On Top of the World: Cantor Fitzgerald, Howard Lutnick, and 9/11: A Story of Loss and Renewal

9/11 WTC aftermath book focused on the loss of the vicitms at the top floors of north tower the offices of Cantor Fitzgerald from floors 101-105. Overall, the book it was emotionally gripping,but not particularly mournful bc the book didn’t talk much about the events that transpired during the 102 minutes of the collapse of the north tower nor on the petrifying heartwrenching final parting words of the victims of Cantor Fitzgerald. This book from how i viewed it was about the financial chaos,post traumatic stress, overwhelming confusion with legal matters and the extremely challenging issues that arised at Cantor & Fitzgerald and extended to the families of the victims in the wake of 9/11. I didn’t like that the book focused so much on the financial aspect. The whole thing of the families fighting to receive what they felt was the fair amount of money, It must have been so awful for everyone involved & i feel bad that they had to struggle with such a horrific ordeal. Some people suffered so much in the aftermath bc it was such a mess at Cantor bc they had by far the greatest loss all their employees died they were trapped. Honestly,i prefer the other non fiction about the 9/11 WTC events bc i connected more to the stories, they focus more on the last words of the victims and let’s me know more of what happened during the last minutes,but for readers who want to know more about the aftermath of the Cantor & Fitzgerald families this book is really informative and detailed.As a 28 year old, who was back then a ten year old on 9/11 that unfortunately,experienced upclose yet only on the outside the traumatic nightmarish inferno that was 9/11 bc i lived in manhattan at the time, i have to say it was unforgettable and not in a positive way obviously. I’m still very traumatized & heartbroken about 9/11 i will never forget for as long as i live, it was just warfare before my eyes & it’s the worst thing i have ever witnessed & ive witnessed many deaths. I’m obssessed with reading every nonfiction book & watching every documentary about what people inside the towers experienced bc i don’t go around asking 9/11 survivors what went on as i can’t distinguish who might have or not have been in the high floors to make it out alive nor do i ask vicitms living relatives what their loved ones last words were even if i know some bc it must be tormentful & torturous for them to even talk about 9/11. I have so much more to say,but the words in my brain are such poor choices of words. Like i don’t know how to explain my emotions in a way to do them justice it’s so damn hard for me to be coherent to express how much it bothers me that 9/11 happened it’s just very traumatizing. i wish i could verbalize everything thing that goes on in my head & in my heart about 9/11,but i fail to gather my thoughts coherently & i’m a wreck about 9/11 still. it should be like move on,but i can’t stop thinking about what an injustice 9/11 was.

To those not familiar with the plight of the investment house of Cantor Fitzgerald pre and post 9/11, this is a very eye opening and brutally humanistic tale of tragedy, determination, and the strength of the human spirit. Having lost a family member in the tragedy that was CF on 9/11, it strikes a deeply personal chord in my life.My cousin was only in his late 20's at the time. MBA educated on the East Coast, an incredibly bright and driven individual, and with a demeanor so uplifting that his personality was infectious. I remember hearing from him the day he was hired on by the firm. You would of thought the guy had just won the lottery. It was impossible to not be happy for him. He had big plans for his life, and he cherished every moment he spent at CF. Unlike most of us poor souls, he was living his dream.All that changed on 9/11, and this book is the story of a man facing impossible circumstances, yet he refused to let his vision for financial markets die along with his family, best friends, and colleagues. In an era when its ever so trendy to denigrate corporate executives and high achievers, this book is a breath of fresh air. It shows in gripping fashion how the ideologues of the world simply can't break American business and spirit.Shockingly, within a week on 9/11, even in this midst of losing over 2/3 of its highly specialized workforce and facing data loss issues on unfathomable proportions, Cantor Fitzgerald had brought its trading markets back online. Within a year and a half (and with considerable help from the London office of CF) the company had firmly reestablished itself as a major player in global financial services.All the while with their steadfast CEO declaring that 25% of the companies profits should go to the victims of this horrible tragedy.This book will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you relive those horrible days, but most of all it will make you proud. Proud to live in a country where we produce individuals with the strength of will and character to never give up, no matter the circumstances.

I read everyone's reviews. Here's mine: this is SOME story. Be grateful the truly gruesome details are not in the book, just the mildly nightmarish ones. The REAL story here is not the tragedy itself but how one man, Howard Lutnick, immediately came to the assistance of not just the families of his 677 murdered employees, but another 130 or so (800 total which includes everybody associated in any way with Cantor Fitzgerald on that day) both financially and emotionally. HOW MANY OTHER CORPORATE CEO'S DO YOU KNOW that gave 5 years of paychecks/bonuses and 10 years of health insurance to the survivor's families? I haven't found another one yet; please enlighten me if you do. Additionally, he gave out his home phone number to EVERYONE and opened the doors of his home too for months. They held board meetings in the closet. Yes the man has a few million in the bank but within days of 9/11, he moved $1,000,000 of it immediately into the newly established Relief Fund without a second thought. I really admire the man. But .. this is the reason some of us are born leaders and CEO's and some of us .. choose to do other things in life. I thought the book was a wonderful testament of what some people find important in their lifetimes and move mountains to achieve it because this is exactly who they are. I laugh when I read the reveiws of those that find the book 'self serving' in Howard's behalf. The people that had their lives ruined by 9/11 got a truly wonderful advocate for such a horrible situation with Howard. God bless the man and I wish the best for everyone affected by 9/11. I highly recommend the book.

This is an inspiring account of determination to do right in the face of tragedy and extreme business pressure. At the moment when most other companies in the world would have folded up and crawled away, Cantor Fitzgerald, under the firm and untiring direction of Howard Lutnick, acted with immense integrity and determination to survive and to help the families of the survivors.Tom Barbash's account is firmly but sensitively written. It unswervingly avoids politics and blame.A brilliant piece of work and a shining example of America's best.

Brilliant book! A must read for everyone who is interested in 9/11.

spellbinding; Howard Lutnik had the foresight to hire an author to follow him around for the first few months after 9/11 because he knew that the information had to be captured as it happened or be missed entirely; he may not have realized that he was going to be vilified within days of the tragedy and this book clarifies what was happening behind the scenes

Good and interesting reading. a different perspective than what was seen on tv as part of the normal reporting. a corporate view