As they watched the television coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Mary Carouba and Susan Hagen noticed one thing - women were not included.

"We reverted back to the language of the '60s," Carouba said. "We heard firemen, policemen and the brotherhood - only men were praised, no women."

Carouba, an investigative social worker, and Hagen, a retired firefighter and emergency medical technician, came up with an answer - to fly to New York from their homes in California and write a book about the female rescue workers who served on Sept. 11, 2001.

On Thursday, about 70 people gathered in Brody Hall to hear about Carouba and Hagen's book, "Women at Ground Zero," and the experiences the women endured while researching and writing.

The book focuses on 30 women who served on Sept. 11, or helped in the aftermath.

The stories include details of the work they accomplished and the experiences of seeing their colleagues and friends die in the line of duty.

"To bring out their stories and let people know there are so many women involved is impressive," said East Lansing Fire Chief Randall Talifarro. "I hope they get their message across."

The book is therapeutic for the women who were present at Ground Zero, Carouba said. An important part of the healing process after traumatic events is discussion. For the women workers, being ignored by the media hindered this process.

"I was really impressed - it was really moving," psychology junior Angie Skendzel said. "I got teary-eyed."

The program was brought to campus by the Women's Advisory Committee for Finance, Personnel and Operations, Our Daily Work/ Our Daily Lives, the MSU Women's Resource Center and the Program in Women, Gender and Social Justice.

Another issue addressed in "Women at Ground Zero" is women in occupations considered by society as predominately male roles, Hagen said.

"It wasn't just a gender issue, it was a human issue," she said. "We were concerned about negative affects on girls who lost moms and didn't hear them included, and girls who thought about becoming firefighters."

A documentary about the women is in the works, and Carouba and Hagen are included in the production.

The women also are working on another book about their experiences writing "Women at Ground Zero."

Carouba and Hagen said during their research they realized the importance of living life to the fullest and not allowing grudges to prevent them from enjoying their friends and families.

"The perspective they had on it was so unexpected - there was not one word from these women of hate or revenge," Carouba said. "At the heart of the tragedy there was a message of love."