After: How America Confronted the September 12 Era

In the wake of the 911 tragedy came a virtual tidal wave of tomes relating in one fashion or another to the effects and meaning of the events of that fateful day. Yet with all those books, none has succeeded quite so colorfully or in such an entertaining and edifying fashion as has noted journalist Steven Brill in "After: How America Confronted The September 12 Era". Focusing on the individual lives of a variety of different people from any of a number of separate and distinct walks of life, Brill pulls us up close and personal into the vortex of what is swirling around within the events and consequences flowing from the actions of nineteen madmen bent on murder and mayhem. Yet this is not a maudlin book, in the sense that it concentrates on a tragic event and its aftermath. Instead, it is a celebration of why we Americans have much to be proud of regarding the conduct of many of the involved individuals.The book, while meticulously noted and researched, flows rather like a work of fiction, moving us with its portrayal of the shuddering impact of the day's events. Yet, despite its stirring narrative and impressive dialogue, each of the characters in this well-written work are real breathing individuals, most of them still walking among us, most of them still relatively anonymous. And it is due to this sheer raw humanity exposed in its most vulnerable moments of loss and renewal. In so doing, Brill offers us a stirring and unforgettable portrait of how our culture works. Thus we follow a customs officer as he reacts to his own eyewitness experience of the hits on the World Trade Centers with an emotional and yet critical effort to rein in control over a massive field full of potentially dangerous cargo containers, any of which might hold weapons of mass destruction, or a customs officer who suddenly must curtail the rather informal border crossings with few men or resources at her disposal. We watch as an executive reacts to the news by immediately issuing orders for the materials to expand production of airport x-ray machines needed to ensure greater passenger safety, and as other individuals with loved ones lost in the carnage struggle to draw meaning and sustenance from their bewildering losses. The few negative aspects of the book have to do with Brill's seemingly naïve acceptance of several bureaucrat's spin on the events in self serving ways, a la Tom Ridge and John Ashcroft, who attempt to justify actions taken by the federal bureaucracy on the basis of protecting Americans, when elsewhere it has been demonstrated that there were other, ulterior motives for much of these moves to consolidate power and capability more exclusively within the federal executive branch. Yet the nearly 350 interviews and extensive research accomplished by Brill shine through with a most memorable and meaningful essay into the aftermath of a day that will certainly live in infamy for decades to come. Enjoy!

Steven Brill is a graduate of Yale Law and the founder of Court TV, so After is dominated by a lawyerly insistence on detail and accuracy. The events of September 11 itself are relegated to a prologue of two dozen pages or so. The rest of the 700+ pages (including notes and index) are made up of descriptions of how America dealt with the changes brought about by the terrorist attacks. This could be incredibly tedious in the wrong hands, but Brill is a master at capturing the humanity of his subjects, whom he follows in a diary like format for a full year. I especially enjoyed following the travails of Sal Iacono, whose shoe repair shop was devastated by the attacks but who was fortunate enough to find a dedicated pro bono lawyer who helped him get the grants and loans he needed to recover. Brill's coverage of the difficulties faced by the families of three of those killed in the World Trade Center is sensitive but thorough. Some people and groups come off better than others. Senator Chuck Schumer and Governor Tom Ridge both get high marks for their dedication to solving the myriad problems of the period. Attorney General John Ashcroft appears as a man of limited intellectual curiosity determined to fight terrorism no matter how much he tramples on the Constitution. (The ACLU's leader makes an interesting counterfoil to Ashcroft.) The Red Cross appears first as an organization too eager to collect funds and too reluctant to disperse them, then as being so reckless in spending that multiple abuses take place.The book ends on a hopeful note in January of 2003, with the US now better prepared for future terrorist attacks and with its basic values intact. After should be one of the books historians turn to in order to understand how we coped with the period after September 11.

