In his revealing book, When the Walls Came Down, Ken Greene, former Assistant Director of Aviation at the Port Authority, who received that agency's Civilian Commendation Medal for his heroism on the day of the 9/11 attack, speaks out about life in America before, during and after the World Trade Center tower walls fell.
"A lot changed on that day," Ken recalls. "If only for a brief moment, the walls of prejudice, ignorance, and division came down. As we helped each other, no one cared about race, color or religion. We were simply people doing everything we could to assist one another through an unimaginable crisis. We all became true Americans.
However, since that timeframe, according to Greene, much of America has regressed to a pre-9/11 mindset, and a valuable opportunity to include and heal everyone's pain was lost. "There's a reality that no coverage or commission can ever quite capture, and that's how the day's events and their aftermath directly impact those of us who were already and continue living a different reality from the mainstream," he adds.
While the attacks have since become the nation's most documented and discussed event, first hand survivor accounts of what happened on that day are rare. Even harder to find are media coverage of or accounts from an African American perspective. Ken's account, featuring a chilling, detailed moment-by-moment re-telling of the painstaking walk down the stairs, of being inside the tower when it fell, and of going back inside to help others, is one not many can tell. Few people who were inside the tower when it fell actually escaped. Ken Greene is perhaps the only such survivor with the Port Authority work experience, the background, historical information and ability to put the day's events into perspective to tell a truly untold story.
When the Walls Came Down is a riveting documentary, timeless historical account, enlightened observation and critical analysis of American life from a truly rare perspective. It's a personal story of heroism and triumph dealing with walls that existed well before that tragic day, and that for some, still remain. Yes, as a black man in corporate America, Ken Greene's September 11, 2001 began as any other day. By 10:28am, much more than the World Trade Center walls around him had crashed. But, according to Greene, some walls just don't stay down.
When the Walls Came Down (ISBN: 0974531367; $16.95) is published by the Passion Profit Company, a publisher for people with powerful stories to tell! Learn more at www.passionprofit.com/walls
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