Monday, August 20, 2012

That Day in September / Artie Van Why


Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Memoir

Approximate word count: 10-15,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Originally from Maryland, Artie Van Why moved to New York City in November of 1977 to pursue an acting career; albeit a slightly successful one.

Artie left show business in 1988 to enter the corporate world; as a word processor. He worked for the same law firm in midtown Manhattan for thirteen years. In June of 2001, his firm moved to other quarters downtown, across from the World Trade Center. Artie was at work the morning of September 11th, and witnessed the horror of that day from the streets.”

Description:

“We all have our stories to tell of where we were the morning of September 11, 2001. This is one of them. In That Day In September, Artie Van Why gives an eyewitness account of that fateful morning. From the moment he heard ‘a loud boom’ in his office across from the World Trade Center, to stepping out onto the street, Artie vividly transports the reader back to the day that changed our lives and our country forever.”

Appraisal:

There are certain events that serve as cultural landmarks for people of a particular country and generation. Those things, like where you were when you heard about the assassination of John F. Kennedy or John Lennon, stick in our collective minds like few others. The events of September 11, 2001 are one of those. Van Why explains his reason for writing this short memoir as, “The one thing I can do now is to continue to tell my story…to help keep the memory of that day alive.”

By comparing notes about what these events mean to us and how it has changed us, we learn about our fellow man, and possibly help put these events in perspective for ourselves. Van Why’s memoir, first produced as a play, and later revamped into this memoir, is an excellent addition to this conversation, as it looks at his life up to that time, his experiences on 9/11, the aftermath, and how it has changed him.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars

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