The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede Search Amazon for other books by or about Jim DeFede. Rating: Reviewed by: Kevin Bouchard

The tragic events of September 11, 2001, will undoubtedly be recorded as one of the saddest days in American history. However at the same time as New York City was suffering immense pain, numerous subplots around the world of pure goodness and unselfishness were occurring at the same time. The book The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland chronicles September 11 and the real life events which occurred within this small Newfoundland town.

On September 11, 2001, 38 commercial international flights carrying over 6,000 people were rerouted to Gander, Newfoundland. Due to the United States airspace being closed for security purposes, the seldom used Gander airport served as a vital link to numerous flights cancelled directed to the United States. What makes this a story of hope and inspiration was that the town of Gander volunteered its time, resources and energy to accommodate people of all nationalities in order that the passenger's troubles could be eased for as long as it took to resume flights to their original destination.

The town of Gander's population was only 10,000 people strong until its 6,000 new guests arrived suddenly out of the air. The town, through an unbelievable network of support, sustained food, water, shelter and most of the comforts of home for its new guests regardless of the price or personal sacrifice. Passengers were sleeping in resident's homes, driving their cars, using their credit cards and anything the people needed assistance for those few days.

The effort was not lost on the world. The author researched the town, the town's people and the efforts of that event to create a story of a town literally opening its arms to strangers for nothing in return. DeFede wrote "For the better part of a week, nearly every man, woman, and child in Gander and the surrounding smaller towns stopped what they were doing so they could help. They placed their lives on hold for a group of strangers and asked for nothing in return. They affirmed the basic goodness of man at a time when it was easy to doubt such humanity still existed."

When people around the world reference the events of September 11 the words are filled with anger, hate and tragedy. But those words need not apply in one small, quant Newfoundland town called Gander.