markhamanne@yahoo.com
I started reading The Lord of the Rings. I found comfort in an escape to Middlearth, especially in the Shire.

CuteNCoxy@aol.com
After the terrorism I was scared. I didn't know what to think, or what to do. I wanted to help the people in the East bad. My birthday was actually September 11. So, that night I read the Bible, it helped me more than anyone could imagine. I pray till this day to bless everyone who lost someone. Thank you for reading this.

MAGLORO76@aol.com
The Bible, the greatest book ever written!

hawki75@juno.com
This isn't a book that I read in the aftermath of the attacks but one that I read this summer. It's called Fatherloss and is about how males, whether they were young boys or older men, deal with the death of their fathers. Unfortunately, I don't have my copy right at hand. I loaned it to a friend who also lost his father as a teenager so I'm not sure of the author. But I highly recommend it. I think it could offer some measure of comfort in this tragic time.

BAY727@aol.com
The book that helped me the most during this time period was a Star Trek novel titled Vulcan Forge.  Some of the parallels in its plot to the event of the week of Sept. 11th and some of the historical events that helped to lead up to those tragic events were really thought provoking.  I do so hope that all of us Humans can work out a peace and a future much like they had in that book.  It also helped very much to give me hope that we can find a world peace if we all work together, etc.  The book also helped very much to take my mind off all our worries as well as the shock and stress caused by those events.  For a while my husband's job was hanging in the balance and being able to lose myself in that book was just what I needed.  It may not be the typical type of book most people will write to you about giving them comfort but it certainly was a great big help for me.

DLGinDC@aol.com
Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut.  This rereading helped me cope with the insanity of violence toward one's fellowman and the positive "spin" put on the inglorious business of war.

grudolph@ixi.net
I have left the T. V. off and am rereading  The Talisman in preparation for reading Black House.

Hotmama11237@aol.com
The only book that could bring me any comfort is the Bible. I know God will be there for me.

DaMan45638@aol.com
The BIBLE without a doubt has given me all the comfort I need. . .And then some.

kellych@oplin.lib.oh.us
I read the book Over What Hill by Effie Leland Wilder.  It took me away from the horror of September 11th.  Remembering that our senior adults have survived the hardships of war and the depression gives me hope and helps me persevere.

cleas@earthlink.net
Yes, I'm a big fan of comfort books, which are usually re-reads. For me that means either childhood favorites like JRR Tolkein's Lord of the Rings (lord, I hope Hollywood doesn't muck it up) or my all-time grim humored adult fave, A Place of Greater Safety, a novel about the French Revolution by Hilary Mantel (in my mind, I AM Danton!). Am also finding light novels of manners comforting, most recently Isabel's Bed by Elinor Lipman (very funny, very smart, hits just the right note).

LGehl69486@aol.com
I read some old silhouette romance novels that had nothing to do with terrorists or planes or intrigue. They let me escape the news and remember that I can go on.

C17itzme@aol.com
I am sorry to say that there was no way that I could turn from the TV & the only reading I managed was the local paper. However, the paper from September 11, 2001 was never read & I stared at it repeatedly. I have kept it as it will forever be a reminder that OUR world has forever changed. The next book I read will be a special one. One that will take my mind off of this crazy world.

MEarle4208@aol.com
The Bible.  There is no other source for total understanding as to what happened or to how to deal with what has happened.

Eamato@aol.com
Yes.  Thursday night, after the attacks, I was so tired, but not able to sleep. I was looking for comfort, some words to erase the horror of those images.  On the shelf, a slim volume peaked out.  Ivory, embossed print, lovely paper -- like an invitation -- and so it is, an Invitation.  Maya Angelou's poem read at the Inauguration in 1993:  "On the Pulse of Morning."  A small book, I admit, but those words recall the feeling of hearing that voice at a time when hope and optimism ran high, before shame and scandal and bureaucracy laid low possibility.  And now, in such a dark hour, I think the words have new things to impart to us.

Nupester@aol.com
Just to answer your question, I actually started reading No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin right after the tragedies. It is her story on FDR and Eleanor, and how they dealt with the depression, Pearl Harbor, Hitler,  the War, etc. I don't know if it's comforting, but I feel it is a very appropriate topic at this time.  I'm enjoying being able to read what our country experienced back then and it puts things in perspective about what's going on today.  I only hope we can triumph in the same way. I've read 220 pages so far and have loved it.  I recommend it to anyone, especially this time of our lives.  Mrs. Goodwin is a phenomenal writer and human being. I haven't even gotten to Pearl Harbor yet, I'm still in February, 1941! Thanks for reading this letter as well as taking the time to send me newsletters the last 4-5 years.  I enjoy reading it, week after week.

