Chasing Butterflies: The True Story of a Daughter of 9/11

Winner of 2021 BEST MEMOIR AWARD, Indies Today: “You won’t be able to put this book down.”

Ashley Bisman was in a high school history class the morning of September 11th when students whispered of planes crashing, fire, and terrorists. She bolted from her seat, sprinting through narrow school hallways leading to the main office. A television on the wall broadcast flames bursting from the skyscrapers, and her body went numb: her father worked on the 101st floor of Tower 1, and instinctively she knew she would never see him alive again. Jeff Goldflam was not found – the only surviving article discovered in the devastation was his credit card.
CHASING BUTTERFLIES, among the first published memoirs of a child of 9/11, is both Ashley’s love letter to her father and the story of how a teen, and then a young adult, struggled to retain what had been her “normal” life prior to the attacks. It also recounts Ashley’s fight to define herself, resisting society’s inclination to simply profile her as a World Trade Center victim. As a grown woman, Ashley searches for success and love in the very city where her father was killed. Her quest to find a meaningful relationship – dating faux pas, cocktails, and girls nights out – leads her downtown to the very place she swore to never step foot in again. Would it still be possible to create a life and legacy that would make her father proud?

A portion of the proceeds from reader purchases will be donated to Tuesday’s Children, a charitable organization serving families forever changed by terrorism, military conflict or mass violence.

On my book shelf today:

What a story to be told! We all have memories of 9/11 but to hear it directly from a child who lost her father is eye opening and should be read by all. Not only does she share the intimate details both her and her family had suffered, but we also get to go through her journey as a young adult finding herself and love while showing so much strength and sharing those real details of what it’s like to date in NYC. I laughed and cried as the author does a brilliant job showing both sides in such a relatable way and I felt like I was with her the entire way. I could not put this book down, a must read!