Those of a certain age have living memories of Sept. 11, 2001. What we may not have is the sweeping scope of what happened, which is contained in Garrett M. Graff’s book, The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11. I checked it out from the public library and read it during the week of the 25th anniversary of 9/11. I’m glad I did.

Those who lived through it have a story of 9/11. Mine is simple and straightforward:

I was scheduled to fly from Moline, Illinois to Philadelphia on Sept. 11, 2001. While waiting to board, my flight was cancelled. I returned to the office, and with the other office employees watched the twin towers burning and then collapse on television. I neither understood what happened nor knew what to do. But I turned to a president, one I believed stole the 2000 election, and said that I would support him after this act of terrorism. We all did.

Graff’s extensive and meticulous research fills in the rest of the story. He spent three years gathering the oral histories and used only half of his material in the 481-page book. The immediacy of the narratives struck me so much, I had trouble putting the book down.

There is a lot to say about 9/11 and Graff’s book yet I’ll limit it to two things.

First, my personal memories tend to focus on me, what I did, and the well-being my family. Graff fills in the story, covering all four hijacked aircraft, and what central government figures, including the president, vice president, secretary of defense, and others did that day. By hearing the story directly from participants, I gained a broader understanding of what happened, which will serve me going forward.

The news media focused on the wreckage near the World Trade Center, and rightly so. The largest number of casualties were there, and the sacrifices of first responders was heroic. Media aired and re-aired video of people jumping or falling from the tower toward certain death. The crash of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 into the towers was played on a continuous loop for most of the day. There was a lot more to the story and details in the book flesh this out.

In particular, I had heard only bits and pieces of how things developed on United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. What we know of this is spelled out by the first-person narratives, and makes compelling reading.

Likewise, the story of American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into a wedge of the Pentagon, was eclipsed by the New York story. I don’t see how one can understand the scope of the terrorist operation without covering all four flights. To be certain, the fear of additional terrorist hijackings persisted throughout the day and evening of 9/11.

The short, personal narratives which comprise the book make it easy reading. I recommend you work this one into your to be read stack.