Pat4CSKK@aol.com
I too was glued to the television, when I could bear it no longer I read a book. I chose one that was gruesome, it was called, The Girls He Adored. It seems a strange choice, and was more or less random. It's a real page turner, and believe it or not, I got lost in it. I watched more TV in the week, and on the weekend read a book from TBR list from way back. Judy Blume's - Summer Sisters. It reminded me of the Ya Ya's. From very early childhood I have always escaped into books. Tonight just as I felt better, yet another story on TV to make me cry. I cry for all the ones who mourn, as well as for the victims. We will overcome, no doubt in my mind. I am confident that for many people their will be a spiritual awakening, that will surpass anything else our country has previously known.

LoisDoyle@aol.com
The Bible

Annie161@aol.com
Could I read these past two weeks??? I tried.  My power of concentration is totally gone.  I work in lower Manhattan and saw the whole incident unfolding around me.  Right now I feel like I'll never get my head on straight; as I am sure others are experiencing.  They say time heals all wounds, but there are always exceptions to the rule.  Is this it? I hope not.  I still bring my book each day on the subway and each day I get a little bit better.  My heart is so heavy.

trinnica@earthlink.net
I have always found the book of Psalms to bring comfort, security, and hope. It is timeless and true.

Cairo1953@aol.com
Sources of Strength by Jimmy Carter. However, the book that gives me the most comfort and strength is The Holy Bible.

KJ4FM@aol.com
Reading the Bible has been a great comfort during this horrific time.

DIWMS@aol.com
I too have been unable to read anything except news these past two weeks. Finally Sunday night I watched a comedy on TV and laughed so hard that tears were running down my face. It would seem I can't escape the tears.

beparoo@prodigy.net
I am reading Peace Like A River, by Leif Enger. It is a wonderful story and beautifully written. I am nearing the end and find that I am wanting to read other things instead, because I don't want this one to end.

Bungalowmom@aol.com
Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul  2  and  Emerson's work. I also wrote a poem entitled "Remembrance"  and essays. This is how I channel my soul.
 
UCANTCME00@aol.com
I have not felt well enough to read for the last couple of months.  This awful event somehow turned me back towards reading.  I wasn't able to concentrate enough to read a book and now I can't get enough of reading.  I think it's because I can't stand watching any more on TV, news coverage or shows.  I, like most readers, find escape in my books.  I am thankful to be able to concentrate on them again.

SCHUB229@aol.com
After waiting only 2 hours to find out that our 23 yr old son had survived the Crash/Crumble of the South Trade Center Tower (he worked on the 60th floor) and having watched the entire events live on TV, we have been unable to read much of anything. I am still haunted by night and daymares of these past 2 weeks and have shared the loss of 2 good friends and my son's classmate. We have read the newspapers and our email. Some of our email has been absolutely wonderful and comforting (especially--Is This Normal?), some with good explanations of the teachings of the Koran (Qeran) by Muslim friends, and the need to keep in touch with friends I've met over the years (including an Australian friend I met in 1964 in Egypt and with whom I've had sporadic written contact) has been enough "reading". I'm in the middle of Susan Isaac's new book and each night I pick it up and put it down--unread and unable to concentrate. After the last memorial service, I pledge to go back...

DASharpe@aol.com
In answer to the question about what book may have brought me comfort in the aftermath of the terrorists attacks of September 11, I'd have to say it was the Bible. Actually, in addition to the 5 or 6 books I read annually for pleasure, I read completely through the Bible each year.  This my 17th year in a row of doing that, and it brings me great comfort and great understanding.

Paulasstarr@aol.com
Several days before the attack on the USA, I finished reading A Prayer For Owen Meany.  I have not been able to get it out of my mind.  Owen's great faith helped me get through this very rough time and the first time I was able to laugh after the tragic events of September 11th was when I realized that if asked what he thought about these events, Owen would have simply stated, "Made for TV".

