Debunking 9/11 Myths: Why Conspiracy Theories Can't Stand Up to the Facts [Paperback]

The Editors of Popular Mechanics (Author), David Dunbar (Editor), Brad Reagan (Editor), James B. Meigs (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2, 2011

A decade after the World Trade Center disaster, rampant speculation abounds on what actually happened. Wild talk flourishes on the Internet, TV, and radio. Was the Pentagon really struck by a missile? Was the untimely death of Barry Jennings, who witnessed the collapse of Tower 7 and thought he heard “explosions,” actually an assassination ? Not everyone is convinced the truth is out there. Once again, in this updated edition of the critically acclaimed Debunking 9/11 Myths, Popular Mechanics counters the conspiracy theorists with a dose of hard, cold facts.

 

The magazine consulted more than 300 experts in fields like air traffic control, aviation, civil engineering, fire fighting, and metallurgy, and then rigorously, meticulously, and scientifically analyzed the 25 most persistent 9/11 conspiracy theories. Each one was conclusively refuted with facts, not politics and rumors, including five new myths involving the collapse of 7 World Trade Center and four longstanding conjectures now considered in the context of new research.

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Debunking 9/11 Myths is a reliable and rational answer to the many fanciful conspiracy theories about 9/11… What happened on 9/11 has been well established by the 9/11 Commission. What did not happen has now been clearly explained by Popular Mechanics.”--Richard A. Clarke, former national security advisor, author of Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror

 

“This book is a victory for common sense; 9/11 conspiracy theorists beware: Popular Mechanics has popped your paranoid bubble world, using pointed facts and razor-sharp analysis.” -Austin Bay, national security columnist (Creators Syndicate) and co-author of From Shield to Storm

 

“There is no time to waste. You must purchase Debunking 9/11 Myths.”--Rocky Mountain News

 

“Certainly one of the most original--and potentially controversial--titles on the topic.”--Publishers Weekly

 

“Do you have a friend who emails you the most recent documentary 'proving' that a missile impacted the Pentagon or that timed explosions brought down WTC-7? Buy him a copy of this book. He'll thank you later.”--Weekly Standard 

About the Author

David Dunbar is executive editor of POPULAR MECHANICS and led the editorial team that produced the groundbreaking cover story debunking the conspiracy theories surrounding 9/11. He has also directed the magazine’s coverage of the war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina.
 
Brad Reagan is a contributing editor to POPULAR MECHANICS and has reported for the magazine on digital forensics and on the counterterrorism programs of the New York Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. He was previously a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal.
 
Popular Mechanics is read by 9.6 million people every month. With more than 100 years of expertise in covering science and technology, the magazine is ideally equipped to confront the rumors surrounding 9/11 and explore the evidence with scientific facts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Hearst; Updated edition (August 2, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588165477
• ISBN-13: 978-1588165473
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 5.5 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Specific Topics > Terrorism

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 33 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Very useful, but a little skimpy October 19, 2011

By David R. Fuller

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book to see just exactly the arguments of the 9-11 conspiracy buffs were. I got the soft cover
version, not a Kindle download, because I figured there would be a lot of graphics which don't turn out well on my Kindle. I was wrong about the second point; there are some photos, but no line drawings, which I find disappointing.

What's really disappointing is the size of the book -- one can read it comfortably in an evening, and it is anything but encyclopedic. From my experience with 9-11 conspiracy people, they will simply dimiss this book as
a quicky sales job of the establishment position, and, regrettably, I think I may have to agree with them.

61 of 103 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars What a disappointment March 3, 2012

By Well-Read

Format:Paperback

While I don't consider myself a conspiracy theorist, I do have some unanswered questions about 911 that need answering. This book was fairly useless in that regard. Pretty much more of the mainstream stuff that just fuels me to distrust the official version of events more and more, regardless of the implications on my psyche. There is plenty of crap out there on both sides of the debate, but I really did expect more from Popular Mechanics... it's brand implies a sense of objectivity. What do they think, we are all 4-year-olds who can't think out of the box?

For example, on p. 40 there is a reference to the fact that "conspiracy theorists" (generally considered a derogatory term that does little but attempt to stifle real debate - a red flag I have learned to watch out for as a sign of bias) claim that no hi-rise in history has come down due to fire alone, to which the authors of this book retort, "...in a sense, they are right: Fire alone did not bring down the towers"... damage to columns, dislodging of fireproofing, etc... all contributed as well. That's all fine and dandy, and somewhat reasonable.

But didn't they read the report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology on WTC 7? That reports states that this 47-storey hi-rise DID come down due to office fires alone, and that structural damage from WTC1 and 2 played NO role. So while they are going to extensive efforts to discredit "conspiracy theorists", Popular Mechanics is also discrediting NIST... now I'm really confused.

Also, the examples of people representing the "conspiracy theorists" position are ridiculous, the flakiest of the flaky - classic straw man argument. Why didn't they refute some of the finding of Architects and Engineers for 911 Truth... that's what I was really hoping for. Are those 1600 professionals quacks or what? Not a mention of them in the book. Or somehow explain if WTC7 could experience free fall over 2.5 seconds without having all resistance removed by something like a demolition... no "computer model" has demonstrated this, and no one on the mainstream side of the argument seems to want to address it head on. I mistakenly thought Popular Mechanics would have the cojones to do so... I guess I previously held Popular Mechanics to a higher standard than those flakes on the other side of the issue... oh, how silly of me to think there would be one source that would give a thorough, unbiased view of this increasingly perplexing issue.

Thanks PM, for this one-sided piece of garbage... I don't think I'll be reading your magazine anymore as a result... You just lost a long-standing fan. What a waste of money, unless of course you are looking for a "scientific" justification for satisfying your cognitive dissonance around this issue of what might have really happened that day.

13 of 24 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Not helping me! February 3, 2013

By MB

Format:Paperback

I have been desperately searching for good debunking materials. I want to believe these things aren't true. Everything I find totally avoids the difficult questions and this book is no different.

NIST is not a credible source! If there is a conspiracy they would be at the heart of it. This book is a reiteration of NIST reports. It's a reiteration of the governments reports of what happened.

I am sure there are lots of questions that can be debunked. The explosions could have been a number of different things. That's easily debatable. No need for a book about that. The pentagon conspiracy is one that I have yet to see fully addressed. A computer simulation isn't cutting it. The computer simulation doesn't even match up with eyewitness accounts of the direction of the plane.

I've never been a conspiracy person, but you don't have to look far to see that our government finds us expendable. You also don't have to look very far to see that corporations are buying politicians silence on both the right and left.

I will keep searching until I find something credible enough that I can start sleeping better at night.