Falling Man. An Iconic Story About September 11

StocktonAfterClass

Falling Man: A story of September 11
Let me be a Time Traveler and take you back to that terrible day.

For those of us who remember September 11, the image of the “Falling Man” is iconic. As the flames engulfed the upper stories of the towers, there were several people who decided they would not wait to be burned alive. They jumped to their deaths. Some even held hands with friends as they fell. One person on the ground was killed when hit by a falling body.
The noted American novelist Don De Lilio took the theme and used it to write a novel about two people who escaped from the towers and later connected.
This is my discussion of some of the events of that day, as well as a discussion of that novel, and some of the memorable lines from it.
Even if you were not born when that event occurred, you are still a survivor. We are all survivors. We will be forever survivors. We are always falling, eternally falling.
Note: The young woman who told about her experience as a child was of Arab heritage.

Note 2: I once posted the Pulitzer Prize winning photo of that “falling man” on Facebook. It was covered up with a warning that it might be upsetting to some viewers so they would have to click on the image to see it. I thought to myself, this is the most traumatic event in American history and you are covering up the most iconic image with a warning because it might upset people. Upset is a word that falls far short of how we reacted to that event.
Note 3: I have two other podcasts on September 11, one focusing on what happened that day, the other focusing upon what happened after the event, including two talks I delivered. I think you would find both of those worth your time.