The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11

An American author and historian, Graff is a distinguished writer who has covered politics, technology, and national security as a magazine journalist and blogger for more than 15 years. In addition, he served as an editor for the Washingtonian and Politico magazines.

Graff has authored multiple nonfiction books that deal with watershed moments in recent US history, such as the 2008 Presidential race, the history of the FBI’s counterterrorism movement, the Watergate Scandal, and the government’s Cold War Doomsday strategy. The Only Plane in the Sky is his fourth book. This book builds on an article Graff wrote for Politico that documented President George W. Bush’s movements on 9/11: “We’re the Only Plane in the Sky” (“Garret M. Graff.” Goodreads, 2024). The book received public and critical acclaim for its unflinching account of 9/11, told through those who experienced the horror firsthand.

The last survivor pulled from the rubble of the collapsed WTC towers, Genelle Guzzman worked on the 64th floor of the North Tower for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. On 9/11, she was working at her desk when Flight 11 hit the North Tower of the WTC. Remembering earthquakes in her country of origin, Trinidad, Guzzman initially thought that an earthquake had hit Manhattan but learned from colleagues that a plane had hit the building.