A Day that Changed America

September 11, An Oral History by Dean E. Murphy

Murphy's book is a 9/11 oral history. He is a New York Times reporter, and his collection of approximately 40 survivor stories is underscored by the idea that when September 11 "was all over, it was a day of national calamity. But it was also a day of individual human heartache." The personal accounts he compiles here serve to support that sentiment to the fullest. One can't find a more eloquent explanation of the situation at the World Trade Center than the words spoken by the woman who was master of the keys at the Center: "I wasn't burnt or severely bruised. My pain was somewhere else--and it still is. Inside my heart, it hurts so bad." And only the most inured readers will not react with tears to the story of the sight-impaired man being carefully led down the stairs from high in the Center by his devoted seeing-eye dog. (Booklist Reviews)

A Nation Challenged designed by Toshiya Masuda

A powerful and eye-filling photographic chronicle of the award-winning New York Times 's coverage of 9/11 and its aftermath worldwide, including the war in Afghanistan In an unprecedented effort, The New York Times opens its picture archive of September 11th and the aftermath at home and abroad. Special charts and graphics supply another level of clarity and understanding, while the brilliant photographs provide counterpoint and perspective to carefully chosen text. (Publisher Summary)

Manhunt by Peter Bergen

Here are riveting new details of bin Laden’s flight after the crushing defeat of the Taliban to Tora Bora, where American forces came startlingly close to capturing him, and of the fugitive leader’s attempts to find a secure hiding place. As the only journalist to gain access to bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound before the Pakistani government demolished it, Bergen paints a vivid picture of bin Laden’s grim, Spartan life in hiding and his struggle to maintain control of al-Qaeda even as American drones systematically picked off his key lieutenants. (Publisher Summary)

Why America Slept by Gerald Posner

The author of Case Closed offers an inside look at the terrorist attacks on September 11th and the reasons why the disaster was not prevented, discussing how breakdowns in intelligence, political infighting, and communications allowed terrorists to make an unprecedented attack on American soil.  (Publisher Summary)

Hard Measures by Jose Rodriguez

A leading CIA counter-terrorist at the head of covert operations that contributed to the defeat of Osama Bin Laden traces his unlikely journey from a law student and CIA recruit to a top American spy, addressing questions related to his political views and controversial decision to destroy tapes of CIA interrogations. (Publisher Summary)