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The Unfinished Bombing: Oklahoma City in American Memory
On April 19, 1995 the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City shook the nation, destroying our complacent sense of safety and sending a community into a tailspin of shock, grief, and bewilderment. Almost as difficult as the bombing itself has been the aftermath, its
legacy for Oklahoma City and for the nation, and the struggle to recover from this unprecedented attack.
In The Unfinished Bombing , Edward T. Linenthal explores the many ways Oklahomans and other Americans have tried to grapple with this catastrophe. Working with exclusive access to materials gathered by the Oklahoma City National Memorial Archive and drawing from over 150 personal interviews with
family members of those murdered, survivors, rescuers, and many others, Linenthal looks at how the bombing threatened cherished ideas about American innocence, sparked national debate on how to respond to terrorism at home and abroad, and engendered a new "bereaved community" in Oklahoma City
itself. Linenthal examines how different stories about the bombing were told through positive narratives of civic renewal and of religious redemption and more negative narratives of toxicity and trauma. He writes about the extraordinary bonds of affection that were created in the wake of the
bombing, acts of kindness, empathy, and compassion that existed alongside the toxic legacy of the event.
The Unfinished Bombing offers a compelling look at both the individual and the larger cultural consequences of one of the most searing events in recent American history.
legacy for Oklahoma City and for the nation, and the struggle to recover from this unprecedented attack.
In The Unfinished Bombing , Edward T. Linenthal explores the many ways Oklahomans and other Americans have tried to grapple with this catastrophe. Working with exclusive access to materials gathered by the Oklahoma City National Memorial Archive and drawing from over 150 personal interviews with
family members of those murdered, survivors, rescuers, and many others, Linenthal looks at how the bombing threatened cherished ideas about American innocence, sparked national debate on how to respond to terrorism at home and abroad, and engendered a new "bereaved community" in Oklahoma City
itself. Linenthal examines how different stories about the bombing were told through positive narratives of civic renewal and of religious redemption and more negative narratives of toxicity and trauma. He writes about the extraordinary bonds of affection that were created in the wake of the
bombing, acts of kindness, empathy, and compassion that existed alongside the toxic legacy of the event.
The Unfinished Bombing offers a compelling look at both the individual and the larger cultural consequences of one of the most searing events in recent American history.
- GenresHistoryAmerican History
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2001
2 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Edward Tabor Linenthal
13 books3 followersEdward Linenthal is a Professor of History and Religious Studies at Indiana University: Bloomington.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 1, 2025
Six years after the terrible events of April 19, 1995, Edward Linenthal published the definitive account of the response to the Oklahoma City bombing and the building of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. I chose to read this book as I had to write a paper comparing the Memorial at Oklahoma City with the Memorial in New York City after the September 11th attacks for my Museums and Memory class that I was enrolled in.
This book is very well written and Linenthal writes in a very compassionate manner, since he went to Oklahoma City and got to speak with nearly every important person that helped Oklahoma City recover from the tragedy and work towards creating a memorial that would help the city, the survivors, and the family members heal from this tragedy. While not a book that focuses on why the bombing took place or the events of the day, Linenthal keeps his attention on the way that the people of Oklahoma City responded to the events. It was important to them to display the Oklahoma Standard and not be defined by the bombing, but rather how they responded to the bombing. This book tells about how the media latched on to the image of 'the baby and the firefighter' as the central image of that day of terror. The book walks through all of the important questions about who would be given a voice in the process of guiding the planning and building of the memorial. Finally, the book discusses why Hans and Torrey Butzer's design for the memorial was chosen and then what were the key elements of the design as it became the finished memorial that opened in Spring of 2001. This book was exactly what I needed as I researched my paper topic, but as an added bonus it was a gripping read and filled me with emotion and understanding as I read.
This book is very well written and Linenthal writes in a very compassionate manner, since he went to Oklahoma City and got to speak with nearly every important person that helped Oklahoma City recover from the tragedy and work towards creating a memorial that would help the city, the survivors, and the family members heal from this tragedy. While not a book that focuses on why the bombing took place or the events of the day, Linenthal keeps his attention on the way that the people of Oklahoma City responded to the events. It was important to them to display the Oklahoma Standard and not be defined by the bombing, but rather how they responded to the bombing. This book tells about how the media latched on to the image of 'the baby and the firefighter' as the central image of that day of terror. The book walks through all of the important questions about who would be given a voice in the process of guiding the planning and building of the memorial. Finally, the book discusses why Hans and Torrey Butzer's design for the memorial was chosen and then what were the key elements of the design as it became the finished memorial that opened in Spring of 2001. This book was exactly what I needed as I researched my paper topic, but as an added bonus it was a gripping read and filled me with emotion and understanding as I read.
