It’s not hard to remember the year 2001, with the tragedy of 9/11 and all that followed, the year sticks out as a turning point in modern society. It’s the only year where you can mention a day and a month using only numbers and everyone knows what you mean.
Phillipa McGuinness remembers 2001 well. On New Year’s Eve 2001, with her husband by her side, Phillipa buried her son.
If 2001 were a movie – oh wait, of course it was – its tagline might be ‘The year that changed everything’. And that change is not over yet. Phillipa took a microscope to the year 2001 and was shocked to discover the incredible number of life-altering events that occurred that year. Tampa and the launch of the iPod, for instance. That’s just scratching the surface.
“For me it feels too recent to be history,” says Phillipa. “But at the same time, you look back and think things really have changed in ways that we couldn’t have predicted then.”
Phillipa says that 2001 is when people started becoming for fearful about everything. “Fear is insidious,” says Phillipa. “It’s really destructive and it serves no one but politicians, sometimes, who can manipulate it.”
Listen to our full interview with Phillipa on The Year Everything Changed:
The Year Everything Changed: 2001
2001. It's not over yet.
On New Year’s Eve 2001, with her husband by her side, Phillipa McGuinness buried her son. They stood with a young priest in Chua Chu Kang Cemetery and watched a small coffin go into the ground. Later that night, shattered, they sat looking out at the hundreds of ships waiting to come into port in Singapore’s harbor. Or trying to leave, who could tell? Each of them thinking about the next year, starting within hours. Phillipa wanted time to push on, for 2001 to be over, but she was also scared. What might be next?
If 2001 were a movie – oh wait, of course it was – its tagline might be ‘The year that changed everything’. And that change is not over...
About the Contributor
Bronwyn Eley
Before entering the exciting world of books, Bronwyn served in the Royal Australian Air Force, travelled extensively and worked (still does!) as a barista on the weekends. Books are her true passion. Bronwyn's debut fantasy novel Relic is coming out in 2019 with indie publishing house Talem Press. They are to publish her entire trilogy called The Relic Trilogy. In her spare time, Bronwyn writes, reads and enjoys keeping fit (which she undoes by eating loads of chocolate) with Martial Arts and personal training. She can't answer what her favourite book is but she has a soft spot for Peter Pan (J.M Barrie), Outlander (Diana Gabaldon), Stardust (Neil Gaiman), The Illuminae Files (Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman) and Six of Crows (Leigh Bardugo). Fantasy, sci-fi and YA make up the majority of her bookshelves.
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