Where You Left Me, a 5-Star Read

It’s difficult to believe that the ten year anniversary of 9/11 is approaching. I’m sure that all of us remember the events of that day like they happened yesterday. I was working with a first grade student. When we came out of the room, I saw the guidance counselor and nurse glued to the television, watching the towers fall and the pentagon burn. I immediately gave thanks that my father had left an assignment at the pentagon months before. It was surreal, and I remember feeling like the world had turned upside down. I was twenty weeks pregnant and two days away from finding out the gender of my first baby. For weeks, my stomach was in knots, worried about bringing a precious little one into such uncertainty.

Of course, my experience pales in comparison to the nightmare of those who lost loved ones that day. While all of us grieved, we can only imagine the heartache of those who said good-bye to husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, and children on the morning of 9/11, and never saw them again. In Where You Left Me, Jennifer Gardner Trulson tells her story. Madly in love with her husband, and blessed with of two beautiful children, Jennifer’s life was perfect. On the morning of September 11, 2001, Jennifer’s husband Doug kissed them all good-bye, and then he was gone. As Jennifer dropped her son off for his first day of preschool, she was blissfully unaware when the planes hit the towers. After being told that something had happened at the World Trade Center, Jennifer watched the towers collapse on television, and she knew immediately that Doug was dead.

Doug Gardner worked for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 105th floor of the North Tower. He was one of 658 Cantor employees to die that day, so Jennifer lost her husband as well as many, many friends. In the pages of Where You Left Me, Jennifer relates the details from the days and months that followed the attacks in a touching and poignant manner. She vividly shares the range of emotions she experienced: despondency, grief, anger, love, and even moments of joy and laughter. Ultimately, Jennifer finds hope and a new life. I was initally jarred by the timing of her new relationship, but Jennifer manages to move forward while continuing to honor the memory of her beloved husband.

I couldn’t put this book down. With her direct and honest style, Jennifer writes as though she is sharing this story with a friend. I laughed, cried, and remembered. This is a memoir worth reading, and I highly recommend it. With the anniversary approaching, we can’t help but recollect our feelings and experiences, and I am thankful that Jennifer took the time to share her story of loss, her story of resiliency, and her story of hope. We should never forget.

This memoir is so touching and relevant that I am adding it to the 5 Star Reads list at 5 Minutes for Books. Click over to see other titles that have earned this position.

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Lauren is a wife, mother of two, and an avid reader. She blogs at Baseballs and Bows.