in its shadow

Book DESCRIPTION:

At 8:43 am, it was unthinkable. Three minutes later, it was reality.

The day started as a normal day for the people who lived and worked in Manhattan. Then the first of two planes hit the World Trade Center at 8:46 am, shattering Americans' assumptions of domestic peace and safety.

By simple coincidence, author Jodi Graber Pratt, a 48-year-old businesswoman, was at the WTC the morning of 9/11. She initially was only aware of an unearthly sound pressing low over her head. A split second later, the North Tower was savagely ripped open and burst into flames above her.

This was just the beginning of the devastation that would follow.

Imprisoned within Manhattan for several excruciating days after the attacks, she found herself in an alternate USA, where assumptions about security, safety, and freedom were suspended. Anguish and despair gripped New York and the United States, where terrorism was, now, more than merely a threat.

The experience triggered a multi-year process of recall and evaluation to reflect on how the United States—and especially the country's leadership—reacted to the destruction and murder of 9/11. These pages will take you into the moments of those first days, months and, finally, years that raised questions such as: What is the government’s role in our lives? Are we choosing the right people for leadership? Do traditional American values, ideals, democracy and morality still apply in America today?

America, what could she be—what should she be—and what will shape her future?

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…a truly excellent work of memoir and governmental thinking which allows us to compare attitudes of modern America with those of not so long ago… I would definitely recommend In its Shadow: A 9/11 Memoir to anyone looking to explore this tragic event in more detail, and from an eloquent first-hand perspective.
— K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite

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Pratt’s debut memoir offers readers a firsthand account of many familiar images of 9/11... employ[ing] deft description to make complicated emotional reactions more easily understandable... a personal and harrowing account.
— Kirkus Reviews

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Author Jodi Pratt takes you there...it’s anguishing to feel it yourself, through Jodi’s clear prose. But, it’s also a surprisingly hopeful book...
— Karen Dustman, author of Writing Your Memoir: From Stuck to Finished

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING:

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A Terrible Story … Beautifully told!
— B.J., 5-Star Amazon Review

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… I was totally immersed in her book and couldn’t put it down, feeling and experiencing with her, as if I was at her side …Yet, the insights and thoughts she imparts are so needed. Jodi’s book put a lot in perspective for me. Our democracy is always at stake.
— R.A., 5-Star Amazon Review

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A book that captivates you through the story and challenges your everyday way of thinking … I was surprisingly intrigued by the way she was able to capture how her mind (the Analyst/the Survivor) was processing, and not processing … Good read for every American and especially those dealing with traumatic events.
— R.F., 5-Star Amazon Review

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I felt Jodi was right here with me sharing her heart and soul. Her descriptions and detail kept me turning the pages. Her prose salved some wounds that I had no clue I was still harboring.
— M.M., 5-Star Amazon Review

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… Reading a first hand account of someone who was there and saw the devastation first hand was spell-binding … Couldn’t put it down …
— D.W., 5-Star Amazon Review

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… she does not mince words or withhold the truth about the emotional and physical challenges that presented themselves on that fateful day. She unabashedly reflects on how the experience changed her and also shared insight and hope for political and social reform. A truly great read!
— J.R., 5-Star Amazon Review

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… Jodi bravely and exquisitely chronicles that day … From her own post-9/11 process, she guides the reader to a “what now?” question … [she] compels us to ask critical questions about our country and its leadership.
— M.H., 5-Star Amazon Review

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…Her memoir is short, powerful retelling of that day and the days that followed, along with some reflections on what 9/11 has meant for her and the country since. Highly recommended.
— J.B., 5-Star Amazon Review

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This account … is so rich in detail that you feel you are actually there in person and experiencing the horror with her … [it] gives you a real understanding of what it was like to be caught in the events of that terrible day. In trying to work through her own emotional shock … she manages to find meaning and purpose for the future.
— R.J., 5-Star Amazon Review