Women at Ground Zero
a testament to THE HEALING POWER OF STORIES
in 2002, a year after the attack on the World Trade Center, my co-author, Mary Carouba, and I invited 30 female first responders from New York City to California’s wine country for an all-expense-paid week of rest and recognition. While they really didn’t know each other yet, these women were already connected through the stories we wove together in our book, Women at Ground Zero: Stories of Courage and Compassion. The book had just been published by Penguin Putnam, and we wanted to give them a chance to meet.
Years later we realized that, in first telling their stories to us, then having them made public in the book, and later forming strong bonds with each other by sharing these experiences, many found a common path to rebuilding their lives and careers after 9/11. Now, two decades later, their journey is a testament to the healing power of story. It also remains a potent seed for the women’s writing programs I offer today.
Women at Ground Zero:
Stories of Courage and Compassion
By Susan Hagen and Mary Carouba
After the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the media portrayed New York City’s first responders as “firemen, policemen, brothers” and “our brave guys.” But what they didn’t show were the thousands of women who also responded to Ground Zero to contain the fires, rescue civilians, provide emergency medical care, and protect a city under attack.
In this book, 30 female first responders tell us in their own words what they saw, felt, and did when they arrived on scene of a tragedy that killed nearly 3,000 people and became the single deadliest incident for firefighters and police officers in the history of the United States. Their stories are filled with emotion, immediacy, and timeless messages of love.
Softcover: $25 (includes domestic shipping )
Limited Edition Hardcover: $60 (includes domestic shipping)
Please add a note on your contact form if you would like me to autograph your copy.
“These women are courageous storytellers. Their voices make up a powerful chorus. By expressing their vulnerability and their pain, they offer the opportunity for a city and a nation itself to heal.”
– Santa Rosa Press Democrat
JoAnn Spreen, NYPD
Women at Ground Zero:
Finding the Stories
When my co-author and I boarded a plane for New York City just weeks after 9/11, I did my best to transform fear into purpose and resolve. Nowhere in the news had we heard a single woman’s story, nor seen the face of a single female rescue worker. We knew we had to find those stories.
Tracy Lewis, FDNY
Women at Ground Zero:
Respite in California
About a year after 9/11, as the book was about to be released, we wanted to do something to thank and honor the women who were about to share their stories with the world. We ended up inviting all 30 of them to the quintessential wine country town of Healdsburg, California, for a week of rest and recognition.
Maureen Schulman, FDNY
Women at Ground Zero:
Reader Reviews
“I couldn’t put this book down,” one of our readers from Sonoma, CA wrote. “Through the voices of these women, I felt as though I was there with them on that day and the days that followed. I also felt as though I was being told their stories in their own living rooms, directly from their hearts.”
Sue Keane, Port Authority PD
Women at Ground Zero:
Scholarship Fund
The Women at Ground Zero Scholarship Fund provides three $700 scholarships per year to students enrolled in fire, police, and EMS programs at the Public Safety Training Center at Santa Rosa Junior College in Northern California. The funds are designated for textbooks, uniforms, and safety gear.
Would you like to hear more of the story?
Invite me to speak to your group.
It’s always my honor and privilege to share the story of the Women at Ground Zero Project with groups and organizations looking for inspiring stories. Since the publication of our book, my co-author and I have addressed numerous conferences of public safety professionals, service organizations, business leaders, and others.
Today, I share my personal experiences of this life-changing journey, along with positive life lessons I’ve learned along the way. My presentation includes anecdotes from early expeditions to post-9/11 New York City, the California gathering that brought healing to first responders a continent away, and an update on how some of the women featured in the book are doing today.
Please let me know if you’d like to schedule a speaking engagement.
“Your presentation to the American Association of University Women at our California State Convention inspired and energized us. You and Mary are to be commended for making sure that these stories are recorded in our history.”
– Sue Cochran, President, AAUW California
Book Reviews
Many books written about tragedies tend to candy coat the events. They glamorize what took place in order to sell more copies. Women at Ground Zero doesn’t do that. And that’s why it works.
Almogordo Daily News
In the manner of Studs Terkel, the authors wisely let their 30 subjects talk uninterrupted and at length. The power is in the minute-by-minute graphic accounts of these women doing their jobs.
San Jose Mercury News
These women are courageous storytellers. Their voices make up a powerful chorus. By expressing their vulnerability and their pain, these women offer the opportunity for a city and a nation itself to heal.
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
These stories convey the triumph of the human spirit despite adversity. And they weave a tragic, unfathomable tale packed with gripping first-person dialogue.
Chicago Tribune
“These women divulge. They summon details. Their capacity for wonder and doubt – and their willingness to express it – fills the book.”
The Washington Post
Women at Ground Zero is a moving book that adds significantly to the stories of bravery spurred by the tragedy.
New York Daily News