A Decade of Hope is a follow-up to Smith's Report from Ground Zero, which was written shortly after the 9/11 attacks and chronicled the rescue efforts. Scheduled to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the tragedy, this book is a collection of interviews with survivors and those who lost loved ones. Firefighters are well represented among the stories, which isn't surprising given Dennis Smith is also the author of Report from Engine Co. 82 and a former firefighter. But he's spoken to an array of people: Michael Burke, who tells about his fight for what he sees as a fitting memorial for his brother; Rudy Abad, a Muslim who lost her son, an EMT, when he rushed to the WTC to help; the MacRaes, who lost their daughter Cat, a recent college grad working for a financial company.
The result is somewhat disorganized, with no solid narrative; instead, it's a raw, brutal testament to lives lost on 9/11. Nor does the book steer clear of controversy. Some of the interviewees have thrown themselves into activism in the decade since the attacks, and their views are presented unfiltered and without comment. The so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" is referenced by several of the contributors (often unfavorably). Sally Regenhard, who lost her son, criticizes the Port Authority's lack of adherence to code. But Smith also offers uplifting stories like that of Captain Jay Jonas, whose crew stopped to rescue an elderly woman and so were sheltered in a central stairwell when the North Tower collapsed. A Decade of Hope doesn't make for easy reading, but it does bear witness to the lingering effects of a tragedy both national and intensely personal. --Kelly Faircloth, freelance writer