Artie van why bbc

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Interactive: 10 years of terror attacks The Guardian maps terrorist attacks around the world over the past decade. And now, a week after the anniversary, I am grateful for the opportunities I was given to publicly remember and recognize both that day and my place in it.

I shared my story through newspaper and television interviews. Radio listeners in both Singapore and Australia heard it in my own words. I spoke to 1, high school students and a local Rotary Club. I was able to bear witness of that day during the three worship services at my church on the day of the anniversary; as well as at a memorial ceremony held in Lancaster.

The attention, though, is somewhat bittersweet. Even after ten years, it is still so important to me to tell my story; by any means. That is why I wrote a play and a book. I feel it is the least I can do to help assure that we, as a country, never forget; especially for the generations to come. I also feel that, as a survivor, it is the least I can do. They were so respectful and attentive as they listened to me. Teachers told me they had never seen the students that quiet at an assembly.

As I came down from the stage some of them came up to thank me; a few with tears in their eyes; all with true sincerity on their faces. I hugged him and he just cried. I realized, then, that they truly wanted to know about the day that was to change their world before they were even old enough to know it. But now that the anniversary is over, the attention has ceased. There are no more questions being asked. No more tributes being held. Life goes on; as it should and must. I, myself, have gone back to my usual routine.

I expect it will continue this way throughout the rest of my life. I will still have moments when I feel the extreme sadness from a grief that lingers. The images of that day will still come to mind unexpectedly. The memories remain vivid. We were drawn onto a battlefield that day and so many of us are still rebuilding the lives that were shattered because of it.

There are the families that will always grief over the loved ones they lost that day and we should be ever mindful of them. But we survivors also grief for our lives, as we knew them, that were taken from us that day. For those of us who were there we remember every day. I saw people die that day. Fortunately each chapter of the book is short, usually consisting of one or two pages only. I still tense when I hear an airplane overhead. The author has chosen to move ahead, one day at a time.

Jul 05, Janette Fuller rated it it was amazing Shelves: biography-memoir. Most people remember exactly where they were and what they were doing on the morning of September 11, This is a compelling memoir about how Mr. His experiences at Ground Zero were shocking and unforgettable. This is one man's story of how he survived a da Most people remember exactly where they were and what they were doing on the morning of September 11, This is one man's story of how he survived a day that will never be forgotten.

He tells of his relationship with an actress before "coming out" and living an openly gay lifestyle. He soon realized that he would need more income than he was receiving from his acting jobs, so he went to work as a word processor at a law firm. He worked the evening shift and then would party with his friends until the early morning hours. In , Mr. Van Why decided to give up drinking and make some serious changes in his life. He attended a twelve-steps support group and was able to gain control of his drinking and his life.

The law firm merged with another company and he found himself working the day shift in an office building across the street from the World Trade Center.

Life was good. Artie heard the building rumble. A secretary said that a plane had hit the South Tower and it was a "war zone" outside. Artie and some of his co-workers were curious so they went outside to see what was happening. Once he was on the street, he noticed that it was like stepping into a snowstorm. Paper of all sorts and sizes was scattered everywhere, coming down from the sky from as far up as he could see.

Large pieces of debris were falling down the length of the tower. Then he noticed that one piece of debris seemed to be moving. It was a person falling He stood helplessly watching as more and more people began jumping from the tower. I think Mr. Van Why has done an outstanding job sharing his experience of that terrible day in September.

He felt the panic and fear of running for his life as debris fell from the sky. These memories continued to haunt him for many years. This book is his way of working through this trauma. His hope is that our country will not forget all those who lost their lives on that day. Read the book and weep.

Disclosure: Artie Van Why sent me a complimentary digital copy of this book to read and review. It's hard to believe that today marks the tenth anniversary of September 11th. The horrors of the tragedy still seem so fresh in people's minds. The world has changed greatly due to the events of that day, with the repercussions stretching far beyond New York's city limits.

For those who were there, however, those who experienced the scenes of terror and destruction at first hand, the changes and consequences were much more personal in nature. Artie Van Why was one such witness and That Day In September is an honest, powerful work relating his experiences on that fatal date. The book opens with the personal path that led him to New York, allowing the reader to learn a little about the man behind the account. Then, the tragedy itself is described.

Van Why manages to sketch the horror of the events he witnessed without the scenes he depicts ever feeling gratuitous. As an author, he is very respectful of those who died, of those who lost loved ones and of the many people who reached out to offer help and comfort to those who needed it. That Day In September also deals with the aftermath of the tragedy — both in a personal sense and in a broader one.

It speaks of the way the citizens of New York supported each other through the subsequent days and weeks and of Van Why's own struggle to come to terms with the event. Throughout, however, there is an emphasis on the good that can be found in humanity, something that cannot be underestimated in a book dealing with such a collection of evil and incomprehensible deeds.

The language of That Day In September is not particularly elegant, and the grammar in the book could have been more refined. However, while this often detracts from my enjoyment of a book, in this case I found that the opposite was true. Van Why's writing style gives a real immediacy to his account.

It somehow feels more raw, more emotional, to read about the events of that day in language that is not made impersonal through too much attention to form and style. I was on the brink of tears for much of the time it took me to read this — a sign that any flaws in the writing do little to diminish the power of the piece.

As an Australian, I have only been affected by September 11th in a peripheral fashion, and it was good to be able to read a personal and first-hand account of the events I witnessed on television.

Horrific events of this scale can all too easily become about numbers rather than individuals. But Van Why's story is just one of so many — and I thank him for sharing it. This was a worthwhile and thought-provoking read, which added another dimension to my understanding of 'that day in September'. The Author provides a fascinating insight into the everyday realities of working at the World Trade Centre, from street theatre; street vendors, and apparent care-free nature of the majority of the people whom used to work at the complex.

