The Attacks on America, September 11, 2001

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Dudley has collected viewpoints from the right and the left concerning the causes and consequences of September 11th. His introduction offers a context for the speeches and articles by way of a comparison between the 2001 attack and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The book opens with George W. Bush's statement to Congress on September 20; it is followed by a translation of Osama bin Laden's taped remarks from Arab TV, aired on October 7. The pairing will allow observant students to see the similarities in their logic. Another entry is from the New Republic editor, Peter Beinart, who argues that America's disengagement from Afghanistan is the problem; British Muslim author Faisal Bodi claims that U.S. policies and presence in the Middle East are directly responsible for the attack. Other issues include the nature of the response, the political economy, and the invocation of the term "evil." This last concept is particularly interesting, tackled by a former secretary of education, William J. Bennett, who asserts that Americans should have the moral confidence to combat absolute evil. Joel Bleifuss, editor of In These Times, cautions that, historically, this simplistic line of thinking has been used to justify mass destruction. Each entry is preceded by a summary. An annotated list of organizations, from the ACLU and the Brookings Institution to the Islamic Supreme Council of America and the War Resisters League, is offered for more research. A provocative resource that should spark discussion and debate.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.