Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11: A gripping biography of triumph over tragedy

by Mitchell Zuckoff

Stan tried again, half-jumping and half-scrambling up the wall, his new rubber-soled shoes helping him gain traction. When Stan reached his apex, Brian hooked him and slung him over the wall. They fell backward in a heap, off the upturned desk and into a debris pile, with Brian on his back and Stan atop him. Overcome with emotion, Stan planted a kiss on Brian’s cheek. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Brian said, pulling back. He stood, brushed himself off, and straightened the tie he incongruously still wore. “I’m Brian,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m Stanley. We’ll be brothers for life.” The stranger’s comment touched Brian, an only child who’d always wanted a sibling. Brian noticed that during his exertions he’d cut his right palm, too. To his surprise, and Stan’s as well, Brian took Stan’s wounded hand and pressed it against his. “In fact,” Brian said, “we’ll be blood brothers for life.” Their bond sealed, Brian draped his arm around Stan’s shoulder. “Let’s go home.”