Book Review - Life is Too Short

About the Book

Sept. 11, 2011  will be a significant day of remembrance and an emotional time for our country. A decade ago a series of unfathomable events changed our lives forever. Many of the survivors, and those who worked with the 9/11 recovery and healing efforts, have been transformed by the tragedy.

In Life is Too Short author Wendy Stark Healy tells the story of people—pastors, disaster response staff, mental health counselors, case managers, and those who worked in and around the Wall Street area—who survived horrific events and have gone on to change their lives after 9/11 for the better.

Today many are working in new careers, living in new locations, and being guided by new mindsets and philosophies. As they look back on their lives since 9/11, they see how God was at work.

From a pastor who blessed body parts at Ground Zero and went on to become a mental health counselor, to a woman who survived 9/11 only to return home to New Orleans and lose everything in Hurricane Katrina, to a banker who now runs the September 11 Families Association, Healy chronicles the stories of renewal and faith. 

"Wendy Healy has written a fine book that reminds us of the good that rose in the face of absolute evil on 9/11 and the stunned days that followed. We now too often forget that good, but Ms. Healy's book is here to remind us with quiet words of truth. Once reminded, we feel it again and it is all the more welcome to those of us who still grieve those who were lost."
—Michael Daly, New York Daily News

"Wendy Healy is just in time for the upcoming ten-year anniversary of 9/11 with a moving account of survivors of that day and their stories. While we learn much from studies and accurate reporting on what lead up to the terrorist attack on the towers that day, the personal accounts of the horror and suffering, but yet, too, the bravery, courage and will to survive are great lessons for us all. This captures the years of struggle and lives of those who survived that day—a marvelous book."
—Michael Plekon, Ph.D., Sociology/Anthropology Professor, Baruch College of the City University of New York

 “I lost my father, Jeffrey E LeVeen Sr., who was a senior vice president at Cantor Fitzgerald, and know the pain of working through grief, the fears of returning to the workplace, and the struggle to reclaim our lives. I know firsthand how difficult it is to move forward from personal tragedy. The stories of those affected by 9/11 in Life is Too Short are truly an inspiration to 9/11 survivors and anyone who has suffered a loss. Moving on after a tragedy like this is a true challenge and these stories capture the spirit of those struggles.”
 —Jeffrey E. LeVeen Jr

About the Author

Wendy Stark Healy was the communications director for Lutheran Disaster Response of New York, a non-profit agency that helped those affected by September 11, and for the Lutheran Bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod. A lifelong journalist, writer and marketing communications expert, she has run her own public relations and communications agency, Griffin Communications, since 1990. Since her early days writing features for several newspapers in New York and Connecticut, she continues to enjoy telling people's stories. She lives with her husband, Ken, and two rescue Dalmatians—Toby and Summer —in Connecticut.

My Take on the BookSeptember 11, 2011 is a day that I will not forget. It was the day that all of us will remember, but for me it was the day that my wife and I also lost someone that we knew on one of the planes that crashed into the twin towers. 



The events of 9/11 impacted so many, especially those that were at ground zero. In reading this book this book I was amazed at the wonderful things that these people accomplished after 9/11 and the remarkable things that these people did were inspiring and motivating.  


You are taken from the first days after 9/11 each chapter is written by the individual impacted and then shared with the audience from their intimate perspective.


This was a short, engaging and great book that was easy to read and was one that I would highly recommend!




All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.  
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