The result of months of intensive investigations and inquiries by a specially appointed bipartisan panel, The 9/11 Commission Report is one of the most important historical documents of the modern era. And while that fact alone makes it worth owning, it is also a chilling and valuable piece of nonfiction: a comprehensive and alarming look at one of the biggest intelligence failures in history and the events that led up to it. The commission traces the roots of al-Qaeda's strategies along with the emergence of the 19 hijackers and how they entered the United States and boarded airplanes. It details the missed opportunities of law enforcement officials to avert disaster. Using transcripts of cockpit voice recordings, the report describes events on board the planes along with the chaotic reaction on the ground from nearly every level of government. Going forward, the commission calls for a comprehensive overhaul of what it sees as a deeply flawed and disjointed intelligence-gathering operation. The creation of a post for a single National Security Director is recommended, along with the creation of a National Counterterrorism Center. The report finds fault with the approaches of both the Clinton and Bush administrations but, because they were a bipartisan panel and the problems described are so systemic and far-reaching, they stop short of assigning blame to any particular person or group. Credit must be given to how readable the report is. At more than 500 pages, the writing is clear and forceful and the information is made more accessible since it is fre from election politics and rancor. While the commission notes that future attacks are probably inevitable, a coordinated preventive effort along with a clear plan to respond with efficiency can offer Americans some hope in a post-9/11 world. --John Moe


From Publishers Weekly
With a grave resolve that perfectly balances the enormous stakes with the necessity of delving into minutiae, this historic book describes the mechanics of the horrific attacks on the United States and recommends measures for preventing further strikes. Without trivializing any of the events or diminishing the people involved, it reads like a Shakespearean drama. The authors, with grim but charged dispassion, unspool paragraph after paragraph dramatizing the arrival of "muscle hijackers" (as opposed to pilots), the thinking of CIA director George Tenet (regularly referred to, along with most other players here, simply by last name) and plot co-coordinator Khalid Sheikh Mohammad ("KSM") among thousands of others, and the other ways and means by which a "foreign" incursion caused catastrophic domestic damage. Distilling an enormous amount of information in plain language, with unerring pitch and a perfect feel for when to gloss ("Dubai, a modern city with easy access to a major airport..."), the book's implied narrator sticks as close as possible to how real people made real decisions, and, when stymied in considering a factor or set of factors, is willing to say so. In so doing, this multi-author document produces an absolutely compelling narrative intelligence, one with clarity, a sense of shared mission and an overriding desire to do something about the situation. At the same time, with quotational chapter headings like " 'We Have Some Planes' " and " 'The System Was Blinking Red,' " the authors never forget that they are communicating in a medium that has a lot of stylistic resources for holding one's attention; they draw liberally on the most tried and true. Given what hangs in the balance, it is not a stretch to compare this document to The Federalist Papers, in the sense that the book is designed to foster the debate by which the country will reimagine itself through its bureaucracy. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From AudioFile
While few of us would tackle the printed version of the 9/11 CR, this production for readers on the go has emotional moments. The raw communications from civilians, operators, and firemen receive no elocution but paint chilling portraits. Five male narrators hustle their parts along, taking practiced turns at the one thousand Arabic names. The introduction lists the readers, but we guess who's who. To indicate a direct quotation, one voice receives an echo. The hundreds of abbreviations shouldn't be attempted in heavy traffic--in this report "GOP" means "Government of Pakistan." At less than five dollars for more than twenty hours, we thank the publisher for making this historic document so accessible. J.A.H. 2004 National Book Award Finalist © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Washington Post
A document of historic sweep and almost unprecedented detail.


Time
Meticulous in its reconstruction and unflinching in its conclusions.


Book Description
Nearly three thousand people died in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In Lower Manhattan, on a field in Pennsylvania, and along the banks of the Potomac, the United States suffered the single largest loss of life from an enemy attack on its soil. In November 2002 the United States Congress and President George W. Bush established by law the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission. This independent, bipartisan panel was directed to examine the facts and circumstances surrounding the September 11 attacks, identify lessons learned, and provide recommendations to safeguard against future acts of terrorism. This volume is the authorized edition of the Commission's final report.


