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(More customer reviews)Jon Barrett's book on Flight 93 hero Mark Bingham is a magnificent and inspiring tale of heroism in the face of what would be for most of us overwhelming fear and adversity. The emotional tsunami caused by the attacks on September 11, 2001 generated countless stories of outrage and despair, but also many stories of strength and courage. With the one-year anniversary of those September tragedies lurking around the corner it's an appropriate time to read this thoughtful, well-researched and inspiring book of one man's courage in the face of terrorism. If you appreciate the "behind the scenes" aspects of the news, this is a book for you.
I was shocked and sickened a year ago when I first saw Mark's picture on TV and realized that it was the young man who had spent many visits with me in 1990 confiding, sharing and talking with me about life while wrestling with his deepest secret - his sexuality. I posted my memories of him as a farewell to the markbingham.org website his friends established and because of that was contacted by a number of people who wished to interview me about Mark's life in addition to his first peek out of "the closet". I declined all of these requests except Barrett's because of the caliber of his work as a reporter. His article in the December 2001 Advocate is just a taste of this full-length work.
What Jon has done is present an accurate, even-handed and thorough portrait of a young man's life that is as engaging, compelling and entertaining as Mark himself could be. Through extensive insightful interviews with Mark's friends and family (not merely quotes lifted from existing sources as some have tried) the book makes the important point that Bingham was a hero who happened to be gay, and not "just" a Gay Hero.
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Bravery in the face of unimaginable terror prevented greater tragedy on September 11, 2001, when a group of passengers overpowered the hijackers of United Airlines Flight 93. Their heroism and sacrifice inspired us all. One of these passengers was Mark Bingham, a living-out-loud, gregarious, gay man. But who was Mark Bingham really? What was it about this man that caused his friends to unanimously say that he must have been one of the men who rushed the hijackers? The Advocate’s senior news editor Jon Barrett interviewed those who knew him best, starting with the mother who instilled in him the belief that he could be anything, to the friends, lovers, business associates, and rugby teammates who complete the picture of a man determined to never take second place. This is his story, told to remind all Americans that heroism knows no sexuality.Jon Barrett is the senior news editor for The Advocate magazine, and the author of the cover story on Mark Bingham in The Advocate upon which this book is based. He lives in Los Angeles.
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