... I came upon this book dominoes style ;) I'd read a number of 9-11 books, one being "The Day The World Came To Town" about so many planes being directed to land in Gander, and how the community stepped up to care for the "plane people"  ... I read that book June 2023, a year ago. I can't remember if "Kevin T" was mentioned, if his story or any interviews from him were included. The Broadway tour of the Come From Away musical was touring, and would be in my area April 2024. I mentioned it to Hubs ... and he booked us tickets. Jim Defede's book was really my only information on Gander, I didn't know the music or how the musical would play out. 

Jump to April 2024 and we went to see the show. Really liked it. I found out the a filmed version of the Broadway play had been made for AppleTV ... so I watched it. Even though I'd just seen the musical, and it was basically an exact repeat (many of the same actors even), I appreciated the filmed version. I had subtitles help me catch every word, and close ups, and views from the back and the side. While I almost always have an audiobook in my ear, I went ahead and listened to the soundtrack a few times. 

I discovered the book Come From Away: An Inside Look at the Hit Musical ... it actually IS in audiobook format (but not at my library, I might splurge and get it from Audible and give it a listen,  as it features many of the actors/individuals, which would be interesting) ... I bought a hardcopy, and there were so many pictures, and background stories, and, basically the script from the musical. Loved it! In it, when talking about one of the people, Kevin Tuerff (the real person, and the portrayal in the musical) it was mentioned he'd written his own book ... so THAT'S how I found this. It was available on Hoopla and Libby (alas, not Kindle ... unless I wanted to pay $10 to buy it). It bumped its way onto my TBR, right to the top. 

In some ways, parts (at the beginning) felt a little repetitive, based on the fact that I'd just read similar information (basics about Gander/the airport, the day) in the Come From Away book, and maybe even remembered some from "The Day The World Came To Town" ...  and of course from the musical itself. It was really interesting to get more of an individual approach (although he still discusses others), to see it all from ONE person's eyes. Interesting to note some of the differences (creative license taken in the musical, like making the Kevin 1 character from San Diego, not Houston, because there was already such a large Texas presence in the characters). 

If you follow my reviews at all, you might note I'm a Table of Contents snob ... I liked having the chapter headers included in the TOC in the ebook and audiobook, as they provide a reference and review. Nine chapters, a foreword,  a prologue, and an epilogue

The foreword is by the mayor of Gander, Claude ... I wish he could have recorded it himself. It makes it so much more personal. My mind balks at having the same voice (here, the author) read a first person statement from someone else, then narrate their own story. I need different voices. Also, in both print and especially audio, I really wish they would put the credit/reference at the beginning (so I know WHO is talking, not have to wait for that info to be given at the end). 

Prologue - just a quick 9-11/Gander intro ... It All Starts With Kindness
1. September 11: Stuck on the Tarmac
2. September 11: The Terrible News
3. September 11-12: Where Am I and Who are These Nice People?
4. September 13: We stink and We Want to Go Home
5. September 14: Deja Vu - Back in France
6. One Year Later: Pay it Forward
7. Ten Years Later: The Return to Gander
8. What Now? Kindness and Refugees
9. 10 Tips for Encouraging Kindness
Epilogue: When Your 9/11 Story Becomes a Broadway Musical

See how helpful that TOC is? So chapters 1-4 were things covered in the other books/musical, and then as soon as Kevin left Gander, then it's mostly new stuff (although some of the 9/11 Pay It Forward initiative was also discussed in the Come From Away book.  

...and Evan ... I didn't see a clarification here, I thought his boyfriend really WAS named Kevin too. Originally to preserve privacy issues, the musical had changed it to Collin (per footnote in that  book), but then after the other Kevin's okay, it was switched back to Kevin. So I was unsure why "Evan" was used here? This book lists the general "some names have been changed" ... but if this didn't come out until after the musical, it seems like protecting Kevin/Evan's privacy would be a moot point, unless I guess KevinT would have needed KevinJ's permission for this work separately?

Per the title ... the religious song "Channel of Peace" is key to Kevin's story. Religion gets a bit more press than one might think (especially as early on the author talks about after coming out, his church didn't welcome/support him).  I don't know that I'd been familiar with the song before the musical ... but let me tell you, it runs through me head SO much now! Especially while reading Come From Away and this book. 

It was interesting to learn more of the Pay it Forward movement ... that it was partially based on the book by Catherine Ryan Hyde. I've read quite a few books by Hyde, and looking further, I remember watching the movie based on the book (although it was a long time ago, I don't really remember it). Unlike the majority of Hyde's books which are included in KindleUnlimited, this one is not. It is going on my TBR (but I'll wait until my KU subscription runs out, gotta use it while I can).  Another domino book ... :) 

I thought this brought up some great things to think about - featuring kindness and doing good, the plight of refugees. I remember once being at a grocery store and a young mother with a toddler had an issue paying (forgot wallet, didn't have enough). I had that moment of "I could pay for her groceries!" trying to eyeball how much it might add up to, if that was something I could do, but I didn't move fast enough and she left, without her groceries saying she'd try to come back. It was something that stayed with me, that I could have stepped up, and would she have let me, and how would we both have felt, and that I would have totally said "just pay it forward when you can" ... remembering a teacher who helped me out in my younger years. I still wish I'd been a little more proactive on that one. 

So while this wasn't a literary masterpiece, I'm really glad it popped up for me. It's all wrapped up in my "Come From Away" experience.