In this reading, life at the World Trade Centre was something of an idyll. It had an almost symbiotic relationship with the Author, which explains in part, why the loss of the complex had such a profound effect on the Author as a former way of life died on that day. This is something that I had not considered before, as the Trade Centre had previously been viewed as a place of work as opposed to a friend. The notions of helplessness; insignificance, and terror left a deep imprint on the Author, and the account of the support and guidance that he received from medical professionals and 'ordinary' people was inspiring.

The ability of 'ordinary' people to restart their lives from zero; establish routines, and provide emotional and practical support to one another in the aftermath is a testimony of the human spirit in the face of extreme adversity. This account offers no bravado or machismo. Jul 05, Sandra Stiles rated it it was amazing Shelves: , memoir. To me forgetting the events is like forgetting all of those who perished that day.

Artie gives us a first hand, eyewitness look at that day. In many ways his story is the same as others we may have heard or read about. In many ways it is different. Everyone was affected differently that day. For many who lived in New York and witnessed first hand the terror, the events are permanently etched in their minds. Some of them may have been able to move on with their lives, and many of them have been so affected by that day that it was necessary to move away.

I cried throughout this book. I brought back so many emotions and thoughts. We carried our emotions on our sleeves for months. On pages 54 of his book he is talking about finding out that two young men in his apartment building had been victims of this day and how doing simple things such as buy flowers to be placed on the table at the memorial set up in the lobby of their building was a way to grieve those he did not personally know yet felt a connection to.

Many of us grieved for those we did not know that lost their life that day. It was and is a part of the healing process. This book brought back all of those raw feelings and emotions in me. That is not a bad thing. The healing process takes years. Emotionally we were all there and it changed all of us. Artie gives us a look into his own life and how it changed him.

I challenge you to read this book and see the connections with your own life. I will tell you right now. If you are like me you need to make sure you have a box of tissues handy. I will recommend this book to all of my friends.

It gives us a glimpse into the effect emotionally, socially, and professionally that these events had on people like you and I. If I awarded stars on my blog this would definitely be a 5 star book. Sep 09, Dana Burgess rated it it was amazing. We see the pictures on TV or in the newspaper but our minds censor the feelings, smells, thoughts, sounds so that we can absorb without joining the ranks of the damaged.

Artie Van Why didn't have that option because he didn't see the pictures on TV or read the newspaper accounts. Instead, he stepped out of his office building across the street from the twin towers and walked into Hell. Van Why's book is powerful in its simplicity. He doesn't try to sensationalise the events he witnessed.

He tells it like it was. He doesn't ask for pity. He simply explains how he was affected and what the world around him was like on September 11, and the days, weeks and months following.

I appreciate that Artie Van Why stays focused. He doesn't try to tug at our heartstrings by adding lots of sappy observations. That is not to say that I didn't cry my way through a lot of this little book.

I did. The starkness of the narration allows the reader to feel the starkness of the day. The comparisons of before, during and after are surreal. Exactly as I remember thinking the event was as I watched the footage.

He simply told it like it was. Innocent people are dying while going about their daily activities. I'm not saying we shouldn't remember, or that we shouldn't build memorials, but in the few other books I have read about the events of that day in September, I have been left with the feeling the authors didn't recognise that it was one, albeit the biggest one, of a plethora of terrorist actions that occurred before and after that day.

I hope people remember that each life counts. And I want to thank this author for not going there. This book is his personal remembrance of finding himself in the middle of a terrorist attack.

I didn't once feel like he was negating other attacks or deaths. He was just telling his story. My conclusion: highly recommended reading. Do you remember where you were? That Day in September by Artie Van Why I can remember exactly where I was the day our country took a hit to the face, a gut punch, and changed us forever.

The day started like any other lining up the visits for the day, making sure that I had all the supplies I needed, and that all the patients for the day knew I was coming. I was chatting with the Do you remember where you were? I turned toward the television and saw it. The images that were shown looked like something out of a movie. Debris falling, smoke, fire, people running and people in shock. The reporters were in shock, stumbling over their words, and trying to get all the information they could to share with the world.

He worked at a law firm just a short distance from the World Trade Center. He felt the shake of the building as the first plane hit; he saw the second plane hit, the debris, the smoke, the fires.. Everything I saw on television at that moment, he was living it.

In his book, he shares his thoughts, his fears, his feelings and his life surrounding that day. As I was reading this, I could remember all the images I saw, but I could see them as if I were there.

He also shares how he dealt with life in the weeks after the attack and since that day. Van Why self-published this book because he wanted to get his story of that day out. He wanted to do it for many reasons, one to help remember the lives of those lost that day and two to help the survivors know that they are not alone. View 1 comment. My Review: Artie Van Why contacted me via my blog and asked if I would be willing to review his book.

As many people will tell you, they know exactly where they were when they heard about the attack or saw it on TV. I was getting ready for work. I was 8 months pregnant with my youngest son. My oldest son was wa My Review: Artie Van Why contacted me via my blog and asked if I would be willing to review his book. My oldest son was watching TV, home sick from school, with my hubby.

They were watching the Today show reporting about the first plane. I came out to watch in complete disbelief as we saw the second plane hit live on TV. A desire to protect my children so strong and such a sense of fear. I had that strong of a reaction and I was in the Midwest. Artie gives what I believe to be a honest recollection of the events of that day. Sommaire Favoris Mes pages.

Cultural spots. Did you know? September 11 th is celebrated as Patriot Day in the United States. Do you know why? A moment of silence starts at a. Is it important to commemorate events like this? World Trade Center.