A Widow's Walk
A Memoir of 9/11
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4.4 • 14 Ratings
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
A People Magazine Top 10 Book of the Year * “A riveting private narrative…hard to put down.” —Newsweek
On September 11, 2001, Marian Fontana lost her husband, a firefighter from the elite Squad 1 in Brooklyn, in the World Trade Center attack. A Widow's Walk begins that fateful morning, when Marian, a playwright and comedienne, became a widow, a single mother, and an unlikely activist.
On September 11, I dropped my son off at his second full day of kindergarten. The sky was so blue it looked as if it had been ironed. I crossed the street, ordered coffee, and sat to wait for my husband to meet me. It was our eighth wedding anniversary and Dave and I were about to begin a new chapter in our seventeen years together. Sipping coffee, I watched as a line of thick black smoke crept across the sky from Manhattan, oblivious to the fact that my life was about to change forever.
Two weeks after 9/11, the city attempted to close Squad 1, which had suffered the loss of twelve men. Known for her feisty spirit and passionate loyalty, Marian, who was still reeling from her profound loss, began to mobilize the neighborhood to keep the firehouse open. From this unlikely platform the 9/11 Widows and Victims' Families Association grew. Over the next twelve months, Marian struggled with the tragedy's endless ripple effects, from the minute and deeply personal—she wonders who will play Star Wars with her son, Aidan, and carry him on his shoulders; to the collective: she works to get families and widows necessary information about the recovery effort and attends private meetings with Governor Pataki, Mayor Giuliani, Senator Clinton, and Mayor Bloomberg.
Through it all, Marian's irrepressible humor is her best armor, as well as evidence of her buoyant strength. Written with great heart and humanity, A Widow's Walk is a timely opportunity for remembrance and a timeless testament to love's loss and the resilience of the human spirit.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
September 11, 2001, was the eighth anniversary of Fontana's wedding to firefighter Dave they had plans for a night on the town and the second day of kindergarten for their son, Aidan. Dave's last call to her was from the World Trade Tower site after the first plane crashed; he promised to call back in 20 minutes. "This is the worst day of my life," he said. The first chapters of this book follow the grim days of waiting and hoping almost hour by hour, then chronicle the first few of an endless succession of wakes and funerals. Nothing about this widowhood was normal, including its morbid celebrity, the attention of Mayor Giuliani and Senator Clinton and the sometimes predatory media, and the gifts and perks showered on the families. Fontana quickly became a leader in the sisterhood of grieving women (Dave's Brooklyn company, Squad 1, lost 12 men) and is now the president of the 9/11 Widows and Victims' Family Association. Her book is far more personal than political, however, and Fontana's keen eye and ear make for an absorbing account of the first year of coping with historic tragedy. Trained as a comedian and actress, she has been writing skits and monologues since graduating from the High School of Performing Arts, and her observations are colorful, often funny and sometimes merciless. With its built-in drama and pathos and excellent pacing, this book should bring Fontana to the attention of talk shows nationwide.
Customer Reviews
Amazingly written!
I am still reading this book, but I can’t put it down. Actually there have been a couple times I have had to put it down, because I was overwhelmed with sadness, but after I compose myself I have to pick it up again. The way Marian speaks of Dave, herself, and Aidan.... it’s almost like you know them in a way. I have cried so many times reading this. You feel like you are by her side, watching her deal with this incredible loss. I feel angry with her, I feel sad with her. I have had a couple moments that I was so mad that this book even existed, because this never should have happened, and Dave and Marian should be living happily ever after. Her description of Toni Ann at her husbands funeral was one of the times I had to put this book down. The way this book envelops you with the emotions these women were going through, that EVERYONE was going through, is incredible.