Because We Are Americans (Oeb) What We Discovered on September 11 2001

by Jesse Kornbluth, Jessica Papin

America has changed since September 11, 2001. We have lost our fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, and friends. But we have also met countless heroes in our midst. And we have learned once again what it truly means to be American.

BECAUSE WE ARE AMERICANS

We rushed into the flames to save the lives of others and worked night and day seeking survivors.

BECAUSE WE ARE AMERICANS

We instantly and unstintingly gave the victims food, clothing, money, and our very blood.

BECAUSE WE ARE AMERICANS

We stand together now to do what has to be done.

BECAUSE WE ARE AMERICANS

.is a book for all of us who need to remember and be inspired anew by our response to that terrible day. This collection-made up of postings on the Internet, words from our leaders and the media, testimonials from survivors, and more-captures what we felt and what we did: the fears and prayers we shared, and acts of kindness and heroism we performed that transformed our nation.

[boxed copy]

All profits from the sale of this book will be distributed equally to The American Red Cross and the New York State World Trade Center Relief Fund.

Hardcover

First published November 1, 2001

About the author

Jesse Kornbluth was an American magazine writer and author. His book Notes from the New Underground is an anthology of articles he compiled from counterculture newspapers. He also wrote Airborne, a biography of Michael Jordan, and Highly Confident: The Crime and Punishment of Michael Milkin. His articles appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, and many other magazines. He was a graduate of Harvard University.

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I discovered this paperback 20+ years after the events of September 11, 2001. It is a compilation of messages posted to AOL Message Boards (remember those?) on 9/11 and the weeks following. The books was published by Warner Media, which at the time was controlled by AOL, so it only contains a curated selection of AOL posts, not other reporting or journalism. It's a weird book, at least 20 years later. I suppose at the time it served as good patriotic ummmm propaganda for lack of a better term. I was hoping it would give a better snapshot of the day and those painful weeks after that day, a time and feeling that will hopefully never be repeated, but in the end it feels a bit superficial and shallow, as I suppose AOL message boards generally were. Every 10 or so entries has a meaningful or moving nugget, but it isn't consistent enough for me to recommend it.