Subtle insight for the post-9/11 soul
932113
The last few weeks as I have been driving around America I have been listening to this album and finding it pleasantly quirky - echos of Kate Bush in places ("I can't see New York" in particular). Much more enjoyable than the samples I have listened to before, I've not been a fan. Her diction is pretty curious though and I'd not been able to dig into the words very much, and her web site had few insights. As I've explored the lyrics, I have gradually realised there's more going on than meets the eye. The reviewer at Rolling Stone doesn't get it - clearly didn't have time to dig. He's missed the spiritual unity of the album, listening only to the melodies. But one of the comments to his review has caught the drift: "This CD contains the most intelligent, complicated, subtle, and artistic post-9/11 reflection on America that I have encountered."
Returning to the lyrics with that insight, suddenly the layers underneath the widely-reviewed obvious clicked into focus and it's all there - the confused ghostly voice in 'I can't see New York', lost friends and innocence in 'gold dust', and more. An interview on VH-1 (see my weblog for links to external sources) gave more pointers - even the porn star "Amber Waves" is a metaphor for the fallen grace of the nation. If all you hear is the single ("a sorta fairytale" - which has a firefly glimmer to it) you may think it's a loved-and-lost album like the other reviewers.
As I listen I am caught up more and more in the album - an exploration of the spirit of the nation of America, of the emotions and experiences following September 11, 2001. This is the first work to come out of that event that leaves me with insight into the people and the place rather than with a sense of a person scrabbling to build a response and coming up instead with misplaced patriotism or a warmongering rage. Listen carefully to "Scarlet's Walk" and in amongst the strangeness you may hear, as I have, the outline of a soul's response to 9/11.
(I recommend the regular edition of this CD rather than this 'Limited Edition' by the way - the extras are relatively low value and the box used is flimsy)
516713
One of the first things one might note when starting this book is that, at least in the beginning, it is very readable.  Hearing of events from someone who was there is very mesmerizing, especially when those events are ones that have affected everyone in this country.  However, as one gets further into it, there are more than enough redundancies to be slightly frustrating.  Still, Clarke's style is largely readable and straight forward and makes for a quick read.
The essence of the book, the story it tells is disturbing, even maddening at times.  We like to think that America has the best of everything including its intelligence gathering abilities, and the strength to take of itself and its own.  We found out on 9-11, of course, that isn't always true.  Clarke's book doesn't make us feel any better about our government's handling of issues leading up to that horrific day.
He immediately faults the second Bush administration for putting too much emphasis on Iraq.  He admits to being a bit short sighted at times, along with his peers.  He defends the Clinton administration while faulting the FBI, CIA, military, etc., for hindering the efforts of the President and Clarke's committees to deal with al Qaeda.  In his view, when Bush two comes into office, every advance is destroyed or limited such that 9-11 is nearly inevitable.
There is no doubt that Clarke has his own axe to grind and his words are to be read with a certain amount of suspicion.  Even so, his story alerts us all to the failings of our government to be as fully informed as they should have been to the threat from al Qaeda.  This work should help everyone decide where we go from here, what is necessary to fight the terrorists, and, hopefully, to avoid the same mistakes in the future.  Read this book, then read others on the same subject, to form a balanced opinion on the mistakes that were made.
811139
Through all of the noise (conspiracy theories and placing of blame) Perry Stone and his co-author do an outstanding job of re-examining the events of 9/11. For those who want to understand the relationships of the world's three major religions this is a must read. Stone's understanding of the Bible and his ability to interpret them, help believers understand how the events of our day may very well have eternal significance.  If you're a person of faith you'll want to understand these signs; if you're not -read it with an open mind and you may just be persuaded.
2441628
I read this book about a year ago.  Its power is undeniable.  It vividly shares the thoughts, feelings and observations of people around the world as this tragedy unfolds.  For the most part, the individual selections are short -- copies of e-mails, short descriptions written by survivors in and near the WTC and those in Manhattan that day and during the days following.  In this way, it also makes it a difficult book to engage with for those of us old enough to remember where we were and how we felt as one of the glories of Western Civilization -- both the buildings and the concept of world trade -- came crashing down due to backwards religious beliefs. I found myself gripped in the sadness, anger and fear I felt -- even living in Chicago -- that day and had to put the book aside several times.  It does, however, point out many ways that human beings show their truest and best natures in the face of tragedy and I believe this book will be of even more valuable to those who were too young to remember 9/11/01 or who wore born afterwards.  It puts a human face on "ground zero" that cannot help make all but the most hard hearted empathize and sympathize with those most directly harmed by this terrible act of hatred.
1634359
It's going to take a certain kind of reader, with proclivities in one direction rather than another, to appreciate this book.  Pynchon, whom I only discovered fairly recently, was writing and recognized when I was a young adult.  All these decades later, he remains true to himself and isn't apologetic.  In some ways, his writing is a time capsule of sorts; and I thank him for that.  I like the meat and pith the way he presents it.