"The terrorists' goal is fear, not conquest," states Steven Brill in his treatise on the attacks on America in September 2001. "If terrorists can convince enough people to be scared because their government hasn't figured out how to deal with any number of threats at the same time, they win. Yet from a political point of view, if he or she alarms people so much by talking about all the threats and making the price of addressing them so onerous in terms of freedom, cost, and convenience, the terrorists win that way, too."AFTER: How America Confronted the September 12 Era is the story of how the nation banded together and fought those fears. In the dark days that followed what will be forever remembered simply as "9/11," millions of people, Americans and non-Americans, wondered how life could ever return to normal. But in Steven Brill's commendable book, readers will learn how quickly attempts were made to get the nation back on track.Of course, the focus that day was on the victims who perished or were injured in the horrific attacks. The days that followed were filled with palpable sadness and mourning. Jews traditionally have a seven-day period of mourning, after which it is time to get on with life.Brill, founder of The American Lawyer and former editor of Brill's Content, reports in painstaking detail the efforts made by New York and America, through a handful of examples, to do just that --- the widow, reluctantly giving in to the inevitability of her husband's death; the long-time shopkeeper who lost everything, wondering what to do next; the businessmen on both sides of the insurance table, anxious to rebuild on the one hand and trying to avoid massive payouts on the other; the New York senator trying to get the most available aid for his battered city; the ACLU lawyer, seeking to keep mass hysteria from infringing on the civil rights of those who might become targets of persecution simply because of their nations of origin; the airline official, whose entire industry is already down dramatically, looking for assistance to avoid total collapse in the face of lost business and potential lawsuits; and the Red Cross worker, trying to maximize assistance to victims of 9/11 while juggling political sensitivities.Unfortunately, there are always those looking to capitalize on such a situation, whether they seek financial, social or political glory. "[I]t is pointless to try to gauge the mix of 'selfish' or 'selfless' motivations at work. We live in a society that depends on both," writes Brill in the book's epilogue.The sum of AFTER is an amazing collection of research and yet it remains a human story, rather than cold facts and figures. Congressmen cry along with family members, while the phrase "I feel your pain," often considered a joke thanks to the previous Administration, takes on real meaning.The reader also gets a sense of the enormity of planning to re-seed a new financial infrastructure where the World Trade Center once stood. To do less

I have come to admire Steven Brill for his honesty to admit when he is wrong, for his defense of public officials who deserve respect and for his ability to seek out the truth to better our society. This book emulates all three outstanding traits of the author by the way he investigates, dissects and proposes changes to the future from history. Brill's first book, "Teamsters" caught my attention just out of law school. "Teamsters" was accurate, insightful, and dazzling work of spiritual dedication to the subject for the reader and should have been made into a movie. He lost some creditability when he created "Brill's Content Magazine" to excused Bill Clintons' own personal King Solomon stain of sins that just needed to go away. Yet, I thought it was another brave attempt to save a not so perfect Public Servant President who cared about making tough decisions. Upon reflection, I now see Brill's brilliance in this attempt to teach the public to understand that American Public Service most of the time deserves praise not pity, appreciation not cynics and always respectful criticism. In this book, he does exactly that by talking about the day after 911 and how America needs a new debate on our civil liberties and public safekeeping. He outlines how globalization combined with technological expansion enhances the destruction that leaves America vulnerable to loss opportunities for freedoms, economic development and public health assaults causing death and fear. Thus, the writer is voicing the need for our society to approach this new change and re-think old policies and practices that will balance our freedoms with public security to ensure a personal viable existence with knowledge of fear but not domination from fear. Brill writes the fine points on how President Bush and Governor Tom Ridge together created a Department of Homeland Security. How they change the face on how our bureaucracies can be made better to protect American Transportation, Security and Business Institutions. How they forced Congress to think much bigger rather than remain small fiefdoms for congressional committee critics to wave power by claiming we cannot protect anyone anymore. The author freely admits his error as a, "New York City Fifth Avenue Ivy League Media Cynic," a long title but nothing to be ashamed of either, and no longer undervaluing the hard work, devotion and dedication of public servants such Tom Ridge, Chuck Shumer and President Bush just as he valued President Clinton's devotion. He shows how Ridge left a cozy Governor's position to take a ill prepared newly created position that is easy fodder for any heckler and detractor to ridicule him. Yet, he praises Ridge's performance to date nothing short of sparkling dedication to duty and country. Simultaneously, the author does not have the same feelings or findings for Attorney General John Ashcroft who Brill fears lacks the basic abilities to see the entire picture. The author has concluded the new Department o

This book follows everyday people, key political figures, and various other business and charity organizers and shows how their lives changed in the days, weeks, months and year after 9/11. What starts to emerge from a thoughtful reading of this book is that it reflects Americans and the United States in all its strengths and all its weaknesses. The people described and the country is not perfect, but the issues and pressures that are faced hour by hour, day by day, etcetera is truly remarkable. There is constant give and take as differing idealogies and philosophies of the freedom America should bring is played out, but in fast forward. Decisions, bills (both those needing to be paid and ones on Capitol Hill), opportunities, and obstacles come up and are dealt with, for better or worse in retrospect. The only 9/11 book that comes close to this sort of balanced and careful analysis, albeit still early in the history of the post 9/11 era, is Inside 9/11 by the editors of Der Spiegel.