Press "Enter" to skip to content

A letter from Paris

Editor’s note: Adrianne Ryder-Cook Joseph of Gloucester was in Paris on Friday when terrorists struck at the heart of the city which she loves and where she spends much of her time. She has kindly shared her thoughts of the experience and its aftermath, as of Wednesday morning.

Paris, France, Friday, Nov. 13, 10:30 p.m. Newsflash on my telephone tells me there are shootings in Paris. The reports on the television are confused. It seems there are 18 dead. I text my children to tell them I am home safe and not to worry. I was here for the January attacks on Charlie Hebdo. Is it the same again, I wonder?

When I wake up the next morning, I turn the radio on to hear there are now 128 dead, the attacks were multiple and simultaneous.

I struggle to take in the information. I hear the words and start feeling the emotions that correspond and I am overwhelmed.

I turn on my phone—messages from family and friends trying to reach me to see if I’m O.K. Facebook has created a &l...

To view the rest of this article, you must log in. If you do not have an account with us, please subscribe here.