He is a master of rich, descriptive language and uses it to the best effect.  In this manner, his writing is here to be savored, bit by bit, rather than rammed down the gullet.  There may be more than a little irony in that last statement, as Pynchon is making his views about history, about this techie word we live in vitally clear.  But look at it this way:  we wouldn't have wanted to come to the party if we didn't want to dance!

I suspect there will be people who not only won't appreciate his take on 9/11; they will probably rail against the scenario and details he advances.  For others of us, beyond the sheer horror of what happened on that day, we continue to be mystified by the fallout.

Bleeding edge is about more than slumming through the world Post-Dot-Com and Post 9/11.  The characters inhabit a world that's on the brink... of what... who knows!

I actually listened to the audiobook, and critics have somewhat dismissed Jeannie Berlin's narration.  Quirky as her voice was (I have no idea what she really sounds like; so I can't judge here), I actually found it complemented the book, giving rise to an additional dimension of craziness.  Don't know if this was intentional or not, but it sure worked for me.
997776
Mohamed Atta had a terrorist primer.  He spent the night before 9/11 at the Comfort Inn in Portland, Maine.  The story of the terrorists in flight schools, creating problems in night clubs and elsewhere in the weeks before the incident of the suicide attacks of the four commercial jetliners, and their journeys in America and abroad are outlined in the book.  Calls from passengers and flight personnel on the highjacked airliners are detailed in this account.
Next, the authors, journalists of DER SPIEGAL, describe the attempts of the workers in the World Trade Center towers to save themselves.  It was important for small firms to have the World Trade Center on their letterheads.  Initially it was conceived as a center for overseas trade, not a financial center.  Later the rise in commercial-space rents in New York City caused the kinds of businesses most likely to rent space in the towers to change.  One of the reasons so much is known about situations within the planes and towers is telephone contact.  Wired and wireless, modern communications capabilities are awesome.
Reading the account is an emotional experience.  People waited to be rescued and rescue workers never came.  Others walked down and out of one of the towers from the eighty-ninth floor.  Horribly burned individuals exited safely with others.
Fear is something firefighters train themselves to ignore.  The authors show the messages received at the fire department message center--FDNY Emergency Message Center.  When the tower came down it sounded like a freight train.  The entire South Tower had collapsed.  Nobody in the FDNY expected a collapse of the entire structures of the monumental towers.
The South Tower was hit second but collapsed first.  It was hit lower.  NYC has more tall buildings than any other city.  Still, FDNY is not a suicide organization.  After the collapse of the tower, the plans of evacuating persons on the higher floors of the other tower changed.  A quick thinking fireman shouted, causing most of the fire personnel in the North Tower to leave the building.
The North Tower collapsed in an almost absurdly controlled way.  Eleven people survived the crash of that tower.  Nearly all the men in leading positions of the New York Fire Department were dead.
By mid day the FBI had determined that some of the highjackers had come from Germany.  Mohamed Atta's travel bag was located at Logan Airport.  It contained among the toiletries two written documents.
Part II of the book is call "In the House of Followers".  In the first day the FBI had Atta's suitcase, as noted, and a white rental car containing flying manuals in Arabic and some papers with the same Arabic names that appeared on the passenger lists.  The Hamburg-Harburg Technical University has an international profile.  Seven of the thirteen names investigators supplied appeared in the student directory.  Two of the suicide pilots had studied there.
Investigators in Germany began to try to unravel the greatest terrorist act of all time.  A treasure trove of papers came to the attention of the authorities.  Perhaps some other secret service was at work.  The terrorist as slum dweller is a familiar concept.  The terrorist as a middle class role model is new.
Europe acted as a way station for terrorist groups.  What held the groups together is neither Islam not idealogy, but religious delusion and hatred for the U.S.  The end of the book contains identifying information on the participants of the highjacking, a timeline, and excerpts from the Terrorist's Manual.
765839
I finished this book just prior to 9/11. I thought the subject was about as on target regarding where we are in America (and where we should be heading) as one could get. Then after the terriorist attacks, I thought how timely the book is when we in America are now examining our values and what is really important in light of the tragedy. The difference is before I was pessimistic we could even begin to move away from affluenza, but afterward I felt perhaps this country could, indeed, see that a simpler, less materialistic lifestyle fits very well with patriotism and standing together against our enemies. The book presents us with a practical approach to curing affluenza and backs it up with more than enough statistics and recommendations. I am far from a "tree hugger," but I think the authors are onto something at exactly the right time.