Robertfinn@aol.com
Folks:  You have asked about books that may have brought us "comfort" in the wake of the Sept. 11 tragedy. My suggestion is not quite in that vein, but I think is worth passing on anyway. When this horrific event happened, I went back to one of the most compelling books I have ever read, Eric Hoffer's classic study of fanaticism, THE TRUE BELIEVER. I have read it two or three times over the years, and always found it fascinating. It was published in 1951, so some of it is a bit dated by now, dealing as it does with fanaticism in terms of Naziism and communism, both of them (thank God!) now vanished from the planet. But most of what Hoffer had to say still rings true. And if there was ever a time when we have to try to understand fanaticism, it is right now. Hoffer examines what makes people turn to mass movements, what the conditions are that give rise to them and make them flourish, and how they are sustained. To me it is the definitive treatment of this topic. And Hoffer himself was a fascinating man. Completely self-educated (he never attended college) he had worked as a longshoreman on the west coast among other jobs. He was truly a man who lifted himself up by his own bootstraps -- and, I feel, made a splendid contribution to our understanding of this whole subject. Look into it. My copy of this book is falling apart from years of reading and rereading -- and there is hardly a page that does not have some underlining or some marginal comment scribbled on it.
                                                 
Wannabefireidiot@aol.com
The only book I found myself reading was A Charge To Keep by George W. Bush. For some odd reason I felt as though if this country could possibly be entering into a war of great magnitude, I wanted to find out more about the man who would be/will be leading us through these trying times. While reading this book I always seemed to have one eye on the TV or radio to see if anything was developing with the investigation.

Susmu@aol.com
I just finished reading October Sky by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. It was originally published as Rocket Boys but it's been re-released with the name of the movie that was based on the book. I found it very comforting to read this story of a boy and his dreams for the future. It shows the innocence and insightfulness of adolescence. I loved it.

TARHEELNC@aol.com
Like just about every other American following the horrible tragedy of September 11th, I too had trouble doing anything of an entertainment value.  No music, sports, movies.  Just news programs. Wondering how this could happen, and wondering what would be next.  I had been reading "The Third Option" by Vince Flynn when all hell broke loose that day.  When I finally got back to reading it, just this past weekend, I finished it and I guess my comfort in finishing that book was the hope that the United States has tons of men like Mitch Rapp. Because we are going to need this type of "warrior". God Bless Everyone. God Bless America.

MLWReader@aol.com
Yes, yes a thousand times yes. I could not only read, but I read at least three books. Trans Sister Radio, The High Flyer, Dead Sleep. Were these books spiritual? Not in the traditional sense. But they were spiritual because by reading them, it was a demonstration, to me at least, that I was moving on with my life, that I was focusing on the positive, that I was feeding my soul, that I was bringing some balance to my life. The week of the bombing I had no cable TV because I had just moved, so I was not able to watch endless amounts of television. I found this to be a good thing. What if I had no television? What if I had no telephone? The bombing attack would still have happened, but it would have gone on without me. This is not to say that I am unaffected by this horrible tragedy. I believe that we all are affected, that we all participated in its happening, and we all suffer from the pain of it in varying degrees. I just think that for me, it has to assume a place of importance, and it has to serve as a means to examine my life and my values, but I cannot approach the events from a place of fear. If I do, then I will generate more fear. Soooo, I had season tickets to the Geffen theater here in LA, and I attended the first performance on the Thursday night of the week of the bombing. It was a tasteful little play, and it fed my soul. I meant no disrespect to the victims of the bombing (and remember I believe that we are all affected by the bombing, in varying degrees) but it just seemed right to go to my play. And last week I explored my new neighborhood one night after work, a mere week after the bombing, and I found my local library, and it is a splendid one too. And it has bestsellers to rent for 15 cents a day. Can you imagine how I felt when I saw those shelves of beautiful new bestsellers waiting to be read. I grabbed two of them and checked them out, and had them both read within a week. I took them back tonight and paid $2.10 to the library, what a good deal! I have also read portions of A Course in Miracles, which is my spiritual mainstay, during this time since the bombing. So, I don't think the people who were killed in the bombing would begrudge me my books at a time like this, nor do I believe that their loved ones would either. Whatever gets you through the night, know what I mean? I can remember my father reading a book on the day his mother died. At the time I thought it was pretty strange, but I understand it completely now. (He used to bring Time magazine to midnight mass on Christmas Eve - the only mass he attended all year. I draw the line at that). I hope I haven't offended anyone. My best to all, and thank you TBR, for your wonderful work during all the normal times, and especially now during these extraordinary times. If we all find that our time has come tomorrow, let us go out doing what we love, feeding our souls, and being true to our higher selves.

SessionBL@aol.com
Two books have been great comfort to me in these weeks since we were attacked:
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran and The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer. Just trying to keep things in perspective, and both these help. Of course, I keep hoping this is one long nightmare, or I'm in a coma, and I'll wake up soon to find that none of this was reality.

pnichols@woodruffelectric.com
The Bible.  The Lord brought Psalm 27 to mind in particular.


(c) Copyright 2001, Bookreporter.com. All rights reserved.

Back to top.