into the center of history; the revolt that saved untold amounts of carnage on the ground and likely, the US Capitol; the eyewitnesses and first responders who rushed to the crash sce≠ the impact on family members; the effort to uncover evidence at the site; and the legacy the story leaves for future generations. 

Table of Contents
In Memoriamp. vi
Forewood    Governor Tom Ridgep. vii
Author's Notep. ix
Prefacep. xii
Chapter 1Morningp. 1
Chapter 2Mastermindp. 10
Chapter 3Forming a Cellp. 18
Chapter 4Infiltratorsp. 33
Chapter 5Final Preparationsp. 42
Chapter 6Just Living Their Livesp. 55
Chapter 7Zero Hourp. 64
Chapter 8Maydayp. 77
Chapter 9"we're Going to Do Something"p. 90
Chapter 10Where Is the Plane?p. 106
Chapter 11One Big Familyp. 117
Chapter 12The FBI Investigatesp. 129
Chapter 13The "Hick" Coronerp. 143
Chapter 14The Tapep. 153
Chapter 15"A Common Field One Day ..."p. 163
Chapter 16Ten Years Laterp. 180
Chapter 17Legacyp. 191
United Airlines Flight 93 Crew and Passengersp. 205
Acknowledgmentsp. 213
Sources and Notesp. 216
General Bibliographyp. 260
Indexp. 265
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