Come From Away 2

Nick, who oversaw the restoration of the WP Murals at SI Borough Hall used to say that humans like stories. Even though we know how the story ends we read, view, or listen to the stories again and again to see how the stories are told.

This post tells of my first encounters with the Sept 11 Come From Away Back Story.

To me, Come From Away, is a remarkable musical sound byte that condenses the stories of over 6000 people who landed in 38 planes in the town of Gander NL  when the US closed the air space on Sept 11th. The story is told with a cast of 12 who play over 70 characters who represent the locals and the "Come From Awayers" in 100 minutes. At the end, you have a sense of what it felt like to arrive on the planes or live in Gander.

In preparation for my forthcoming trip to "the middle of nowhere" Gander NL, I read these two books:

  

 

Channel of Peace is a first person account from one of the real characters represented in the show. Kevin tells his own story and how the experience affected his life. This is an especially good read for teens and young adults who were young or not alive on the day. It made me realize how difficult it was to create Come From Away. But, Kevin's story is the tear drop on the tip of the iceberg.

The Day the World Came to Town was written by a journalist at the end of 2002. There are many more stories and they are written in greater depth. I won't spoil them for you. It is a great read that perhaps covers a big chunk of the tip of the iceberg.

Soon I will be "in the place where it happened".  I am looking forward to taking the Beyond Words tour and maybe figuring out how to see a real iceberg on my free day.