To mark the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks, let’s take a step back in time and recall that day— and yes, even how it connects to Gilmore Girls, as one of my main goals in tackling the Rory Gilmore reading challenge to read the books on Gilmore Girls is to connect that time to this one for the show’s many generations of viewers, particularly since I’m close to Rory’s age.
My 9/11 Story
For background, I was a college student in Pennsylvania that day, within a regional radius of all the attacks (a few hours of travel time away). I watched it happen on TV as I got ready for class. Very little was known about what happened or why. As news spread, many New Yorkers frantically ran out of class.
Everything after that felt surreal. I kept calling home from the library for updates (we had computers, but they weren’t really in the moment yet), then overheard students talking about the World Trade Center collapsing, which didn’t feel possible—until I finally saw it myself. That day, it felt like anything bad could happen at any moment, anywhere, which was eerie.
Gilmore Girls on 9/11
Out in California, the Gilmore Girls cast and crew were still working on the first episode of season 2. Scott Cohen, a/k/a Max Medina, recalled in The Gilmore Girls Companion that his wife and son lived just blocks away from the World Trade Center, and the team rallied around him to connect him to them, which was extremely difficult to do— terrible connections; no air travel.
He described the strangeness of the day this way:
“I was living in this fantasy world of Stars Hollow while I’m watching on TV the World Trade Center being destroyed.”
What Happened Next
Life in America forever changed. We were glued to our TVs for news about both the attacks and the impending war. It was a time of both fervent patriotism and lost innocence.
Much was canceled locally and nationally for most of the month, including things like TV and movie releases.
By October, however, the sentiment changed. America wanted escapist entertainment. We needed it. And so did our businesses, like movie theaters.
Gilmore Girls, season 2, episode 1 (“Sadie, Sadie”), aired on October 9, 2001, and media like this became a treasured respite from our grim reality.
It still is. I re-focused my entire brand on the show after becoming overwhelmed by current events and the 24-hour news cycle.
Stars Hollow is not just a place we go for fast talk, fall romance, and book references. It’s also a safe space we go to feel okay when things aren’t okay. September 11 is a glaring reminder of that.
Further Reading
If you want to learn more about 9/11, I highly recommend The Only Plane in the Sky. It’s a minute-by-minute breakdown of the day told completely through the dialogue of five hundred people, from children in distant parts of the United States to the acting President of the United States, George W. Bush. It’s got to be the most thoroughly researched book I have ever read.
It’s fascinating. It’s emotional. It’s raw. And it’s real.
A massive cast of narrators brings the award-winning audiobook to life. It includes many real audio clips from 9/11, so it sometimes feels more like a documentary or a podcast. It’s in the top five audiobooks that I’ve ever listened to.
