‘9:11 A Time to Always Remember,’ Poignant Coffee Table Book

Short Stories from Everyday People Revisit Impact Lingering From 9-11

By: Jeff Walker, Book Review

It’s inevitable, but dates and times are imbedded in our psyche. Individually dates and times are hidden on our brains, like birthdays and anniversaries. Whether we learn from history books or actually witness specific events, they become a part of us, forever etched in our memory banks. The attack on Pearl Harbor (Dec 7th, 1941), the day JFK was shot (Nov 22nd, 1963), and the space shuttle Challenger disaster (Jan 28th, 1986) have become such time-honored events.

In the modern era perhaps no such date has become so moving as those that unfolded on September 11th, 2001. Thousands of innocent lives including heroic first responders were lost that day when evil visited the shores of the United States. It’s estimated nearly 3000 people died during the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and with the United Airlines Flight 93 crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Because the date has become so transfixed in our subconscious, many momentarily revisit that day in history when they hear or more commonly see the numbers nine one one or nine eleven. Certainly, the number pops up yearly on the calendar, and often without rhyme or reason the number 911 happens randomly. It could be page number on a document, a scoreboard, or even a receipt total. There’s no escaping the number.

However, whether you are looking at a digital or analog clock 9:11 happens twice a day. In his latest book ‘9:11 A Time to Always Remember’ Jim Serger draws the correlation between seeing the time 9:11 and the date in history it’s most attributed too. The past author of five books, Serger is more of a facilitator on his current project collecting snippets from a wide variety of people, sharing their remembrances of 9-11 and how moving the time 9:11 is too them nearly 21 years removed from that fateful day.

Businesspeople, students, educators, coaches, first responders, and more reflect on how impactful seeing the number 9-11 or time 9:11 on a clock triggers an instant recollection of that fateful day in 2001. Over 90 people young and old from all walks of life offer insightful short stories on on where they were, what they were doing, and who they were with when the tragic news story began to unfold.

A former fireman in the US Navy, a military veteran, husband, father, and lifelong American patriot, Serger’s own words reflect many of those chronicled on the ensuing pages. He adds that most of us have no connection to 12:49, 4:12, or 11:55, but when we see 9:11 on a clock for some it prompts an immediate flashback to September 11th, 2001.

Thousands of people die every day in this country, some due to natural causes, other through senseless acts of overdose, violence, and shootings. The day we lose a cherished member of our family can often stay with us, yet those dates are specific to those immediately impacted.

However, the events that played out on 9-11 and the fact they became constant 24-hour news cycles for weeks and months to follow resonated with hundreds of millions of Americans at the same time. As sad and as horrific as the attacks on our soil were, it did unify the country if even for a short while.

‘9:11 A Time to Always Remember‘ is a somber and heartfelt collection of memories relating to one of the darkest days in the history of the United States. More than two decades removed from that day, patriotic Americans should never forget the assault on our freedom, nor the innocent people including the courageous first responders who lost their lives on that day. There have been numerous books revisiting 9-11, but few as poignant and personal as Serger’s collective.

Printed eloquently in black and white (perhaps to reflect ashes after a fire) with appropriate photographs of timepieces denoting 9:11, Jim Serger’s book is an ideal coffee table book. Perhaps his hope is that those who pick it up will look back in humble homage and remember those we lost, and the countless family members and friends impacted by September 11th, 2001, aka 9-11 or 911.

Set for release on August 15th the hardcover will be available through online and retail outlets including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Walmart stores. Portions of the proceeds go to the much-heralded Tunnel to Towers organization. Visit them at https://t2t.org/ For more on Jim Serger visit his website at https://jimserger.com/

It makes us aware of more historical details when we read books about 9/11. The details should be well recorded and preserved. These details remind us to remember and miss the people who have passed away. On this day, people usually commemorate the victims of the “9•11” incident by observing silence, reading the names of the victims, holding candlelight vigils for volunteer work, and custom challenge coins, etc. Greetings to the affected families. Show appreciation to first responders. You can customie challenge coins at gs-jj.com.

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