1352035
Huntington's thesis is remarkably germane now, after the terrorism that destroyed the WTC and a portion of the Pentagon.  Read it and see-- his prescient analysis should be kept in mind as we plan our response.
3407225
"Why America Slept" is excellent and vital reporting of the isolated, but mutually contributing failures of management, policy, regulation, politics, will, and luck that culminated in the awful tragedy of 9/11.  It is concisely told in a clean style with energy to spare.  Posner starts the book with a seemingly minor event (the murder of Emir Shalabi) that turns out to have major implications in the power shift among the participants in the extreme elements in the Islamist war against the West.
We also get interesting information about the events around the trial of the Blind Sheikh Omar Rahman, the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane, the '93 bombing of the World Trade Center, the embassy bombings, the attack on the Cole, the lessons the terrorists took from our cutting and running from Somalia, and so many more of the preliminary incidents and battles in the War on Terror.  More sad than the events themselves is our collective delusion at the time that these were isolated incidents (such as the shooting on the Empire State Building Observation Deck).  The author reports these events clearly and with just enough intelligent analysis and insight to show us how all these flow into the same river of violence without ever letting the narrative getting bogged down.
Posner doesn't play the easy blame game of trying to make any one person or any one agency or administration THE fall guy.  There are so many failures leading up to the towers crashing to the ground that each and every one of us can take at least a cupful of blame.  Yes, some of our public servants and political leaders deserve barrelfuls or even a lake full of blame, but when you and I paid more attention to the OJ Simpson trial or to the circus around the murder of JonBen&eacute;t Ramsey than the trial of Sheikh Rahman, well;  none of us can really claim innocence because we were telling our leaders we weren't serious about this issue.
We can't hide saying we weren't told.  There were voices in the wilderness warning us, but we at least have to be honest enough to admit that, at the time, we really didn't want to know.  We wanted to continue believing everything would be OK.  We wanted to believe that the first bombing of the WTC was done by some crazy dolts who couldn't get it right.  We wanted to believe everything was somehow under control.  This book helps us understand the consequences of such willful ignornace.
Posner gives us the facts behind the scandals that led to the Congressional attacks on the FBI and CIA that put them on a short leash and gave what amounted to aid-and-comfort to our enemies.  But there were (are) also inter-agency rivalries and deep-seated distrust that kept (keeps) vital information filed away and away from where it would do good.  We learn about Presidential tough talk that carefully avoided tough action because of the possible political fallout.  And when a decision to get real is finally made, the bureaucracy around the President moves too slowly until the horror finally hits home.
The book is a gripping read and culminates in the fascinating interrogation of Abu Zubaydah.  You will never forget this chapter because it reads as if it should be in a novel or a big budget movie.  As this book has been promoted I have heard weaselly denials from certain foreign authorities that the things discussed in this chapter ever took place.  However, when you actually read this book you will believe that this stuff did happened.  Especially when you read what actually followed right on the heels of this interrogation this chapter rings as true as a huge and beautiful church bell.
This is a book I wish everyone would read, but watch your blood pressure.  This book is just right for our times and will help you make better judgments about what we should be focusing on as a country to deal with the very real threats we continue to face.
424051
Colin MacKinnon, a veteran foreign correspondent, is closely acquainted with the 9/11 Commission Report and absolutely, positively nails through his fiction the truth about what the CIA did to bring about that catastrophe.  It was that old devil, "need to know."  In both the novel and real life the Agency was on the trail of a couple of known al-Qaeda terrorists by early 2000, thanks to a bag job during a now-famous al-Q meeting in Malaysia.  By photocopying passports they knew that these two individuals had multiple-entry visas to the USA.  Did CIA share that information with the FBI?  Of course not!  So when these two men, who eventually participated in the 9/11 hijackings, entered the United States they were not followed, their phones were not tapped, and nothing was known about them until after September 11th, 2001.  Yet they had been in phone contact with several other hijackers, including Mohammed Atta; had CIA shared its information with the FBI it's likely that most of the hijackers could have been tracked and apprehended well before 9/11 and the operation aborted.  But "need to know" was the guiding principle at Langley, and as a result nearly 3,000 Americans died.

