On September 11th, 2001, Vincent Hoban was standing on the corner of John Street and Broadway, just 200 feet from the World Trade Center, when the second hijacked plane, United Airlines Flight 175, slammed into the South Tower. Cognizant of the fact that life is fleeting and truly finite, Hoban pens a letter to his wife and children, instructing a trusted friend to deliver it to his family in the event that he suffers the same fate as those of 9-11 and is taken from this world without the chance to say goodbye. Written with complete candor and irrepressible humor, THE LETTER takes readers on a thrilling ride of Hoban's boyhood adventures and travels throughout Europe and his action-packed ascent into the awe-inspiring worlds of gambling, both in the casinos of the Caribbean, Atlantic City and Las Vegas, and on Wall Street during the go-go 1990's, until he is stopped dead in his tracks from his experience on 9/11. "Unlike the innocent who were silenced that day, inexplicably taken from us without warning by monsters from abroad, I had a unique opportunity to prepare an emotional insurance plan of sorts and felt compelled to execute it as soon as possible." . . . from THE LETTER. A compelling and poignant memoir, THE LETTER beckons us to embrace life, each and every day, and to be grateful for our greatest treasure, our families. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of every copy of THE LETTER will directly benefit the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, which provides educational assistance for post secondary study to financially needy dependents of those killed or permanently disabled as a result of the terrorist attacks of 9/11.