Today marks the 21st anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. September 11 is a monumental moment in the United States’ history as it took so many lives and changed so many more. If you want to read a book pertaining to September 11 this anniversary, below are four books that take a different angle and perspective as they address the events leading up to September 11 and the aftermath.
“The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11”
By Lawrence Wright
This first book walks you through the events that lead up to the September 11 attacks. Wright wrote this book after five years of research and interviewing with people from Afghanistan, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sudan, and the United States. The book is told through the lives of the two leaders of al-Qaeda, the chief of the FBI counterterrorism, and the former head of Saudi intelligence. The story helps you understand how September 11 came to be by taking you through the rise of Osama bin Laden, the start of al-Qaeda, where the FBI, CIA and NSA failed to share intelligence and so much more. If you are interested in the historical aspect of September 11 and why it happened, then this is the book for you.
“Growing Up bin Laden: Osama’s Wife and Son Take Us Inside Their Secret World”
By Omar bin Laden, Najwa bin Laden and Jean Sasson
This book takes you inside the personal life of Osama bin Laden as the story is told by bin Laden’s ex-wife and son. Najwa was cousins with Osama and married him at 15. She was his first wife and together they had 11 children. Omar was Osama’s fourth born son. In this story, both Najwa and Omar open up about what it was like living with Osama. They revealed how he disapproved of modern technologies like electricity and medicine, how he planned to bring his sons to the desert without food or water to toughen them up and many other details that give insight to who he was and what he was like. This story told by Osama’s family truly gives a look into his private life. If you enjoy psychoanalysis and want a better understanding as to why Osama would do what he did on September 11, then this is the book for you.
“A Widow’s Walk: A Memoir of 9/11”
By Marian Fontana
If you are looking for an emotionally gut-wrenching story, then this one’s for you. You might need a box of tissues ready as this story dives into the personal account of Marian Fontana and what she first-hand experienced on September 11. Dave, her husband, served as a firefighter on Squad 1 in Brooklyn. While September 11, 2001, was supposed to be the day of her eighth wedding anniversary with Dave, it turned into the day that she became a widow and single mom. While this story addresses the tragedy Fontana suffered, it also addresses the resilience Fontana had as she used her suffering for good. Fontana went on to become an activist and help families and widows receive information for recovery efforts. Fontana’s story is one worth reading, and I suggest this to anyone who wants a beautiful tragedy to triumph story.
“Muslim Girl”
By Amani Al-Khatahtbeh
This story is very interesting as it dives into a personal account of what it was like to grow up Muslim in the United States in the wake of September 11. Amani was nine years old when she watched the September 11 attacks take place from her home in New Jersey. At the age of 13, she visited her father’s homeland of Jordan, and while she was there, Amani was able to experience Islam in its purest form. She felt the Islamic stereotypes portrayed on the news were not accurate, so she made her own website to give Muslim women a platform to speak. Amani addresses her own experience, along with the experience of other Muslim women, with growing up Muslim, the Islamaphobia she had to deal with, her website and the political climate in 2016.
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September 11, 2001 will always be a day that is remembered. On this 21st anniversary, read one of the books above for a different perspective on what led up to the day and personal stories of what was experienced in the aftermath. I hope you enjoy it!
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