This novel tracks the activities of some fictitious senior CIA officials in the Directorate of Operations (DO) during 2000-2001 timeframe as they investigate the murder in Pakistan of a CIA contract employee who may or may not have "gone rogue," and try to apprehend a suspected al-Qaeda terrorist who was once on the Agency's payroll.  The Agency is under pressure from Congress, the National Security Council, and the press; information trickles in or is extracted from various sources with great difficulty.  One veteran DO officer undoubtedly knows more than he is sharing with his colleagues.  The narrative pace is slow, but deliberately so, as is usually the case in real life.  Characters gradually fill out into three dimensions, and events come to the climax we know all too well.

I was "in the business" for about twenty years, on the analytical side of the Intelligence Community, and I spent a few years detailed to Langley.  In terms of verisimilitude this is one of the better spy novels I have seen, and the stark truth about the CIA and 9/11 is laid out in heartfelt, unmistakable terms.
4104341
Out of the Blue (The Story of September 11, 2001 from Jihad to Ground Zero) tries to tackle too much but gets some elements down very well.  Richard Bernstein, using his and much of the staff of the New York Times' research over the past year, pieces together the development of recent terrorism and mixes in the personal histories of the hijackers as one theme, while also looking at the personal histories of the victims in the towers and on the planes on that fateful day and before.  The terrorist background information is horrifically fascinating and laid out very clearly, which is of great benefit to the reader as the various themes can become confusing.  The actual reporting on the events of the day is vivid, clear, and heart-rending.  The book is a little weaker on giving the background of the victims as they become very similar in this telling as their similarities as Americans are emphasized.  To paraphrase, good people are good in all the same ways but bad people are bad in all different ways.  Some of the editing is a little loose at times and certain stock phrases creep into the writing.  Still, this is a powerful journalistic account covering the entire sweep of events.  Individual books on many of the separate elements would, ultimately, be more helpful but this book provides a sweep and momentum that will carry the reader through this time of history with more knowledge and deep grief.
4956311
Great look into the SpecOps world...especially post 9 11. Very informative read
1290224
What if the 9/11 attacks were not purely an act of terror against the US but rather part of an elaborate operation to gain access to an unspeakable evil buried beneath the foundation of the World Trade Center? This concept is the driving force behind the 13th book of F. Paul Wilsons Repairman Jack series in which Jack must unravel these subterranean secrets to save those he loves most.

I was not sure if I was ready for this particular very real factual event to be blended with a work of fiction, but I was able to get through it and it was not as uncomfortable as I thought it might be. For those of you who have made it this far in the series, rest assured many of your questions will FINALLY be answered.
2569522
History will judge Professor David Ray Griffin to be one of the greatest American patriots of this age. His dogged debunking of the debunkers is nothing short of breathtaking. In reading it, I was reminded of Stephen Sondheim's lyric in 'Art Isn't Easy'- "Putting it together, part by part, step by step, piece by piece, bit by bit." As a senior, veteran and life-long progressive, I've not enjoyed a decent night's sleep since, September 11, 2001. By noon that fateful day, my nose told me something wasn't passing the smell test in NYC, Shanksville and DC, (then alone, Sarasota.) Subsequently, my suspicions cost me significant alienation from friends and family. Nevertheless, I continue to inform myself at every opportunity. I see Debunking 9/11 Debunking as my post-graduate course. Professor Griffin concludes his courageous tome by stating that nothing is more important to the very survival of our planet than a true accounting of the events of 9/11 and ultimately exposing all those responsible. I couldn't agree with him more. C. Robert Holloway
1430977
The book "Thunder Dog" was a compelling read and it provided some interesting insights that I did not expect. We know it will be the story of survival which is not common given the events of 9/11. Coming from the perspective of a blind man, I was not sure how vivid the detail would be but he was able to convey rather well the tension he experienced. I'd like to address a few of the reviews already documented here since I'm a little late with mine.

The dog performed heroically by simply staying the course. I know my own pet gets distracted easily if a bird or squirrel cross her path during the course of a basic walk around the neighborhood. Imagine the circumstances of walking down 78 flights of stairs with the smell of jet fuel and smoke and the sounds as one of the towers crashed. The dog did not leave her owner's side--that in and of itself was heroic.

