In From the Grey Tunnel to the Green Tunnel: A 9/11 Firefighter’s Journey from Despair to Hope, Rob “Sleepwalker” Weisberg shares his true story as a World Trade Center responder who survived both tower collapses, lived with severe PTSD, and walked to the edge of suicide before choosing a different path: a 1,800+ mile hike on the Appalachian Trail that helped him rediscover hope.
Nesconset, New York — Rob “Sleepwalker” Weisberg, a 9/11 firefighter and long-time volunteer in his community, has written a moving and honest memoir, From the Grey Tunnel to the Green Tunnel: A 9/11 Firefighter’s Journey from Despair to Hope. In this upcoming book, he takes readers from the heart of the World Trade Center on September 11, through years of quiet suffering with PTSD, to an unlikely place of healing: the Appalachian Trail. His work honors the lost, gives voice to the unseen pain of survivors, and shines a light on the reality of mental health struggles after trauma.
This is not a distant account or a simple retelling of history. Weisberg writes as someone who was there, inside FDNY’s Ten House as it became a triage site, treating burn victims and injured civilians in the middle of chaos. He describes, in clear and human language, what it felt like to stand in the shadow of the towers, to hear the roar of the planes, to feel the building come down, and to walk through darkness so thick it erased the world around him. Later, he explains how that day followed him home in the form of nightmares, panic, and guilt—showing readers the private cost of public service in a way that is honest, detailed, and strongly personal.
The narrative then shifts from Ground Zero to the Appalachian Trail, where he uses clear scenes from his 5½ month hike to show how nature, movement, and time allowed him to face memories he had carried in silence for more than twenty years. The writing blends storytelling with reflection, so the reader is not only watching his journey, but also understanding why each step mattered in his long road back from despair.
Weisberg wrote this book with a clear purpose. He does not hide that he once planned his own suicide. He shares that he “decided to stay in the fight” and is now grateful he did. He hopes that by opening his life so honestly, others who are struggling will feel less alone. His message is direct: it is okay to not be okay, it is vital to get help, and nobody should choose a permanent answer to a temporary crisis
The book is an inspirational non-fiction memoir with a strong emotional core. The tone is open, straightforward, and compassionate. Weisberg does not pretend to be perfect or fearless. He admits his doubts, his anger, his fear of the dark, his avoidance, and his internal conflict over surviving when others did not. The “characters” in his journey are real people: fellow firefighters, EMTs, civilians like Fu and the badly burned woman he tried to comfort, his wife, his friends, and the strangers he met on the Appalachian Trail who became part of his healing story.
From the Grey Tunnel to the Green Tunnel: A 9/11 Firefighter’s Journey from Despair to Hope is scheduled for release soon. The Book Professionals will be managing distribution, including print and digital formats, making the memoir accessible to readers across platforms. Promotional events and signings are currently being planned at locations on Long Island, where Weisberg has lived and served for many years. Readers and media can follow updates, launch details, and event announcements by contacting the author directly or monitoring future communications from The Book Professionals.
Rob “Sleepwalker” Weisberg is a 9/11 firefighter who responded to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and survived the collapse of both towers. He has spent decades serving his Long Island community as a firefighter and has lived with the long-term impact of PTSD in the years since the attacks. His Appalachian Trail hike was not just an outdoor adventure, but a turning point in his recovery and a path back to hope. Through his writing and public outreach, he now aims to encourage others living with trauma to seek help, reject shame, and remember that life after darkness is possible. He can be reached at SleepwalkerforHope@outlook.com.
