Aftermath: Unseen 9/11 Photos by a New York City Cop

by John Botte

Renowned photographer/police officer John Botte was given privileged access to ground zero in the hours and days following the tragedy of 9/11. Here for the first time–and for posterity–are his breathtaking photos, securing Botte's status as the Mathew Brady of 9/11. NYPD police officer and photographer John Botte was assigned by the police department to document the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy. He spent countless hours at Ground Zero in the days and weeks after the attacks, and was given privileged access to the behind the scenes rescue and recovery efforts of 9/11. On a personal level, Botte calls Aftermath "a permanent tribute to the people who shaped me as a person and professional–to the friends I lost and the ones I never got a chance to make." On a universal level, his collection of photographs is a haunting reminder of the events of 9/11 in New York City and an important document for the ages. On the fifth anniversary of the attacks, the author will finally share his intimate portraits of the aftermath of America's unforgettable tragedy. With more than 150 haunting black & white photos and captions by the photographer himself, the book memorializes the unforgettable images we all recall from those first days–and captures countless scenes previously known only to the few who worked the scene so tirelessly. The result is an extraordinary historical record that stands to become the definitive photographic retrospective of September 11.

Genres: Nonfiction, Photography, History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published February 4, 2006

Reviews

[Marc Brueggemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shows photos taken at Ground Zero after 9/11 regarding the clean-up, finding remains, and finding survivors. John Botte, who was a police officer with the NYPD took photos of the aftermath. What a collection of powerful and yet tragic images. He takes the photos in black and white instead of color, which makes it have a more historical nature and feeling to it. A great book to look at the aftermath of 9/11.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former officer John Botte has done a wonderful job putting together images of the immediate aftermath of 9/11. The black-and-white photos show both the tragedy and hope of the people involved in the rescue -- and later, simply the clean-up -- of this horrific event.

The only thing I would have enjoyed more would have been captions for all of the photographs. As it stands, only about one in ten of the pictures has any type of explanation.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pictures really do an awesome job of telling the awful story of what happened that day. My students weren't even born on this terrible day, and I believe they need books that capture the pain and memories in an appropriate way. I'm taking this to school tomorrow to share with them.