Book Description
The 9/11 Commission Report- Audio Version - MP3 format. Time and Money: IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ the 500+ page report about how the planes crashed into the World Trade Center, but would like an inexpensive way to LISTEN to it (cheaper than the book), your friendly neighborhood (sort of) English teacher has come to your rescue! The Narrator: Jim the Teacher has recorded (with some brain damage after days and days of reading and re-reading) The 9/11 Commission Report- briskly and in an informal style (meaning that he won't sound like a British actor, but like a teacher reading to his class). Not perfect, but comfortable to listen to. As Jim has been teaching high school and college classes for 38 years, he has done many dramatic readings to thousands of students. Bonus: In addition, Jim has included the COMPLETE 9/11 Commission Report in a PDF format (so you won't have to pay $10 for the book). Then you can read it on your computer in case you want to read the 440 pages of Main Text or check out the 100 pages of notes in tiny print (which Jim DID NOT read). What You'll Get: You'll get the CD of the AUDIO 9/11Commission Report in a jewel case, and a separately-printed Table of Contents with all of the sections listed with tracks and page numbers, in case you can't read the small print on CD inserts or if you have big klutzy fingers (like Jim) and can't turn the pages of inserts. How to Play the CD: If you have a computer, a DVD player that will play MP3 files, or a portable CD player that will play MP3 files (Some of them won't.), you can listen to the text of the report while playing games on your computer, working in your garden, cutting the grass, or riding in your car! Speedy Shipping: I'll send the CD by Priority Mail, which takes just a few days. If you have questions, e-mail me at 911reportaudio@simplestuff.net. Cost: Only $7.50- for AUDIO of the 400+ pages of the MAIN TEXT.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
The eagerly awaited release of The 9/11 Commission Report has caused an avalanche of press coverage, but nearly all of the media commentary has omitted one important attribute of this instant bestseller: its readability. For once, our government has produced a report designed for the public that it purports to serve. By comparison, the Starr Commission Report was a confusing hodgepodge cobbled together for lawyer clones, and the Warren Commission Report resembled a hastily constructed mountain of data. By contrast, The 9/11 Commission Report is a model of narrative clarity. Reading it, one gains a better sense of every stage and dimension of these truly terrifying events; from the rise of Bin Laden and Al Qaeda to the collapse of the World Trade Center and its aftermath. Like a full-throttled detective story thrust into real life, it renders the near misses and muffed opportunities that enabled the plot to reach fruition. With sensationalizing or overgeneralizing, the report's authors have given us a document that illuminates the planning and possible countermeasures to these terrible acts. Every American should read this book: After all, we are its target audience and its sponsors. R. N. Wilson

ANNOTATION

Finalist for the 2004 National Book Award for Nonfiction

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Nearly three thousand people died in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In Lower Manhattan, on a field in Pennsylvania, and along the banks of the Potomac, the United States suffered the single largest loss of life from an enemy attack on its soil." "In November 2002 the United States Congress and President George W. Bush established by law the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission. This independent, bipartisan panel was directed to examine the facts and circumstances surrounding the September 11 attacks, identify lessons learned, and provide recommendations to safeguard against future acts of terrorism." This volume is the authorized edition of the Commission's final report.

SYNOPSIS

In November 2002 the United States Congress and President George W. Bush established by law the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission. This independent, bipartisan panel was directed to examine the facts and circumstances surrounding the September 11th attacks, identify lessons learned, and provide recommendations to safeguard against future acts of terrorism. This volume is the authorized edition of the Commission's final report.

FROM THE CRITICS

David Ignatius - The Washington Post

For in its meticulous compilation of fact, the report makes the horrors of 9/11 even more shocking. Try to read the story as a narrative, a nonfiction thriller in which the characters move inexorably toward the cataclysm of that cloudless morning. The strength of the report is precisely in its narrative power; by telling all the little stories, it reveals the big story in a different way. We see the bland evil of the plotters, the Hamlet-like indecision of government officials, the bravery amid chaos of the firefighters.

Publishers Weekly