July 15, 2011
I read this book because I'm a big fan of memory work and Linenthal's approach to the subject -- he's the author of a totally masterful history of the creation of the Holocaust Memorial Museum, and this book about the Oklahoma City bombing is equally thoughtful.
- I was 12 when that bombing took place and I missed much of the debates about violent discourse and the political right that took place in its wake. So many of the editorials excerpted in this book brought to mind the conversations that took place after the Gaby Giffords shooting, about the role and responsibility of violent rhetoric by political and media personalities for subsequent violent action. Adam Gopnik wrote in the New Yorker in 1995, "The point, of course, isn't that Limbaugh or Pat Robertson or G. Gordon Liddy caused the killing. It is that they seemed never to have given a moment's thought, as they addressed their audiences, to the consequences of stuffing so much flammable resentment into such tiny bottles."
- He does a great job of examining American memorial culture in all of its grace AND kitsch. This is really helpful for anyone interested in the ways we are commemorating 9/11, as the 10th anniversary approaches, or for anyone who likes to cringe while reading about memorial proposals that feature statues of giant teddy bears.
- I had forgotten how significant Oklahoma City was for America, until September 2001. In his conclusion, Linenthal asks, "will a future terrorist act that inflicts even more death consign Oklahoma City to a less prestigious location in the landscape of violence?" And the answer is...yes, totally.
- I was 12 when that bombing took place and I missed much of the debates about violent discourse and the political right that took place in its wake. So many of the editorials excerpted in this book brought to mind the conversations that took place after the Gaby Giffords shooting, about the role and responsibility of violent rhetoric by political and media personalities for subsequent violent action. Adam Gopnik wrote in the New Yorker in 1995, "The point, of course, isn't that Limbaugh or Pat Robertson or G. Gordon Liddy caused the killing. It is that they seemed never to have given a moment's thought, as they addressed their audiences, to the consequences of stuffing so much flammable resentment into such tiny bottles."
- He does a great job of examining American memorial culture in all of its grace AND kitsch. This is really helpful for anyone interested in the ways we are commemorating 9/11, as the 10th anniversary approaches, or for anyone who likes to cringe while reading about memorial proposals that feature statues of giant teddy bears.
- I had forgotten how significant Oklahoma City was for America, until September 2001. In his conclusion, Linenthal asks, "will a future terrorist act that inflicts even more death consign Oklahoma City to a less prestigious location in the landscape of violence?" And the answer is...yes, totally.
January 4, 2013
This was assigned in my graduate public history colloquium course along with several other works by Linenthal. Linenthal's purpose in this book is not meant to merely educate about the event itself, but how it was incorporated into official public memory in America. For me, this book shed enormous light onto how challenging the process of memorialization and commemoration can be at a site which has witnessed such an act on American soil.
Unlike any other event, memorialization at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing began immediately. As a result of the intense media attention and scope of what Linenthal refers to as the "international bereaved community," the interest and participation in the memorialization process in Oklahoma City was unprecedented. The size of the bereaved community meant that there were many voices present, involved, and included in the memorialization process. Not everyone agreed on what should be done and how, and this was a point which was driven home very well by Linenthal in this book. How do we incorporate so many diverse and often conflicting opinions and narratives into an official public memorial? How do we do we meet everyone's expectations, needs, and wants while still forming some kind of consensus? This is a challenge which the United States has faced throughout its history. At some times, certain voices have been trampled, left out, or forgotten. No one was going to let that happen in Oklahoma City.
Linenthal painstakingly illustrates how the memorialization process itself was a crucial part in the grieving process of survivors, rescuers, and the family members of victims. Linenthal's exploration of the many sides of this story shows how important communication and understanding is in any commemorative process. Most especially, Linenthal demonstrates the many challenges which modernization has brought to the memorialization process. Almost everything I have read by Linenthal emphasizes the importance of transformed and "sacred" sites in America. For my part, I found this book to be much more intriguing than Linenthal's other works, perhaps because it deals with a modern domestic terrorist event. I would recommend this book to anyone who is truly interested in the process of commemoration in America, and in how public historians approach the challenge of interpretation of events like the Oklahoma City bombing.
