Book Review: The Woman Who Wasn't There

I LIVE ON THE WEST coast, in a smallish town in western Oregon--about as far removed from New York City as one could get and still call themselves an American. On the morning of September 11, 2011, I was just about to pile the kids into the car for school when my neighbor, whose son was riding with us, yelled over something to the tune of, "Go back inside and turn on your TV. The World Trade Center collapsed." 

That was how I learned about the terrorists' attacks. Like many people, I found myself glued to the TV as talking heads reported on every facet imaginable about this horrific tragedy. 

A few weeks later, as the shock wore off, I got back to my life and didn't give NYC too much of my gray matter. I was busy.  That's not to say that I didn't feel badly for the victims, I was just too far removed to be seriously affected. 

Years passed.  Although news reports showed footage of a new building  being erected at ground zero, for the most part I was ignorant of much of what happened post 9/11.  I was certainly ignorant of the ongoing activity surrounding the survivors and families. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone. 

It's rare for me to read a newly released book but when the library alerted me that the reserve copy of The Woman Who Wasn't There was available, I grabbed it. And I devoured it.  

I haven't seen any of the author interviews but I would venture to guess this book was written, at least in part, for people like me who are far removed from NYC and 9/11. Reading it was like being there, front and center. But not only was it an engaging account of what happened, it was also an illuminating window into how human nature works. 

While there was a tremendous outpouring of support for the victims' families, the hundreds of people who were in or near the towers and survived felt denied and forgotten. The post-traumatic stress they were suffering was unimaginable, made worse by the fact that they felt so guilty for being alive while so many perished. Eventually they banned together to form The World Trade Center Survivors' Network.  

Enter Tania Head. Posed as a survivor who miraculously limped down 96 floors and escaped Tower 2 before it collapsed, she also led people to believe she'd lost her husband in Tower 1. Her story was so tragic and her personality so engaging, she quickly made friends, gained trust, took the helm and became the capable voice of the Survivors' Network. 

Authors Robin Gabby Fisher and Angelo J. Guglielmo, Jr. do a stellar job of chronicling Ms. Head's journey from her first tentative steps into the group until the final unraveling of her deceit 5 years later.  

Tania Head was no dummy. She did her homework and must have spent hours crafting and honing her tall tale.  Despite the discrepancies in her story, people believed her because they needed her. And they didn't want to be skeptical of someone so dedicated to the cause of helping others.  

It's easy to feel empathy for the survivors. Perhaps some won't or can't feel sympathy for Ms. Head but I do. She must have endured some monumental difficulties earlier in her life to craft such a meticulous ruse. Mostly though, I'm so glad that the survivors had each other to lean on after learning they'd been so supremely duped. 

I always enjoy reading a book that illuminates human nature and serves to unite us as a society. 

I think everyone should read this book if for no other reason, for the survivors. 

My apologies for such a lengthy post. As always, thank you for visiting. Please feel free to comment. 

A Few Good Laughs!

HI YA'ALL. FIRST, I want to say thank you to all of the wonderful comments on my previous post. It just proved to me what I already knew--that you don't have to be a famous celebrity to be smart. Your advice to your Twenty-Something selves was easily on-par with those of the Oprah Newsletter. 

One of the few things I had going for me in my twenties was my abilities to laugh. Humor is so important, don't you think? On that note, today I thought I'd share a few places I go for laughs. (In addition to the bathroom mirror.)  

First, my sister alerted me to Catalog Living. Here you'll read the interesting, daily whisperings of those elusive people living in the artsy-fartsy catalog homes featured in the most discriminating mail-order catalogs. Did you know people live there? Quirky people, as you'll see. 

Second, with the gazillion followers The Bloggess has, you may already be familiar with Jenny Lawson or her just-release book, Let's Pretend This Never Happened. She's irreverently funny. If you're easily offended with  F-word, skip this one. 

Third, The Bad Luck Detective, aka Suzie Ivy, is a small-town, USA, police detective who shares her  humor and heartbreaking adventures. Although her stories are not always designed to make you chuckle, they are, without fail, always, always enjoyable. 

And last but certainly not least, Miss Little Jeans' blog, titled simply, Today, is all about cat antics. Two handsomely furry fellows, Ollie and Augustus muse about the goings on in their world. Miss Little Jeans follows it up with an inspirational reading while the boys make kisses and blow them in the air for the fortunate reader. If you've ever received cat kisses, you'll know how special they are. 

Are there any humor/fun blogs you'd like to alert us to? 

As always, 

Thank you for visiting! 

  

Advice to the Twenty-Somethings

THIS MORNING I was reading Letters to Our Younger Selves on Oprah's e-newsletter. It was an interesting  compilation of short notes famous people would tell their twenty-something selves if they could. 

There's no disputing the fact that living life is the best way to acquire knowledge about how to live it. Just by the doing we learn what works and what doesn't. And if we're smart, we're watching others, learning from their successes and failures too. 

Well, I'm not famous, or packed with infinite wisdom but reading this makes me wonder about what I would say to my twenty-something self. 

I think I'd tell myself: Don't worry. The future isn't nearly as dismal as you've been led to believe and most people are kind, decent human beings. Learn to see the gray as well as you see the black and white. Ignoring your preconceived judgments is not a weakness but a sign of strength. 

What would you say to your younger self? 

Forget the Odds, Just Do It

LIFE HAS BEEN SO busy lately. Sometimes I feel like my head is spinning trying to stay current with two blogs, working a full time job, keeping my various writing projects going, not to mention being a wife and mother. And now I'd like to add working in the garden to the repertoire because spring has officially sprung here, finally. 

During a few minutes of blog surfing today I came across Jane Friedman's Blog. She has a guest post by Nick Thacker. I thought the message was quite germane to my goal of being a writer and author. Basically Mr. Thacker advocates being naive. You'll have to read it for yourself to see what he means.    

As always 

my dear friends, 

A Walk in the Park

THOSE OF YOU who follow my garden blog know we who live in the Pacific Northwest have been forced to endure some awfully fickle weather of late. It's been a roller coaster of snow, rain, wind but very little sunshine.  Yesterday however, by some sheer miracle, the skies parted for a short time while daughter number 2 (I have 3) and I were running errands. We decided to spend a few moments shooting photos in the park. 

 As you can see, most everything is still lifeless and barren except for the few flowering fruit trees. But even they seemed to be shivering.

 This squirrel took a break from chasing his partner to stare at us. He seems to be saying, "What the devil are you doing in my park?"

This particular park in Albany, with its classy riverside location plays host to many events in the summer including outdoor concerts. In the winter, however, um... not so much. With all the rain we've had the chocolate waters are swollen well beyond their borders. 

We strolled along the riverside walkway, basking in the blue sky and early spring sunshine. Such a rare commodity this year.

We stopped to take photos when we felt like it.

 Occasionally, we'd turn and look behind us and capture another photo or two.

 It was the river that really spoke to us.

 The end of this particular pier was under water.

 These blooms look like the beginnings of apples, perhaps.

 I know this one. I used to have it in my garden. I wonder what ever happened to it. (Viburnum tinus)

 While walking back to the car, I took this photo of the backside of a building. There is something enigmatic about it.

To contrast, the photo below shows one of the many historic homes in Albany. Don't you just love the color and architectural details? I wonder if a lady named Barbie lives here.

Thank you for taking a walk with us. Have a great week.