What We Saw: The Events of September 11, 2001, in Words, Pictures, and Video [Hardcover]

CBS News (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 20, 2002

To coincide with the first anniversary of the atrocities of September 11 comes a one of a kind record of the events as they unfolded on that fateful day. In words, pictures and video, WHAT WE SAW is a unique historical record of the events of September 11th. This unique and moving book records how we learned about this international tragedy and came to understand and survive it. Through still photography, video footage and the accounts of survivors and journalists, the events of that horrific day are brought vividly to life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Assembled chronologically, this anthology of article excerpts, essays and personal narratives econstructs the events of September 11-17 in words and pictures. Packaged with the book is a DVD, a document of events extracted from the CBS News Archives. The DVD opens with Dan Rather and a CBS News special report, including clips of Bryant Gumbel on the phone with eyewitnesses five minutes after the first crash. Among the dedicated CBS reporters covering the tragedy was Carol Marin, who fled the WTC collapse and continued uptown to the CBS News studio, still covered in dust and debris when she went on the air with Rather. Equally memorable is Ed Bradley's lengthy video coverage of the "thousands of volunteers who were drawn by an overwhelming urge to help" in the rescue efforts. Several short pieces in the book are by CBS correspondents, and these abbreviated accounts, edited down and rewritten, are weak alongside the same material on the DVD. The articles and excerpts from magazines and newspapers include standout selections by Anna Quindlen, Pete Hamill and David Grann. David Letterman's September 17 talk with a weeping Dan Rather and the Naudet brothers' acclaimed September 11 documentary were peaks of the CBS coverage, both with huge ratings, and many will be disappointed by their conspicuous absence from this DVD.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Drawn from the CBS News Archives and including a full-length DVD as well as text and pictures, this work reconstructs the events of September 11. With an introduction by Dan Rather.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Har/DVD edition (August 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743241908
• ISBN-13: 978-0743241908
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #803,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars COVERAGE OF AMERICA'S WORST DAY BEGINS SKETCHILY, September 14, 2002

By 

"earthvolunteer" (Atlanta, Ga. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What We Saw: The Events of September 11, 2001, in Words, Pictures, and Video (Hardcover)

CBS's new combination book and DVD covering the events of 9/11 with an introduction by Dan Rather is an interesting but non-essential document primarily about the network's own coverage of one of America's worst days. The DVD begins with CBS's early morning news coverage of the first airline crash into the Trade Center's north tower. Unfortunately for Bryant Gumbel (who is trying to figure out what is happening in spite of a stationary camera from across New York City and with the "assistance" of a few eyewitnesses who apparantly can only seem to tell him what he can clearly see with his own eyes) his coverage of this horrific day begins sketchily. The DVD continues with Dan Rather hosting and jumping forward to later events of the day and the week, and concluding with other video segments from news programs such as 48 hours (which reflect back on the day from various viewpoints.)

The book itself is perhaps a more important document, with good black-and-white photos, an excellent timeline of events and the story of September 11th as it unfolded for various CBS correspondents, relatives of the victims, eyewitnesses and reporters for other publications such as The New Yorker, the Village Voice, Newsweek, the Washington Post, etc. Unfortunately, CBS's coverage of the attacks on the Trade Center in the book consist of the same silly transcripts between Bryant Gumbel and the "know-nothing" eyewitnesses on the street who were supposedly "seeing" the events unfold.

A better document of 9/11 is CNN's production of "America Remembers" now on DVD. Moving and very thorough, this DVD follows the events of the day as they unfolded in the newsroom, on the streets of New York and Washington and as they also unfolded for President Bush (a fascinating chapter.) CNN's coverage also includes the weeks and months following the attack including the war in Afghanistan.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Combined with a DVD, this makes this purchase worth buying!, September 1, 2002

By 

Dennis A. Amith (kndy) (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: What We Saw: The Events of September 11, 2001, in Words, Pictures, and Video (Hardcover)

September 11th was a day that many of us will remember. Some would like to forget but for many, they will not forget this day because the truth is, this day has charged our lives forever.

With several books on the market about September 11th, "What We Saw: The Events of September 11, 2001 - In Words, Pictures, and Video" by CBS News, Dan Rather has one thing going that pushes this book up as one of the primary purchases for those looking for books on 9/11 and that is this book includes a 2-hour full length DVD.

The book focuses the experiences of individuals, individuals from other publications and people working for CBS. Dan Rather mentions in the beginning how people like to ask one another, what were you doing when you first heard of the first attack on the first tower. This book features those articles and interviews. The book shows black and white photos that many of us have seen on newspapers and other publications and it is definitely an interesting read.

But of course, the highlight is the DVD. The DVD features in documentary style round two dozen chapters focusing on the first report with Bryant Gumbel talking to people near the World Trade Center and the shock when the second plane hit the other tower. The DVD features footage from the Pentagon after it been hit. CBS reporters who were near the WTC when it hit, reporting of their situation and how they were saved and to the rescue operation of Ground Zero.

This DVD also features something for everyone. Analysis of what has happened, the heroes of 911, the children who lost a parent, the search for survivors, the NYFD pipers who have been playing everyday for a funeral for their lost brothers, people who survived the WTC, how flags were selling out throughout the US, business owners who lost their business and are in agony of wondering what happened to their employees and so much more.

I have watched this DVD several times, showing it to friends and family and the events are still fresh in our memory even though we approach the one year anniversary of 911.

I highly recommend this book/DVD. While books do help to refresh our memory of the dreadful events of the day but also the American spirit that lives, by seeing it via DVD and in video...it makes this item worth purchasing.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book - hohum DVD, July 7, 2003

By 

Thomas R. Burke (Fairfield, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What We Saw: The Events of September 11, 2001, in Words, Pictures, and Video (Hardcover)

I have to believe that CBS News could come up with a better DVD on the events of 9/11 than this one. I was hoping to see the CBS live coverage of the tragedy but was greatly disappointed. Outside of about 10 minutes of live coverage of the world trade center attacks, the vast majority of the DVD is nothing but segments from 60 Minutes and 48 Hours. Human interest stories are great to fill out this sort of thing but there is far too much of it here. I was astounded to note that CBS apparently had no live coverage of the collapse of either tower. And no mention at all was made of Flight 93 as the events unfold in this program - such coverage only occupying an isolated 5-10 minutes halfway through the DVD. CBS had an opportunity here to give us and future generations a real feel for an historic event as it unfolded ... and they blew it.