"He reached out, held out his hand, and I grabbed it, and that was it, " Johnson recalled in Jeff Himmelman's 2012 biography of Bradlee.

WSJ: Journalist and author Haynes Johnson dies at 81

One student described to CNN his dizzying attempt to help another after bombs exploded at the school, saying that he reached out his hand to help only to wind up grasping a fellow student's severed hand.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

His hand reached out, hesitantly, and I thought of warning him, or even shoving his frail body forward.

NEWYORKER: Sweetheart Sorrow

He walked the last stretch as briskly as he could, and, as he put his hand out to the gate, they reached him.

NPR: Excerpt: 'The Broken Shore'

He reached out for her hand and felt it warm in his.

NEWYORKER: Faith