This is the best feel-good book I have read in the past ten years. It tells what happened when all those planes were diverted from American air space during 9-11.
"When 38 jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland, due to the closing of US airspace, the citizens of this small community of 10,000 people played host to 6,596 passengers and crew members.
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. It was an amazing story of how all the townspeople emptied their linen closets and provided towels, sheets, etc and set up shelters in every church, school, and public building. It was such a feel-good story of the kindness of strangers to people in need.
They affirmed the basic goodness of man at a time when it was easy to doubt such humanity still existed. If the terrorists had hoped their attacks would reveal the weaknesses in western society, the events at Gander proved its strength."
There were people from at least 40 different nationalities. Orthodox Jews who had to cook in a separate kitchen. Every school and church was opened as a shelter. All the townspeople emptied all their linen closets, washed towels day and night. Strangers said to plane people, do you want to use my car? I'll be at work all day, I'll leave the keys in it in the parking lot and you can use it if you want. The Humane Society people took care of all the animals which had been in the cargo holds of the aircraft. Stores gave away their merchandise for free.
The president and one of the vice-presidents of the Rockefeller Foundation were stuck in Gander, and they treated them so nicely that at the end the Rockefeller Foundation bought all new computers for the school.
I really recommend this book!
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