Unlike any other event, memorialization at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing began immediately. As a result of the intense media attention and scope of what Linenthal refers to as the "international bereaved community," the interest and participation in the memorialization process in Oklahoma City was unprecedented. The size of the bereaved community meant that there were many voices present, involved, and included in the memorialization process. Not everyone agreed on what should be done and how, and this was a point which was driven home very well by Linenthal in this book. How do we incorporate so many diverse and often conflicting opinions and narratives into an official public memorial? How do we do we meet everyone's expectations, needs, and wants while still forming some kind of consensus? This is a challenge which the United States has faced throughout its history. At some times, certain voices have been trampled, left out, or forgotten. No one was going to let that happen in Oklahoma City.
Linenthal painstakingly illustrates how the memorialization process itself was a crucial part in the grieving process of survivors, rescuers, and the family members of victims. Linenthal's exploration of the many sides of this story shows how important communication and understanding is in any commemorative process. Most especially, Linenthal demonstrates the many challenges which modernization has brought to the memorialization process. Almost everything I have read by Linenthal emphasizes the importance of transformed and "sacred" sites in America. For my part, I found this book to be much more intriguing than Linenthal's other works, perhaps because it deals with a modern domestic terrorist event. I would recommend this book to anyone who is truly interested in the process of commemoration in America, and in how public historians approach the challenge of interpretation of events like the Oklahoma City bombing.
February 21, 2019
Sobering and heartbreaking and so well written. I read this as part of my dissertation research and came away very affected by it. Everyone who remembers where they were that day needs to read it.
September 17, 2025
This book has little to do with the OKC Bombing itself. Instead, it is primarily focused on the community and national response to the bombing. This unique viewpoint can be difficult to adjust to if you are expecting a closer examination of the bombing itself and the events leading up to it, but it offers insight that has been lost in other kinds of works. I am not sure that I have ever read something quite like this book.
It is thoroughly researched. The author wrote this book a few years after the bombing. It gave me plenty to chew on. He repeatedly wonders at religious people's inability to sit in silence or to lament violence. Too often, there is a quick response to explain away the devastation. The chapter examining how the memorial was created is worth the entire book. It was a long and difficult process that somehow managed to end with all of the various groups of people satisfied.
One of the interesting perspectives of the book is that it was written pre 9/11. He repeatedly wonders if this event will just be forgotten after the next attack. He also was ahead of the curve in noticing how everything was being labeled as PTSD and trauma. He was right that this event was difficult for even those on the periphery. However, he was uncomfortable with someone who watched it on the news being diagnosed the same as an emergency worker who carried out the bodies of the dead.
Overall, this is a niche book. Don't read it if you just want to learn more about the bombing itself. But it is worth reading if you want to learn more about the memorial, or how it is human beings respond to tragedy and the stories we tell ourselves.
It is thoroughly researched. The author wrote this book a few years after the bombing. It gave me plenty to chew on. He repeatedly wonders at religious people's inability to sit in silence or to lament violence. Too often, there is a quick response to explain away the devastation. The chapter examining how the memorial was created is worth the entire book. It was a long and difficult process that somehow managed to end with all of the various groups of people satisfied.
One of the interesting perspectives of the book is that it was written pre 9/11. He repeatedly wonders if this event will just be forgotten after the next attack. He also was ahead of the curve in noticing how everything was being labeled as PTSD and trauma. He was right that this event was difficult for even those on the periphery. However, he was uncomfortable with someone who watched it on the news being diagnosed the same as an emergency worker who carried out the bodies of the dead.
Overall, this is a niche book. Don't read it if you just want to learn more about the bombing itself. But it is worth reading if you want to learn more about the memorial, or how it is human beings respond to tragedy and the stories we tell ourselves.
July 2, 2007
This book is a study of a memorial and how it was built; how the memory of an event becomes an image. It was very interesting to see many different perspectives on the situation and to hear about the process of building something that culturally important by committee.
July 31, 2007
What is the meaning of memory and tragedy? What are the politics of the memorial? This book goes after that. I really liked it, and it stayed with me for quite a while.
July 10, 2008
One of the greatest poems ever lives in this book. The poem was written a young lady whose father, a Secret Service Agent, was killed when the Murrah Building was bombed.
April 21, 2013
By one of the most interesting profs I had in college. It details the creation of the memorial in Oklahoma City.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews