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Wake-Up Call: The Political Education of a 9/11 Widow

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On September 11, 2001, Ron Breitweiser called his wife to tell her that there was an explosion in the other twin tower; he saw people jumping out of the windows to their deaths. He told her not to worry, he was all right. That was the last time she would ever talk to her husband. Kristen Breitweiser's life was about to literally collapse.

This is a well-written, poignant, heart-felt story of a woman who first blew off the man with whom she would later fall in love, and to whom she remained attached at the hip until his death. Infant daughter, golden retriever, home in the country and near the shore, and devoted husband transformed from an elysium dream to a stygian nightmare in one day.

After her shock, Kristen wanted answers. Why was legislation passed preventing airlines from being sued by victims? Why did the Bush administration oppose an independent commission, refuse to allow the commission to have subpoena power, limit the duration of the commission, stonewall on providing documents, refuse to allow the president to give sworn testimony, place restrictions on testimony of other White House staffers, spend $50,000,000 to investigate the loss of the Columbia Shuttle, but initially offer only $3,000,000 to investigate the greatest attack in US history? (An investigation into the attack on Pearl Harbor began twelve days after.)

This is Kristen Breitweiser's odyssey from New Jersey housewife to activist and advocate. She and three other widows a.k.a the "Jersey Girls," endured snide editorials from conservative rags, governmental lethargy, promises kept and broken, and stonewalling. They made innumerable trips to Washington D.C. for change and they were changed in the process, from Bush-supporting republicans to those holding an administration's secretive feet to the fire.

My only disappointment came when this classy, lawyer-educated widow felt a need to pen an afterword to a neurotic, spoiled brat who craves attention in any form, named Ann Coulter. But even in this 2nd person account, Breitweiser stayed on the high road. Then again, against Coulter that doesn't require much effort.

Please read the book. It truly is a wake-up call.

Kristen is bluntly honest about her experiences as a 9/11 widow who got more insight into the workings of our government than she ever wanted. She is an incredible writer and her experience is vividly recounted to the readers. Her honestly is haunting at some points. Kristen does not mince words, and the reader senses that she respects them and their ability to handle the truth. She is just so real and seems like someone who could be a friend if you had ever met her.

The only criticism I have is that Kristen should not have wasted time commenting on Ann Coulter. Ann Coulter is a publicity hungry shew and Kristen is leagues above her in class, knowledge and experience. I felt that Kristen should not have lowered herself to Ann's level. Ann just wants attention, Kristen wants change.

The title of this book suggests a political education of a 9/11 widow, but since Kristen Breitweiser has written this eloquent and amazing book, it truly has become a political education for us all!

Breitweiser became widowed on 9/11 when her soulmate, best friend, husband, and daughter's father was tragically murdered by terrorist as he was working on the 94th floor of the World Trade Center. Ron Breitweiser was only 39 years old and neither him or his wife expected that he would no longer be around for his "Sweets" (the term of endearment he affectionately used for his wife) and his beautiful baby daughter, Caroline. But 9/11 happened and Kristen's life was transformed in ways she never would have fathomed.

Breitweiser banded with three other widows and they became known as the "Jersey Girls" during their journey in lobbying the government to establish an independent commission to investigate 9/11. Each of the four women brought unique skills to the team, and they balanced each other out beautifully. The Jersey Girls became incredibly close friends and America's strongest lobbyist for the 9/11 Commission. Without them, there would probably have not ever been a 9/11 Commission established.

Most people might look at this book and think it is a biography about a 9/11 widow. It is that, but it is not only that. It is much, much, much more! The bulk of the book's contents are really a narrative of the journey in establishing the 9/11 Commission more than it is a biography of Breitweiser's life.

I feel as though I learned more from reading Breitweiser's book than I have from all the variety of sources of information over the past five years. Truly - it is remarkable! I strongly urge all people to read this book. If you truly care about America, you will need to read this book. If you want to gain a better understanding and insight to how our system operates, you will need to read this book.

Breitweiser is a true trooper. America would be at a different place today if she and the other Jersey Girls never became the strong activists they did. Kudos to them for working so hard in an effort to keep America safe for our children and future generations!

The author begins by describing her ideal pre-9/11 world, which sets the reader up to really feel the gut-wrenching personal impact of the tragic day and it's aftermath. She then describes how her grief and anger were transformed, with the help of other 9/11 widows, into the successful effort to form the 9/11 Commission.

As the book progresses, the reader see's how Kristen's efforts to uncover the truth are stalled by various individuals and agencies, leading her to campaign for a change of administration in the 2004 elections. She does this all while raising her daughter and grieving the loss of her beloved husband.

The author details some interesting questions that remain unanswered about the government's failures on 9/11. I also loved the amusing description of the meeting with Henry Kissinger, and her letter to Ann Coulter at the end of the book hits the nail on the head--touche'! But my favorite thing about the book was sharing the author's feelings of hope and frustration as she courageously moved forward after 9/11, simply trying to find the truth.

Nice work, Kristen!

Kristen Breitweiser's husband, Ron, worked on the 94th floor of the World Trade Center. After his death, she felt that it was important to learn how such tragedies might be avoided in the future. And she also felt that an independent investigation was called for. Along with three other 9/11 widows, she traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with her Representatives and see what could be done. This book details her political awakening.

Mrs. Breitweiser and her husband both voted for George W. Bush in 2000. When the subject of an independent investigation of 9/11 was suggested, however, it was Bush's administration that blocked it at every step. Not only did they attempt to block a commission, they actively fought against it. And when pressure came to bear, and the White House finally had to agree to cooperate, they fought against the Commission gaining access to many documents and witnesses. They even insisted that the Chairman of the Commission would be none other than Henry Kissinger.

