School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-Roleff's useful compendium offers thematically arranged perspectives from witnesses in New York and Washington, DC, U.S. and world leaders, the blamed and the accusers, and war proponents and opponents. Readers will discover a journal excerpt from an army chaplain visiting the Pentagon, Tony Blair's address to the House of Commons, a transcript of an Osama bin Laden videotape, and the Falwell/Robertson interview. A brief introduction precedes each entry; the citations follow. This will be a sought-after research tool. Stewart tells much of the story through footnoted, anecdotal accounts. Survivors of the Twin Towers describe a person with "the skin from his wrist-hanging down past his fingertips," coworkers being sucked out of office windows, details of people jumping from the buildings. An airport employee recalls checking in two of the hijackers. Sensitive readers may have difficulty with the specificity; others will be pulled in. From the series introduction and excerpts to the text headings and black-and-white photographs, there is an emphasis on the horror and panic, with graphic descriptions. Even the tone of the final chapters on airport security and life since 9/11 is fatalistic and somewhat frightening.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 6^-12. The four-volume Lucent Terrorism Library is an excellent resource that demonstrates thorough research and opens up issues for discussion. America under Attack presents headline stories from September 11, 2001, through the following month, highlighting details of the attack with first-person accounts from witnesses at the scene. Then there are the responses from political leaders and ordinary people in the U.S. and abroad. The History of Terrorism helps broaden the definition of terrorism, identifying some form of terrorist mentality in nearly every major political and military upheaval throughout human history. From the assassinations of U.S. Presidents and other world leaders to the murder of Olympic athletes and the bombings of major buildings across the globe, this chronological account shows that terrorism has been part of human disputes for thousands of years. Only the destructive power of the weapons has changed. The other two volumes are equally successful. All books include thorough documentation, occasional black-and-white photographs, and an annotated bibliography of books, periodicals, and Internet sources. --Roger Leslie
