On September 11, 2001, nineteen men associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaida hijacked four commercial airplanes bound for the West Coast. They crashed two of the planes into the World Trade Center towers in Manhattan and a third plane into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew attempted to overpower the hijackers. Nearly 3,000 people were killed that day, and many first responders are still dealing with health problems that developed from working in toxic conditions.
This minibibliography honors the stories of those who were present at all three locations, both survivors and first responders.
All titles in this minibibliography can be requested from your local cooperating library. The digital talking book titles can be downloaded through the NLS BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) website. Contact your local cooperating library to register for BARD. Registered users can also download titles on iOS and Android devices using the BARD Mobile app. To find your local cooperating library, go to www.loc.gov/nls/braille-audio-reading-materials/find-a-local-library or call toll-free 888-NLS-READ (888-657-7323)
Contents
- Official Reports
- Individuals Led Out by Their Guide Dogs
- Firefighters
- Personal Accounts
- Responses
- Children's Books
Official Reports
The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States
Independent, nonpartisan commission analyzes facts and circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001, attacks. Summarizes failures of intelligence and other US agencies before and after that date. Recommends government reorganization to provide a safer, more prepared nation. 2004.
Download BR15396
Download DB58238
Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001: Report of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Together with Additional Views
Official US government report on efforts of American intelligence agencies charged with protecting national security. 2002.
Download BR14865
Download DB56474
Individuals Led Out by their Guide Dogs
September 11, 2001: Attack on New York City
by Wilborn Hampton
Describes the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center and relates personal experiences of New Yorkers who lived through the collapse of the Twin Towers, including Omar Rivera, a blind man who walked down from the seventy-first floor with his guide dog to safety. For grades 6-9. 2003.
Download DB57305
Running with Roselle
by Michael Hingson
Hingson, blind since birth, describes Roselle's energetic days as a puppy to becoming a confident guide dog. The author recounts how their special bond helped them survive the terrorist attacks on September, 11, 2001. For grades 6-9. 2013.
Download BR23406
Download DB101215
Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero
by Michael Hingson
Michael Hingson recounts his escape from the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Hingson, blind since birth, describes his and his guide dog Roselle's experience as she led him down seventy-eight flights of stairs to safety. 2011.
Download BR19434
Download DB73300
Firefighters
Firefight
by Patrick Creed
Details the emergency response to save the Pentagon after terrorists flew American Airlines Flight 77 into it on September 11, 2001. Highlights the rescue efforts by local fire departments and personnel from the Department of Defense, FEMA, and the FBI. Violence and strong language. 2008.
Download DB67722
Last Man Down: A Firefighter's Story of Survival and Escape from the World Trade Center
by Richard Picciotto
Fire chief Richard "Pitch" Picciotto of the Eleventh Battalion describes being trapped in the north tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, when it collapsed. Relates how he and other firefighters dug their way out when they realized rescue was nearly impossible. Strong language. 2002.
Download DB54321
Report from Ground Zero
by Dennis Smith
Retired New York City firefighter and author of Report from Engine Co. 82 (DB48762) reports on the heroic rescue and recovery efforts that took place at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and the following months. Includes eyewitness accounts from firefighters, police officers, and emergency personnel. Bestseller. 2002.
Download DB54031
Personal Accounts
Portraits 9/11/01: The Collected "Portraits of Grief" from the New York Times
by Madelyn Buzzard
A collection of New York Times daily feature articles, "Portraits of Grief," written in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. These brief profiles and personal remembrances celebrate the lives of 1,910 victims of the attack on New York City's World Trade Center. 2002.
Download DB56200
One Hundred Two Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Tower
by Jim Dwyer
Reporters interview survivors and read radio transcripts, phone messages, emails, and other accounts to describe conditions inside the World Trade Center between the first terrorist attack and the towers' collapse on September 11, 2001. Documents communication problems, agency in-fighting, and building structural failures that caused unnecessary deaths. Bestseller. 2005.
Download DB59954
Never Forget: An Oral History of September 11, 2001
by Mitchell Fink
Journalist and his wife gather dozens of first-person accounts of World Trade Center workers, Pentagon employees, rescue personnel, witnesses, and others who lived through the events of September 11, 2001. Violence and strong language. 2002.
Download DB58697
The Only Plane in the Sky
by Garrett M. Graff
An account of the 9/11 attack through the voices of the people who experienced it. Draws on transcripts, declassified documents, interviews, and oral histories from government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends, and family members. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2019.
Download DB96933
Among the Heroes: United Flight 93 and the Passengers and Crew Who Fought Back
by Jere Longman
Portrayal of the thirty-seven passengers, two pilots, and five flight attendants who thwarted the terrorists in the skies above Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. Also investigates the motivation behind the four hijackers' destructive path and the possible scenario that caused the plane to crash near Shanksville. Bestseller. 2002.
Download DB54828
The Red Bandanna
by Tom Rinaldi
In 2001, Welles Crowther was a young man working in the World Trade Center. When the towers came down on September 11, people who survived described being helped to safety by Crowther, who did not himself survive the attack, identifying him by his signature red bandanna. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2016.
Download DB85595
Responses
The Day the World Came to Town
by Jim DeFede
Account of the generosity of residents of the small town of Gander on Newfoundland Island following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Recounts how thousands of stranded Americans were fed and cared for by the local Canadians. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2002.
Download DB92429
Download DBC06240
Children’s Books
America Is Under Attack
by Don Brown
Chronicles the September 11, 2001, terrorist strike on America. Discusses the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the crash of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania, and the passengers on the four doomed jets. Emergency workers and survivors describe rescues and acts of heroism. For grades 3-6. 2011.
Download DB74337
14 Cows for America
by Carmen Agra Deedy
Upon returning to his village in Kenya, Kimeli tells his people about the World Trade Center tragedy of September 11, 2001. In response, the Maasai villagers present fourteen cows--symbolic of life--as an offering to grieving Americans. Afterword by Kimeli Naiyomah. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3 and older readers. 2009.
BR19002
September 11, 2001: Attack on New York City
by Wilborn Hampton
Describes the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center and relates personal experiences of New Yorkers who lived through the collapse of the Twin Towers, including Omar Rivera, a blind man who walked down from the seventy-first floor with his guide dog to safety. For grades 6-9. 2003.
Download DB57305
Running with Roselle
by Michael Hingson
Hingson, blind since birth, describes Roselle's energetic days as a puppy to becoming a confident guide dog. The author recounts how their special bond helped them survive the terrorist attacks on September, 11, 2001. For grades 6-9. 2013.
Download BR23406
Download DB101215
Seven and a Half Tons of Steel
by Janet Nolan
Following the terrorist attack on New York City on September 11, 2001, a steel beam from the destroyed World Trade Center was given to the United States Navy and subsequently used to create the bow for the warship USS New York. Commercial audiobook. For grades 3-6. 2017.
Download DB89176