The author led a somewhat naive and privileged life before 9/11. It wasn't long before she was holding her own opposite some of the most powerful people and institutions in the Country. She found herself testifying before a Joint Inquiry of Congress. Quite a transformation. Many of the hard questions she asked have still not been sufficiently answered.

An interesting book by a very admirable woman.

Ann Coulter and her vile comments about the 9-11 harpy widows who were enjoying and making mpney off their dead husbands piqued my interest in this book. What a heartbreaking story and a fantastic writing job..my hat is off to Kristen.

Here is a woman who lost her husband, fought to hold her sanity and her life together while trying to make sense of a seemingly senseless tragedy. In the process, she saw and learned many things about the Bush administration and the "secret" government that remains hidden from Americans.

The worst disaster ever on American soil and yet the Bush administration fought the investigation each and every step of the way.

This book leaves more questions unanswered than it could ever answer and will hopefully make all Americans think and question what our government is doing in our name and with our money.

I hope that the writing of this book has brought some closure to Kristen and her family. God bless.

Breitweiser writes her personal story well, but the book comes to attention when she points out the "wall" between the CIA, NSA, State Dept, and the FBI in the years prior to the attacks.

These agencies were private fiefdoms of information which rarely shared with each other. The tragic outcome was felt five years ago.
We, all of us, know how the Bush Administration mishandled the run-up to the attacks, but these government agencies should be held accountable, as well.

This book should be read along with Wright's book, "The Looming Towers".

There have been several books that have taken a view of 9/11 and its aftermath from a more clinical standpoint by those who have a greater purview of the world. Here is one that takes the reverberating catastrophe to a more personal level and consequently provides significant value from an equally valid dimension. I have to admit my curiosity was piqued by Kristen Breitweiser's appearance last week on the Today Show when interviewer Ann Curry prodded her to respond to Ann Coulter's cheap-shot derision at the 9/11 widows, whom the leather-clad far-right-wing pundit labeled "harpies" for "enjoying their husbands' deaths".

As one of the media-appointed "Jersey Girls", four widows whose husbands died in the terrorist attacks that day, Breitweiser has authored a book about not only her personal journey but also a sharp exposé of the political bureaucracy being faced by all those who lost loved ones on 9/11. It was in part through their efforts that a 9/11 Commission was even formed. Even broader, she shares some unsettling revelations about the current state of national security. It actually helps that she is a lawyer by training since she sifts through some mind-boggling legal documents to get penetrate the evasive policies and general misinformation that have prevented movement toward accountability and closure on the attacks. Breitweiser clarifies what has to be a mountain of research to come up with findings that make one realize how little has been done in the area of safety, especially in airline travel.

However, this is not merely a bashing of the current administration, as justified as such treatment might be, because she looks forward and outlines steps to minimize the chances of a repeat of that day. The book actually begins and ends with post-mortem messages she composed to her husband to let him know how she and their young daughter is doing. These passages don't come across as sentimentalized ploys but rather provide some sense of Breitweiser's own closure with the devastation of that fateful day. The book's overall tone reminds me quite a bit of Mariane Pearl's equally sobering memoir of her husband's kidnapping and execution, "A Mighty Heart: The Inside Story of the Al Qaeda Kidnapping of Danny Pearl". Both make cogent statements about a war that has no victors. This is strongly recommended reading.

This book was like food, I just gobbled it up. The first part about meeting her husband and getting married was a little syrupy but it was okay. It was so sad since you know what is going to happen. She walks your through her story and her grief. She is clear and unemotional (and non partisan to begin with) in her telling of her political awakening. It's really just an amazing story and hugely sad. Losing the dog was completely unfair and totally did me in. I'm going to buy this for Christmas presents for all my girlfriends.

Kristen Breitweiser is the first to admit that until September 10, 2001, she lived in a bubble. It was a nice bubble too: a loving marriage, a beautiful daughter, a nice house. She hardly ever read newspapers or followed politics. Although without great enthusiasm, she had voted for George W. Bush, mainly because her husband liked Dick Cheney (imagine that...) and she found Al Gore boring.

On 9/11, Kristen's life changed forever, as her husband Ron died in the Twin Towers. Kristen was now a thirty-year-old widow, a single mother, and a woman on a mission: to find out why her husband died that day, and to fight so that other families wouldn't have to suffer the same kind of loss.

Kristen became friends with other widows ("the Jersey Girls") and found how the President she had voted for betrayed them and the rest of the country: first, by doing nothing when there were clear indications that Osama bin Laden was planning to attack America, later by fighting against the Commission that would investigate the government failures that led to 9/11, and by using that terrorist attack as a political tool while stonewalling and lying to the families left behind.

What follows is a fascinating and sobering portrait of an administration more interested in covering up than protecting Americans, and the story of a brave, intelligent woman, who fights for what she believes is right, at a great personal cost. Breitweiser is honest to the point of bluntness--a very refreshing trait in a book about 9/11 and Washington. "He didn't have as at hello," she writes about John Kerry, the candidate the Jersey girls supported in 2004, because they agreed with his policies, even if they found his charm to be lacking. She writes about her excellent relationship with John and Elizabeth Edwards, the meeting with Henry Kissinger that led to his resignation as the Commission President, and the hard, bitter fight to find out the truth about September 11. Thank you, Kristen.