Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander on 9/11 by Kevin Tuerff
Not enough people know the story of the people of Gander, Newfoundland and their generosity of spirit in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when 38 international airplanes were diverted to land at Gander Airport. For 5 days, the 6,000 people of Gander housed and cared for the 6,000 stranded passengers, rallying to find food, shelter and medicine. I find it so moving that just talking about it can make me tear up.
If you want to experience the story through warmth, humour and music, then go and see the musical Come From Away. If you are American, go see it. If you are Canadian, go see it RIGHT NOW. And take some Kleenex. Just saying.
On the other hand, if you want to read a surprisingly less interesting first-hand account of events, then go ahead and read Channel of Peace. I’m not sure if Kevin Tuerff is a bad writer, or just a bad auto-biographical writer, but either way you lose. Don’t get me wrong, he’s the philanthropic founder of the Pay It Forward Foundation that encourages people to perform small, random acts of kindness on the anniversary of 9/11, inspired by the generosity of Newfoundlanders. A nice guy for sure. Although, while his character in the play shares his duty-free bottle of Grey Goose with fellow plane passengers while they wait for permission to deplane, in real life he and his partner squirrel away two bottles of grey goose which they share just between the two of them once they are safely ensconced in their shelter room.
Kevin spends a fair amount of this very short book talking about the musical (and how he’s in it), the 10-year reunion of the “plane people” in Gander, and his foundation. He also spends a fair amount of time pointing out places where the musical took some artistic license with the facts and how he “doesn’t mind” (all of the key characters, who are based on real people, were relocated onto a single American Airlines place when in fact they were all on different flights). In actual fact, I would have enjoyed it better if more detail and care had gone into the Gander story itself, a story that makes me so proud to be Canadian.
Rating: Buy it, because proceeds are donated to non-profit organizations helping refugees. And then go see the musical instead.
When the musical comes next year, I’m in.