New Book Reveals Remarkable Story of Newark Hotel Guests Following 9/11
Chicago, IL, August 19, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Chicago attorney Mark Paulson just wanted to get back home. But in the panicked days after Sept. 11, 2001, that was next to impossible. So, like hundreds of others just like him, he holed up inside a hotel near Newark International Airport, unable even to leave without forfeiting his temporary residence. Now, the remarkable story of what happened next—and the ad hoc community that sprouted up in the hotel’s lounges and lobbies is finally being told in “9/11 and Home,” an eye-opening, highly personal, and surprisingly funny new memoir just published by Outskirts Press.
Available through the OP online store at www.outskirtspress.com/store.php, Amazon.com and other online outlets and bookstores, “9/11 and Home” chronicles that chaotic time through the sometimes touching, sometimes maddening—but always revealing—encounters between Paulson and other stranded travelers from all over the world. Almost immediately, this group of perfect strangers helps one another reach loved ones, commiserate, and just generally cope with the reality of the terrorist attacks. But the tragedy unfolding across New York Harbor eventually forms only the backdrop for what happens next: the development of temporary and life-long friendships, as well as frustrating flashpoints, that turn the hotel into a laboratory for exploring the human condition.
With an observant eye for detail and an ear for crackling dialogue, Paulson recounts the memorable cast of characters that populates the rooms and public spaces of the Newark Airport and Ambassador Hotel: There’s Ian, a San Francisco techie who’s trying desperately to reach his missing fiancé, who works in the World Trade Center; Billy, the drug dealer who supplies the patrons’ endless appetite for pot; and Jennine, his gorgeous girlfriend with an acerbic wit that puts Paulson on his toes. Not to mention the rogue’s gallery of cops, agents and G-men who enforce the hotel’s “no-return policy.” In beer- and marijuana-fueled conversations, the guests ruminate on issues large and small; most important, they ask each other, “What’s your story,” documenting the wide range of experiences that brought them together at this unique moment in history.
But in their common experience, those profiled in “9/11 and Home” are also creating new stories, sharing triumphs, tragedies and challenges while forging a “home” in the most inhospitable of circumstances. More a book about human relationships and place than 9/11, “9/11 and Home” explores what home actually is, what it means to Americans and how impressions of it differ. It’s a wholly different type of book than what’s been written previously about 9/11—focusing not on the tragedy per se but rather on those ordinary people thrown together because of it, with a hefty dose of wit mixed in for good measure. Through it all, Paulson offers a highly digressive and genre-bending narrative touching on everything from politics and religion to sex and race that, like the tragic events themselves, readers won’t soon forget.
“9/11 and Home” is now available through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and the online bookstore of Outskirts Press, at outskirtspress.com/store.php.
Book Information
ISBN: 978-1-4327-2111-4
Format: 5.5x8.5 paperback/5.5x8.5 hardback w/jacket Pages: 228
SRP: US$13.95/$23.95 Genre: Humorous
About the Author: Mark Paulson was born and raised in Decatur, Illinois, and has lived in Chicago since 1987. He is a lawyer and partner in a large Chicago litigation firm he started with in 1991. Prior to beginning his legal career, Paulson worked on-air in radio news and programming while attending, and later graduating from, the Radio/Television program at Southern Illinois University.
About Outskirts Press, Inc.: Outskirts Press, Inc. offers full-service, custom self-publishing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available for authors globally at www.outskirtspress.com and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press represents the future of book publishing, today.
Author Contact: Visit him on the Web at www.outskirtspress.com/911andHome or email him at mpaulson@clauen.com.
###
Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd - 515, Parker, Colorado 80134
http://outskirtspress.com — 1-888-OP-BOOKS
Available through the OP online store at www.outskirtspress.com/store.php, Amazon.com and other online outlets and bookstores, “9/11 and Home” chronicles that chaotic time through the sometimes touching, sometimes maddening—but always revealing—encounters between Paulson and other stranded travelers from all over the world. Almost immediately, this group of perfect strangers helps one another reach loved ones, commiserate, and just generally cope with the reality of the terrorist attacks. But the tragedy unfolding across New York Harbor eventually forms only the backdrop for what happens next: the development of temporary and life-long friendships, as well as frustrating flashpoints, that turn the hotel into a laboratory for exploring the human condition.
With an observant eye for detail and an ear for crackling dialogue, Paulson recounts the memorable cast of characters that populates the rooms and public spaces of the Newark Airport and Ambassador Hotel: There’s Ian, a San Francisco techie who’s trying desperately to reach his missing fiancé, who works in the World Trade Center; Billy, the drug dealer who supplies the patrons’ endless appetite for pot; and Jennine, his gorgeous girlfriend with an acerbic wit that puts Paulson on his toes. Not to mention the rogue’s gallery of cops, agents and G-men who enforce the hotel’s “no-return policy.” In beer- and marijuana-fueled conversations, the guests ruminate on issues large and small; most important, they ask each other, “What’s your story,” documenting the wide range of experiences that brought them together at this unique moment in history.
But in their common experience, those profiled in “9/11 and Home” are also creating new stories, sharing triumphs, tragedies and challenges while forging a “home” in the most inhospitable of circumstances. More a book about human relationships and place than 9/11, “9/11 and Home” explores what home actually is, what it means to Americans and how impressions of it differ. It’s a wholly different type of book than what’s been written previously about 9/11—focusing not on the tragedy per se but rather on those ordinary people thrown together because of it, with a hefty dose of wit mixed in for good measure. Through it all, Paulson offers a highly digressive and genre-bending narrative touching on everything from politics and religion to sex and race that, like the tragic events themselves, readers won’t soon forget.
“9/11 and Home” is now available through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and the online bookstore of Outskirts Press, at outskirtspress.com/store.php.
Book Information
ISBN: 978-1-4327-2111-4
Format: 5.5x8.5 paperback/5.5x8.5 hardback w/jacket Pages: 228
SRP: US$13.95/$23.95 Genre: Humorous
About the Author: Mark Paulson was born and raised in Decatur, Illinois, and has lived in Chicago since 1987. He is a lawyer and partner in a large Chicago litigation firm he started with in 1991. Prior to beginning his legal career, Paulson worked on-air in radio news and programming while attending, and later graduating from, the Radio/Television program at Southern Illinois University.
About Outskirts Press, Inc.: Outskirts Press, Inc. offers full-service, custom self-publishing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available for authors globally at www.outskirtspress.com and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press represents the future of book publishing, today.
Author Contact: Visit him on the Web at www.outskirtspress.com/911andHome or email him at mpaulson@clauen.com.
###
Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd - 515, Parker, Colorado 80134
http://outskirtspress.com — 1-888-OP-BOOKS
Contact
Outskirts Press, Inc.
Jeanine Sampson
888.672.6657 ext. 704
www.outskirtspress.com
Jeanine Sampson
888.672.6657 ext. 704
www.outskirtspress.com
Contact
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