Miracle on the Hudson

December 1, 2009
So far, in the publication of books about the dramatic ditching of US Airways Flight 1549, the pilot has told his story (Chesley Sullenbergers Highest Duty, 2009); the plane has had its story told (William Langewiesches Fly by Wire, 2009); and now most of the passengers tell their tales. Veteran journalists, the authors interviewed 118 of the 150 people onboard (but not the flight crew). Like the proverbial witnesses to a traffic accident, none, it seems, saw the same thing despite experiencing the same in-flight emergency, so fear and confusion in the passenger cabin are the dominating continuity in Prochnau and Parkers narrative. It is otherwise as kaleidoscopic as temperament and life experience make any collection of strangers. Some naturally made indelible impressions by their reactions to what seemed like imminent death: men cravenly shoving their way to the exits; others gallantly assisting the evacuation. These accounts of how people behaved will certainly prompt readers to imagine how they might have responded, so expect great interest in the audience that actually heard the words, This is the captain. Brace for impact!(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)