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American Ground

Unbuilding the World Trade Center

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American Ground

Written by: William Langewiesche
Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson
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About this listen

 Noted author, war correspondent, and award-winning writer for the Atlantic Monthly, William Langewiesche furnishes a riveting firsthand account of the excavation of the World Trade Center ruins following its destruction on September 11, 2001. American Ground is an inspiring look at the often contentious mixture of personalities, politics, and emotions that fueled this massive effort. It is also a testament to American ingenuity in the aftermath of a great tragedy.©2002 William Langewiesche (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC Americas Freedom & Security Politics & Government United States War & Crisis War

What the critics say

"The most thoughtful and original [9-11] book to appear so far is American Ground, William Langewiesche's meticulous description of the rescue effort at Ground Zero and the subsequent excavation of the 1.8 million tons of debris at the literal and emotional heart of this calamity. Langewiesche was granted almost unlimited access to the site and the rescue staff, and he made the most of the privilege." (Newsweek)
"This is a genuinely monumental story, told without melodrama, an intimate depiction of ordinary Americans reacting to grand-scale tragedy." (Publishers Weekly)
All stars
Most relevant
Whoa. What a book.
Before I listened to the epilogue, I was going to comment that the historical account of deconstructing the World Trade Center was fascinating, and a worthwhile listen, despite the author’s characterization of some of the people involved (which I did not appreciate) and failed attempts at humour. As the book could only have been written by the author, based on his access, I chose to continue.
The epilogue brought to light the controversy that erupted upon publication. While it was the author’s right to explain himself, and to a degree defend himself, his comments were so heavily loaded with anger and destain for his critics, that I was left feeling entirely disappointed and needing to shake off his negative energy.
I have written a mixed review of another book by this author (Fly By Wire), but said my concerns would not prevent me from listening to another book by him. Well, that’s changed. On the basis of how I felt after listening to the epilogue to American Ground, I won’t be listening to any more of his books.

Technically interesting, but toxic epilogue

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