Understanding September 11th: Answering Questions about the Attacks on America

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About Understanding September 11th: Answering Questions

Product Description Explained by this Time magazine reporter, the questions as to why this attack happened and the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan are answered in a clear and direct manner through straightforward text, profiles of the highjackers, maps, pictures, and more. From Publishers Weekly Frank, a reporter for Time magazine, opens his informative if uneven narrative with a chilling account of his experiences on September 11, when he rushed from his Brooklyn Heights home to the scene of the disaster just after the first of the Twin Towers was hit. Using a question-and-answer format, the author then effectively distills for young readers information about the Middle East (especially Afghanistan), Islam, Islamism, the Taliban, Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. He also discusses terrorist groups' hatred of America and their campaigns against it. Frank's writing is at times confusing or sloppy. He notes, "Many people said the whole world changed on September 11th. It didn't. America woke up in those two hours and suddenly saw the world in a different light." Yet on the following page, this statement appears: "On September 11th, the world changed in two hours." However, the book delves into pertinent topics in reasonable depth. Readers may find here a useful framework for examining the possible motives for the terrorist attacks and the U.S. government's subsequent responses. Illustrations include photographs and maps; final artwork not seen by PW. Ages 12-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Gr. 7-12. "What is terrorism?" "What is jihad?" "What makes al-Qaeda different from other terrorist groups?" "Why attack the Twin Towers and the Pentagon?" Using a question-and-answer format that distills topics down to their core, this fine title by a Time magazine reporter boldly tackles the largest questions about the 9/11 attacks. In remarkably simple, accessible language, Frank, a New Yorker, begins with an overview of the tragic events, including his own terrifying first-person experience. Always, the author moves beyond the facts of what happened to why, and the book's later chapters are devoted to questions about who the terrorists were, where they came from, what they wanted. Frank takes a worldview that assumes that "America is the most powerful nation on earth," and his language sometimes jars with its blatant nationalism: "Why does the Middle East matter to us?" But his constant reminder is that change and hope begin by learning about other people, other cultures. The black-and-white photographs are all the more alarming for their snapshot quality, and a time line of 9/11 progresses along the bottom of each page. Direct, unflinching, intelligent, and humane, this is an invaluable resource for teens and adults alike. Gillian Engberg Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved About the Author Mitch Frank is a reporter at Time magazine and was reporting three blocks away from the World Trade Center when it collapsed. Frank has been a guest commentator on CNN, Fox News, and The Today Show.