Book Review – 9/11 Memoir - Let's Roll!
After 9/11 Lisa Beamer wrote a book about her husband, one of the passengers on board Flight 93. That plane was also hijacked on September 11, 201 and it eventually crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.
It is now ten years since 9/11. I wrote this review back in 2002 and I post it, the tale of Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage, to remind us to always remember and to find ways to face tragedy with faith in God and love for others.
Review by Tom Gilbert © 2002 LivingTheSolution.com
Life defining moments. They can come at any time in each of our lives; sometimes they turn our world upside down. When the world as we know it changes instantly and forever. We may not be prepared for the loss of innocence that comes with sudden tragedy.
How any of us will respond when it happens to us is hard to predict. If you believe in God and Jesus and the promise of eternal life then your take on tragedy will be different from those who don't have that faith.
September 11, 2001 will be forever etched into the history of America as a day of infamy. It was a defining moment in our lives as we watched the World Trade Centers collapse in New York City along with the destruction and death at the Pentagon, both the result of terrorist acts by religious extremists. The hijacking of commercial airliners and turning them into weapons of mass destruction flown into buildings was both shocking and horrific.
But not every plane hit its intended target. A group of terrorists were foiled in the attempt to fly another airliner into either the White House or the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. This was Flight 93. A few of the passengers banded together and battled to take back control of this plane. In the end it crashed into a field in Pennsylvania and all the passengers died. One of them was Todd Beamer, a loving husband, father and Christian. In the wake of the 9/11 tragedy his wife, Lisa Beamer, wrote a book. Let's Roll! Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage (written with Ken Abraham and published in August 2002 by Tyndale Publisher) became a national bestseller. The book captures the heroic character of Todd Beamer. It tells of his involvement, along with other brave passengers, in preventing Flight 93 from becoming an additional weapon of huge destruction on September 11, 2001. This book, however, is much more than a gripping account of the events surrounding the ill-fated flight on 9/11. It's also a tale of two people very much in love, with each other and with God.
Let's Roll! became a rallying cry after 9/11. In the book we learn from Lisa Beamer, wife of Todd, that this was a phrase he often used with his family. It was Todd's way of saying, "C'mon, time to get a move on" or "let's do it". That it became the final recorded words of this hero is fitting. Todd Beamer was not the only hero of the day. There were other passengers on board who joined in the fight. But after reading the book I conclude Lisa Beamer is every bit the hero he was. She has bravely faced the tragedy. She continues to live with the challenge of raising her three children, one of whom was born three months after that fateful day. She'·s coping with the loss of her beloved husband. She's showing through her story that courage and faith in God do shine forth in so-called ordinary people.
The book begins with that fateful day in September, but the first chapter leaves you on edge. Todd Beamer had taken a very early morning flight out of Newark. He'd left the home before the rest of his family was up. By the time Lisa awoke and had turned on the TV the tragic events of the day were unfolding. The World Trade centers were in flames, followed soon by the Pentagon being hit. Our country was under a surreal terrorist attack. The book takes you back to it in a flash.
Before continuing on with the events of that sad day we're presented with the story of Todd and Lisa, their stories along with background on their parents. We come to know and love them for the young, vibrant and caring couple they were. Like so many of us, they were pursuing the "American Dream". Their very real faith in God set a foundation that held strong when the winds of a tragic storm hit them in a very personal way.
As I was reading this middle part of the book I found myself at times impatient to move on with what happened on Flight 93. I wanted to know more details about the struggle and the heroism. I was looking for the action.
What I discovered was that the stories of Lisa and Todd, of their growing up, their college years, their courtship, marriage and life together were really necessary to appreciate this story. For the book is much more than a recounting of what happened on Flight 93. It's more than those acts of heroism in the face of certain death. It's about dealing with life's tragedies and making it through because of a real faith in God and the acts of support and love that come about when fellow believers bond together. Those acts of love took place that day on Flight 93.
There were tremendous acts of love and support from others, too. Lisa Jefferson, a call supervisor for GTE Airfone, talked at length with Todd Beamer during the hijacking. Her conversation has been a source of comfort for Lisa Beamer as well as family members and friends. Certainly it was a source of comfort for Todd that morning. He made sure to convey the importance of his wife knowing how much he loved her. He also shared his faith and prayed the Lord's prayer with Ms. Jefferson.
Lisa Beamer has had to deal with some extraordinary events. She has bravely, yet humanly, faced the loss of her husband. Her thrust into the heat of the media limelight was not something she shied away from, but rather she let God work through her to find the words to say, to respond to the many painful questions.
Since that fateful day life has gone on. For Lisa Beamer, and others who lost loved ones that day, it has been challenging. The way Lisa Beamer bears up under the immense pressure and grief is very admirable. Her humility, however, shines through. She shows us through her recollections that with God we can face anything, even tragic loss, and survive and help others in their struggles. It's a classic example of God working to bring good out of the seemingly unfair bad in this world. In the book's final chapter Lisa Beamer says as much. When you read this book you, too, can come to appreciate the Beamer family rally: "Let's roll!"
Let's Roll! is available online at our Amazon.com e-store.
