The Woman Who Wasn't There: The True Story of an Incredible Deception

Robin Gaby Fisher · Angelo J. Guglielmo

Apr 2012 · Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

 It was a tale of loss and recovery, of courage and sorrow, of horror and inspiration. Tania Head’s astonishing account of her experience on September 11, 2001—from crawling through the carnage and chaos to escaping the seventy-eighth-floor sky lobby of the burning south tower to losing her fiancé in the collapsed north tower—transformed her into one of the great victims and heroes of that tragic day.

Tania selflessly took on the responsibility of giving a voice and a direction to the burgeoning World Trade Center Survivors’ Network, helping save the “Survivor Stairway” and leading tours at Ground Zero, including taking then-governor Pataki, Mayor Bloomberg, and former mayor Giuliani on the inaugural tour of the WTC site. She even used her own assets to fund charitable events to help survivors heal. But there was something very wrong with Tania’s story—a terrible secret that would break the hearts and challenge the faith of all those she claimed to champion.

Told with the unique insider perspective and authority of Angelo J. Guglielmo, Jr., a filmmaker shooting a documentary on the efforts of the Survivors’ Network, and previously one of Tania’s closest friends, The Woman Who Wasn’t There is the story of one of the most audacious and bewildering quests for acclaim in recent memory—one that poses fascinating questions about the essence of morality and the human need for connection at any cost.

Ratings and reviews

I truly didn't know who "Tania Head"was before the documentary of the same name. I will say, too, that though she lied to the nation...horrible lies that have affected her "friends" lives etc, she seemed to have genuinely cared for the 9/11 survivor community. That's not to say she should be forgiven, though she hasn't even asked for forgiveness! Very sad but also inspiring book.I couldn't put it down (even though its an ebook). It was full of great insider info of her story and its unraveling.

After I watched the movie, I was so angered, shocked, and fascinated by this woman and the horrible lie of a life she created for herself and for those around her that I had to read the book. I was completely shocked that someone would be able to come up with such a charade. The book is well written and goes into more detail than the movie does. It was hard to put down.

Utterly fascinating. I couldn't put it down....incredible what we humans are capable of!

About the author

Robin Gaby Fisher is the author of the New York Times bestseller After the Fire. She is a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing and a member of a Pulitzer Prize–winning team. She teaches narrative journalism at Rutgers University.