American Ground

Description

American Ground is the story - until now untold - of the people who responded to the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Within days, William Langewiesche made his way into the innermost recesses of the collapse. By virtue of the integrity and excellence of his previous work, he quickly secured unique, unrestricted, around-the-clock access to the site, the rescue workers and laborers there, and the meetings of city officials, engineers, construction companies, and consultants.

First Sentence

When the Twin Towers collapsed, on the warm, bright morning of September 11, 2001, they made a sound heard variously around New York as a roar, a growl, or distant thunder.

Excerpt

When the Twin Towers collapsed, on the warm, bright morning of September 11, 2001, they made a sound heard variously around New York as a roar, a growl, or distant thunder.

Description

"Within days after September 11, 2001, William Langewiesche had secured unique, unrestricted, around-the-clock access to the World Trade Center site. American Ground is a tour of this intense, ephemeral world and those who improvised the recovery effort day by day, and in the process reinvented themselves, discovering unknown strengths and weaknesses. In all of its aspects - emotionalism, impulsiveness, opportunism, territoriality, bravery, resourcefulness, and fundamental, cacophonous democracy - Langewiesche reveals the unbuilding to be uniquely American and oddly inspiring, an exercise in resilience and ingenuity in the face of disaster."--BOOK JACKET.

Subjects

Other Editions

• American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade CenterHardcoverDiane Pub Co2002-01-30
• American GroundPaperbackNorth Point Press2003-09-11
• American GroundHardcoverNorth Point Press2002-10-24
• American groundText (large print)RB Large Print2003-01-01
• American GroundAudio CassetteRecorded Books2003-01-01
• American GroundPaperbackScribner2004-08-16