It is now ten years since 9/11. I wrote this review back in 2002 and I post it, the tale of Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage, to remind us to always remember and to find ways to face tragedy with faith in God and love for others.
Review by Tom Gilbert © 2002 LivingTheSolution.com
Life defining moments. They can come at any time in each of our lives; sometimes they turn our world upside down. When the world as we know it changes instantly and forever. We may not be prepared for the loss of innocence that comes with sudden tragedy.
How any of us will respond when it happens to us is hard to predict. If you believe in God and Jesus and the promise of eternal life then your take on tragedy will be different from those who don't have that faith.
September 11, 2001 will be forever etched into the history of America as a day of infamy. It was a defining moment in our lives as we watched the World Trade Centers collapse in New York City along with the destruction and death at the Pentagon, both the result of terrorist acts by religious extremists. The hijacking of commercial airliners and turning them into weapons of mass destruction flown into buildings was both shocking and horrific.
But not every plane hit its intended target. A group of terrorists were foiled in the attempt to fly another airliner into either the White House or the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. This was Flight 93. A few of the passengers banded together and battled to take back control of this plane. In the end it crashed into a field in Pennsylvania and all the passengers died. One of them was Todd Beamer, a loving husband, father and Christian. In the wake of the 9/11 tragedy his wife, Lisa Beamer, wrote a book. Let's Roll! Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage (written with Ken Abraham and published in August 2002 by Tyndale Publisher) became a national bestseller. The book captures the heroic character of Todd Beamer. It tells of his involvement, along with other brave passengers, in preventing Flight 93 from becoming an additional weapon of huge destruction on September 11, 2001. This book, however, is much more than a gripping account of the events surrounding the ill-fated flight on 9/11. It's also a tale of two people very much in love, with each other and with God.
Let's Roll! became a rallying cry after 9/11. In the book we learn from Lisa Beamer, wife of Todd, that this was a phrase he often used with his family. It was Todd's way of saying, "C'mon, time to get a move on" or "let's do it". That it became the final recorded words of this hero is fitting. Todd Beamer was not the only hero of the day. There were other passengers on board who joined in the fight. But after reading the book I conclude Lisa Beamer is every bit the hero he was. She has bravely faced the tragedy. She continues to live with the challenge of raising her three children, one of whom was born three months after that fateful day. She'·s coping with the loss of her beloved husband. She's showing through her story that courage and faith in God do shine forth in so-called ordinary people.
The book begins with that fateful day in September, but the first chapter leaves you on edge. Todd Beamer had taken a very early morning flight out of Newark. He'd left the home before the rest of his family was up. By the time Lisa awoke and had turned on the TV the tragic events of the day were unfolding. The World Trade centers were in flames, followed soon by the Pentagon being hit. Our country was under a surreal terrorist attack. The book takes you back to it in a flash.
Before continuing on with the events of that sad day we're presented with the story of Todd and Lisa, their stories along with background on their parents. We come to know and love them for the young, vibrant and caring couple they were. Like so many of us, they were pursuing the "American Dream". Their very real faith in God set a foundation that held strong when the winds of a tragic storm hit them in a very personal way.
As I was reading this middle part of the book I found myself at times impatient to move on with what happened on Flight 93. I wanted to know more details about the struggle and the heroism. I was looking for the action.
What I discovered was that the stories of Lisa and Todd, of their growing up, their college years, their courtship, marriage and life together were really necessary to appreciate this story. For the book is much more than a recounting of what happened on Flight 93. It's more than those acts of heroism in the face of certain death. It's about dealing with life's tragedies and making it through because of a real faith in God and the acts of support and love that come about when fellow believers bond together. Those acts of love took place that day on Flight 93.
There were tremendous acts of love and support from others, too. Lisa Jefferson, a call supervisor for GTE Airfone, talked at length with Todd Beamer during the hijacking. Her conversation has been a source of comfort for Lisa Beamer as well as family members and friends. Certainly it was a source of comfort for Todd that morning. He made sure to convey the importance of his wife knowing how much he loved her. He also shared his faith and prayed the Lord's prayer with Ms. Jefferson.
Lisa Beamer has had to deal with some extraordinary events. She has bravely, yet humanly, faced the loss of her husband. Her thrust into the heat of the media limelight was not something she shied away from, but rather she let God work through her to find the words to say, to respond to the many painful questions.
Since that fateful day life has gone on. For Lisa Beamer, and others who lost loved ones that day, it has been challenging. The way Lisa Beamer bears up under the immense pressure and grief is very admirable. Her humility, however, shines through. She shows us through her recollections that with God we can face anything, even tragic loss, and survive and help others in their struggles. It's a classic example of God working to bring good out of the seemingly unfair bad in this world. In the book's final chapter Lisa Beamer says as much. When you read this book you, too, can come to appreciate the Beamer family rally: "Let's roll!"
Let's Roll! is available online at our Amazon.com e-store.
Posted by Tom Gilbert at 9/4/2011 6:19 PM 
Categories: Reflections:Book Reflections
Tags: Lets Roll Todd Beamer Lisa Beamer Flight 93 September 11 2001
Categories: Reflections:Book Reflections
Tags: Lets Roll Todd Beamer Lisa Beamer Flight 93 September 11 2001
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