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5.0 out of 5 starsI Heard the Sirens Scream, July 20, 2011
By
Leonard Cole (USA) - (REAL NAME)
More than a terrific book, "I Heard the Sirens Scream" is a monument to a period. Garrett began writing on the day the Twin Towers fell. She made her way into lower Manhattan that day and most other days during the next four months. From that vantage she wrote a daily missive, as she calls it, plying her skills as a premier reporter and science writer. But woven into commentaries of heroism and missteps are her freely expressed emotions. A reader cannot help but share Garrett's grief about lost lives, her rage at the perpetrators, and pride in New York's selfless rescue workers.Much of Garrett's narrative is also devoted to the spread of anthrax spores via threat letters that were mailed in the wake of 9/11. The Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court, and Federal Reserve were closed because of suspected or actual anthrax contamination. Like those who unknowingly inhaled the poisonous bacteria, people near Ground Zero inhaled air filled with particles of glass and asbestos. Many firefighters, police, and other rescue workers later developed respiratory illnesses, apparently as a result of their exposure. They had not received special masks and protective gear because, as Garrett recounts, federal officials had falsely declared the air safe to breathe.Garrett laments most deeply the change that terrorism has wrought on our collective psyche. People never grow accustomed to fear, she writes. Our citizenry has been scarred emotionally by the terrorist experiences.
This compelling book is not to be missed.
From the Author
Why is this available exclusively in digital,e-book form?In part this is due to contractual limitations withanother publisher, for a different book. And in part it is because I choose to embrace the possibilities presented by the digital book era,including the potential of linking text (this book) with images and interactiveprogramming. I am under contract with Harmony Books, a division of RandomHouse, for a traditionally published book, but Harmony decided a 9/11-orientedmanuscript would not sell, and contractually ordered me to produce adifferent book. But I could not shake the import and emotional power ofthe events of 2001, and felt strongly that the material had to see the light ofday before the tenth anniversary, 9/11/11. After lengthy legal negotiations Harmonyagreed to allow publication of I HEARD THE SIRENS SCREAM on the grounds thatit would not appear in print form. Thanks to this unusual agreement, I plunged into the world of e-publishing, finding the experience bothinvigorating and deeply difficult (and costly). E-publishing may be the future, but at this moment every aspectof the technology, marketing, literary review, and long term survival ofe-books is changing daily amid a complex and competitive environment: Authors mustbe bold, and beware.
I was thoroughly engaged by the in-depth and detailed reporting (i.e., journalistic style) of this narrative. Reading this on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 made it even more poignant. It's a good start into revealing the sea change in political behavior that has taken place over the past 10 years... sort of like, "we're all going to die, so let's grab all we can while we have a chance!" So little regard for prioritizing our use of resources.
I had two issues with the book, one minor, one more serious. The minor one is that without any landmarks (e.g., chapters, sections, etc.) it was difficult to know how far along in the book I was... at times I had to force myself to keep reading because I had no sense of direction for the book. I still have no sense of how long the book is in terms of pages, although I suspect it would have been a rather hefty volume. The major one is that it appears little effort was made to thoroughly proofread the copy, like probably would have happened for a traditionally printed book. There are tons of typos and usage issues. It distracts in such a way as to take some of the polish off the professionalism of the book.
Nonetheless, I highly recommend the book. Stick with it and you'll come away with a better sense of the extensive impact 9/11 has had on our country, and indeed of our individual lives.
This book is a solid contribution to the history of September 11, particularly the response to the subsequent anthrax attacks. All of the reviews here as I write this are positive and seem to have had similar reactions to Ms. Garrett's reporting. Like them I was struck by both the outstanding dedication and heroism of the many professionals "on the front line" who did all they could to deal with events and the rank stupidity, selfishness and infuriating arrogance of others who utterly failed to make good their oaths to protect the public. As at least one other has noted the book clearly suffers from not having had an outside editor. But I would rather have it in its current form that to lose any of its considerable substance in the editing process. There is a lot to be said for the preservation of "raw" truth.
A fascinating book. Brilliantly written. Garrett manages to take the reader through history of the 9/11 events by linking memories and quotes from eye witnesses with personal stories and a description of institutional settings and failures. Garrett brings the qualities of a sharp journalist and a top writer, a mixture that won her a Putlitzer price previously. I heard the sirens scream is a great read. Not a dull momet, educational, sharp, extremely well research. But it is also personal, touching and shocking and sometimes funny. A mixture that made it hard to put the book away for some sleep. Must read!
I typically prefer paper based books. I Heard the Sirens Scream is my first Kindle book/experience.
In regards to the Kindle, it is an amazing service. I have an android phone that is much more portable than my iPad. Kindle is on both Apple and Android devices. Kindle synchs my current page on one device to the other device, so I don't have to search or remember the exact page number when jumping between devices. I know, people have known about this for years. Still, this book and Kindle got me back to reading a book. I read and write for a living, so it always seems hard to read for pleasure anymore.
Overall, I would say the kindle experience is better than the iBook (Apple's kindle type offering) because I have both an Apple and Android device. If I bought a book through Apple, I would be stuck with reading it on only one of my devices, the iPad.
On to the book.
I became familiar with Ms. Garrett during an interview on NPR's Science Friday radio show, where she was discussing her new book (I Head the Sirens Scream) and participation in a movie (Contagen).
Both the book and the movie are great and should be on your things to read and view.
Ms. Garrett's unbiased observations have again gotten me upset over the whole 9/11 aftermath, the anthrax cases, the Iraq war justifications, and because of our nearly disfunctional governmental. I also noted several shots at ABC and Judith Miller at the NYT for their reporting of "weaponized" anthrax and drawing conclusions about Iraq as the origin of the Anthrax. ABC cited four anonymous sources and continued to run with the story after the White House disavowed the conclusions. That shoddy reporting (and some shoddy intelligence work by the DoD and others) was used by the likes of Cheney and Rumsfield to justify a war with Iraq.
It takes someone like Ms. Garrett to throw sunlight on a mix of governmental process that just do not seem to work together. The book has only confirmed my fears of our government. I just wish some of those people in government who are mentioned in the book (or who are in those positions of government) would read it.
Overall, great book.
Contagen (the movie), also left me with an erie surprise last week. One point of the movie deals with a Japanese bus rider who caught a nasty virus. A video of the rider dying in the bus from the virus is then leaked over the internet forming one of the sub-plots in the movie.
Dec. 21, 2011 in the news, a HK bus driver came down with to be a very nasty form of H1N1 (bird-flu), H5N1. The CBS news article mentioned an estimated 60% death rate. I'm not sure about believing the death rate.
[Update (1/6/2012), CBS' website said the HK bus driver died on Dec 31, 2011]
I have also read a few books on biology and disease causing bugs, so I do have a decent respect, if not some understanding, of the risks and challenges presented by infectious diseases. After watching Contagen and reading Ms. Garrett's book, I again was spooked about all kinds of bugs. So, this recent news of the HK bus driver really struck home more than it normally would have.
I can only be surprised now that there hasn't been an outbreak of H5N1 since a bus driver could potentially spread the H5N1 infection to many more people than someone who didn't encounter so many people during the day.
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This item: I HEARD THE SIRENS SCREAM: How Americans Responded to the 9/11 and Anthrax Attacks
