102 Minutes

The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers

By: Jim Dwyer, Kevin Flynn

Narrated by: Ron McLarty

At 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001, 14,000 people were inside the twin towers; reading e-mails, making trades, eating croissants at Windows on the World. Over the next 102 minutes, each would become part of a drama for the ages, one witnessed only by the people who lived it, until now.

New York Times reporters Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn rely on hundreds of interviews; thousands of pages of oral histories; and phone, e-mail, and emergency radio transcripts. They cross a bridge of voices to go inside the infernos, seeing cataclysm and heroism, one person at a time, to tell the affecting, authoritative saga of the men and women, the 12,000 who escaped and the 2,749 who perished, who made 102 minutes count as never before.

©2005 Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

• National Book Award Finalist, Nonfiction, 2005
• 2005 Audie Award Nominee, Nonfiction (Abridged)

"A masterpiece of reporting." (The New York Times)
"The stories are intensely intimate, and they often stir gut-wrenching emotions....[Dwyer and Flynn's] reporting skills are exceptional." (Publishers Weekly)
"A fitting tribute to the people caught up in one of the great dramas of our time. And for people still haunted by the events of that day, reading 102 Minutes provides a cathartic release." (The New York Times Book Review)
"New York Times reporters Dwyer and Flynn have compiled an unbearably painful but indispensable account of what transpired inside the twin towers of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001." (Booklist)

A Thoughtful Memory

Published in 2006, this book takes us back to 9/11/01 and thoughtfully retells the story contained in that day. Those of us who experienced 9/22 and the death of JFK have benefited by the perspective provided by a number of books appearing since. Those younger and older will be well served by listening to this book. The focus is on telling the story through the lives and experiences of those who were present and fighting for their lives on that morning.

Well read, great writing, and worth the time for those who are interested in the topic, the era, the circumstances.

A

first and only book I've listened to about that horrible day. I choked up a few times. I remember that day like so many other Americans do vividly.. like Pearl Harbor we can never let the enemy in again. I fear with the currant president we are more than vulnerable again.
Ron McLarty is great at narration I have a lot of books he narrates. although this is the first true documentary book.

learned a bunch

I thought I had a general ideal of what went on 9/11. if these accounts are accurate I was so far off. amazingly informative. the only thing that I did not like was the unnecessary music in between a few of the chapters.

Insightful

This book provides an insightful look into a tragedy. There were so many situational flaws that day, whether it was from construction of the 1960s, poor communication, or other things that it makes the situation even more tragic.

102 Minutes--A Review

For me to spend money on a book, any book, that is abridged, it has to be good. Such is the case with 102 Minutes. This is a very gripping and powerful story of the men and women involved in the World Trade Center atacks of September 11 2001. For me, and many others, the events of 9-11 while horrible and frightening, were remote. Just something on TV that impacted my life about as much as, say, something going on half way around the world. I watched in horror as the towers were first struck and then as the crumbeled and all I could think is oh my God. This is bad. But it really had no impact on my day-to-day life. That is, until I read this book. The authors draw you in in, painting, in painful detail, the every day events of that started out normal, but quickly turned into anything but. Finally, for the first time, the men and women are made "real" given names, faces, glimpses into their lives, loves, hopes, and then... You are right there with them as they fight for their lives, in the crowded, smoke filled stairwells. You will be left brethless and shaken. And moved to anger when you learn more people could of been saved if the planners had just added simple things like fire towers and more staircases, which were removed so more rentable office space could be had. This is a moving book, one of the best Ive read in a while. I collect snippits of information about 9-11. Last September I bought the 9-11 report from Audible and I also have the audio of the Howard Stern radio show as he reports moment to moment live the events as they happened. 102 Minutes is a perfect and timeless addition to my audio collection. The only draw back? This is abridged! Hopefully some day soon the unabridged edition of this book will come on-line.

Interesting account of dedication

An interesting look into the lives of firefighters. I have a renewed respect for everyone in the profession.

Good story, distracting music

The story was compelling and well read. My criticism is for the production- 1. I believe this is an abridged version of the book. It doesn’t indicate that in the Audible summary and it seems like it ought to be indicated. 2. The piano music used for transitions is VERY distracting and annoying. It also doesn’t fit the mood of the book at all. Otherwise this is a good listen.

Excellent retelling of events

With the exception of the odd, light music that plays between segments (at the end and beginning as if there was a commercial break between) I found this to be a really excellent no-nonsense account of not only the 102 minutes of the attack on the World Trade Center, but also of some of the basics of what the safety rules were when the towers were built, it's affect on the design, and how the choices made in the late 1960s affected people in 1993 and 2001.
The narrator is not melodramatic in performance, and the audio production is good enough that there are few instances where you can tell the recording was stitched together.

A must listen too

I have read many books, stories and watched movies and shows relating to 9/11. This book, in my opinion, would have to be at the top or very near the top of the list of material relating to that fateful day. It is very captivating and extremely gut-wrenching. This book tells the story from a perspective of inside the WTC. Since that day, I have always said that I cannot imagine what it must have been like for the people inside the towers. This book lays it out in horrific detail. I will listen to this book again, after a bit of time.

Phenomenonal

A riveting book. Everything is good here. All I wanted to know and a lot I didn't know I wanted to know.