The book is published by Thomas Nelson Publishers, so for those anticipating a Christian message it is here although it is not heavy-handed. In all likelihood this makes it balanced in its appeal to those that may not desire a "preachy" tone. He demonstrated his faith and shared it, while it is not introduced initially as the book opens.

One thing that was mentioned was the device of going back-and-forth in time to recall his childhood. Those stories help demonstrate the lessons he learned and how life experiences shaped the man he became--which led to his ability to survive on 9/11. As a parent, I found it inspiring to think how we might influence our children in ways that are unexpected.

The area that I had less patience with was the ongoing discussion of how blind people face obstacles put in their way by society.  I think he made his point (and I did appreciate it) then he continued to restate the same thing more than necessary. I imagine many of us who read the book will become more sensitive and I would not have otherwise learned about the challenges of being blind.

All in all, "Thunder Dog" was good and I was glad I spent the time reading it in remembrance of what occurred ten years ago.
3240396
While "Methodological Conclusion" doesn't really put the last piece of the puzzle of 9/11 into place, as the cover artistry suggests, it is the 3rd and final book in Roth's series that is based upon her insights into this great tragedy and as such, should be read and understood easily if you have read the first two books.  It is an easy read, and describes, ironically, a working vacation by one of the protagonist researchers who are working under the aegis of "President Sherman" who, while unelected, is determined to get to the bottom of the tragedy of 11.9.2001.  The story begins in Las Vegas with the retrieval by Ruth Ann of information on thumb drives (flash drives) that are in the envelope containing the remains of another researcher, who mysteriously dies of natural causes in Las Vegas.  As she tries to interpret the data on these drives, she befriends a retired Air Force Colonel at her resort, who accompanies her on research trips into the desert, and provides a bit of unfulfilled romantic tension throughout the first half of the book. I was rather surprised at how easily she trusted the retired Colonel, who could easily have destroyed the data in the service of "national security."  I was never quite satisfied with this aspect of the plot, in fact, it still nags me and may lead to another reading of the book.  Nonetheless, I recommend the book highly, there's little doubt that there is some truth here as to what happened to passengers of the ill-fated flights of the morning of 11.9.2001.  There's enough here to drive any skilled researcher in the direction of finding, for example, just who the woman is whom Ted Olson, Solicitor General of the U.S., married some time after the tragedy.  I don't think it is a spoiler to mention that this woman, an attorney from Kentucky, (Olson's wife also an attorney), appears to have no history.  This is just one of the titillating avenues of research that  are mentioned in the book that could lead to further needed research.  Hopefully, we will know more about what happened on this tragic day sooner than we have learned what appears to have happened on a chilly day in Dallas, Texas, on 22.11.1963.

Obviously, as presented, this is a work of fiction.  There are things written that I simply cannot verify.  Whether she has an unique insight into 9/11, after three books, remains an open question.  I cannot put this into any particular context, so this is simply a book of fiction, one of three, which can also be assessed as a trilogy.  It has been suggested online that she also has an alias (also that this is an alias)--something I would leave to others, including her publisher (KTYSMedia.com).  This could stand for Know Thy Youthful Self Media, for all I know.  Dr. Michael Weiner a/k/a Dr. Michael Savage states in his newest book that Dr. Savage received his Ph. D. from U. California--Berkeley.  I doubt his transcript states that his surname is "Savage".  Regardless, the book has some problems and I indicated, but also asks some interesting questions.  Even a broken watch is right twice a day (if it is an analog, not digital, watch).

Imagine for a moment having the task of writing three books from an Airline Service perspective--it would be quite difficult, there would be many errors (not one or two), so if this is a fictive finale to a trilogy it was presented well, by someone who does appear on the Internet from time to time, possibly in two different contexts.  However, it is not the final analysis of 9/11, if we will ever have one.
927605
COMMUNICATING WITH THE OTHER SIDE is a concise, insightful memoir chronicle that offers an inside glimpse into how numinous events can generously enhance our lives when we pay attention to the signs and supernal guidance.  Betsey Lewis shares her own personal history of embracing life, even tragedy, with compassion and a higher understanding by recounting how protective grace carried her through heartbreaking episodes in order for her to reach "the other side" navigating the physical and spiritual realms.  I found Ms. Lewis' informal journal style especially appealing and reassuring, inviting this reader into an extraordinary, other-worldly sphere using familiar parlance as if describing everyday news stories.