Life Detonated

What an interesting book. Sad but inspiring as well. Great read!

This book was given to me from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Very powerful book. It was hard to put down. I recommend!

​When I read the excerpt of this in Buzz Books 2017 Fall/Winter by Publishers Lunch (available on NetGalley at https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/112654) I was very intrigued by the story: Kathleen's survival after such a tragic event; honouring Brian's memory and the mission to obtain justice; and the relationship she developed with Julie Busic. I was saddened to realise the outcome: that Julie had been using Kathleen, but at least it had in someway been useful or cathartic for Kathleen. And it is a travesty to never understand or discover what happened that day; why the bomb exploded, but any disappointment I might have about that of course pales into insignificance against the sadness and helplessness Kathleen must've felt, or still feels, about this! There were a couple of points where Kathleen refers to parts of her history as if they've been mentioned already in the book, but either they weren't (perhaps they had been cut in the writing process?) or I just missed them, which was a shame. Overall, I was quite enthralled with the truth of Brian, Kathleen and everyone connected to them. Thank you for sharing!

Kathleen Murray Moran has so much courage. It shines from every page of this book. The loss of Brian has driven her to do so much in her life. Her story is fascinating and deserves to be read. She has achieved so much in her life and I am so glad that she found happiness again with James. She deserves it. I hope this book is widely read and does well. It deserves to.

Kathleen Moran is a model for how to live life in a complex society, where justice doesn't always find its way to those who serve us most and best. Her story is compelling, especially because it is true.

An engrossing and captivating read. Each page and word placed perfectly.
Enjoyed it thoroughly.

What an interesting, amazing, inspiring life Kathleen Murray Moran has led. She starts out by detailing her husband's death, interspersed with his "saving" her from a childhood reminiscent of Jeanette Walls's [book:The Glass Castle|7445] or Frank McCourt's [book:Angela's Ashes|252577].

As life continues on around her, she manages to pass and update new laws, get degrees, find love, add to her family, manage a household, and create a questionable friendship. Overall, this is a fantastic read. It's heartbreaking in the beginning, but by the middle, you are seeing Kathy as more than just a widow.

Fascinating story. Her life, her family, her childhood. Remarkable resilience.
A woman who could have been a bitter victim became a shining beacon.
This story was amazing, all the more for it's truth. Kathleen Murray Moran changed the world and then wrote a book about it. I am awed.

This book was so good and once I started it, I could not put it down. The author, whose life story it is, Kathleen Moran is such an amazing woman who has had an amazing life and is a very strong woman. Her memoir is full of her life experiences: a difficult childhood, meeting her husband--a real life prince charming, surviving the emotional trauma of losing her husband to a terror attack, then continuing on with her life in the aftermath while also managing to pass and update laws related to the tragic event that took her husband's life. An absolutely inspiring woman with a very interesting life. Loved this book and highly recommend it!

Life Detonated is such a good story. The writing flows so smoothly. The author describes her life as a widow and the struggles she endured. She also revealed her tough childhood. Moran also reveals how she coped after her husband' death and took on the NYC system to have questions answered. Through it all, she persevered.

Life Detonated is a stellar memoir about loss and the tenacity of survivors. Moran lost her husband in the first 9-11 bombing. No, not the Twin Towers, but the one years before when two Croatian terrorists planted a bomb at Grand Central Station on September 11, 1976, to distract authorities from their hijacking of TWA flight 355. Her firefighter husband, Brian, was part of the NYPD bomb squad tasked with defusing the device when it went off, killing him.

Moran uses deep memory, newspaper articles, letters, and witnesses to go back over the events that took him from her. She also deftly moves back and forth from her impoverished childhood in New York to current events, creating a satisfying memoir of an incredibly introspective person. No spoilers, but one of the saddest and hardest learned lessons for her is learning which people to trust. Well worth reading.