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Portraits: 9/11/01: The Collected "Portraits of Grief" from The New York Times
Poignant and personal remembrances, celebrating the lives of the World Trade Center victims.
Few aspects of The New York Times 's coverage of September 11 and of all that has followed have attracted as much comment as "Portraits of Grief." A page or two buried deep in the B section every day for 15 weeks, the series profiled the lives lost in the attacks on the World Trade Center and has become a story in itself, becoming required reading for many, the world over.
Beginning on Sept. 14, a half-dozen Times reporters began working from a stack of 100 missing person fliers collected from points around the World Trade Center site. They crafted profiles--stories containing short but signature details of the lives they strove to present. These portraits transcend race, class, and gender lines and tell of the old and the young, praising their individuality while at the same time cutting through their differences to capture the poignancy of their shared life cut short in an American tragedy. The stories have become a source of connection and consolation, a focus for the sorrow of readers both reeling from disbelief and searching for support. To paraphrase "Portraits" reporter Charlie LeDuff, there's more than one Ground Zero--there are thousands of Ground Zeros. 9/11/01 , a collection of the over 1,800 profiles published in the Times , helps us visit them all.
Few aspects of The New York Times 's coverage of September 11 and of all that has followed have attracted as much comment as "Portraits of Grief." A page or two buried deep in the B section every day for 15 weeks, the series profiled the lives lost in the attacks on the World Trade Center and has become a story in itself, becoming required reading for many, the world over.
Beginning on Sept. 14, a half-dozen Times reporters began working from a stack of 100 missing person fliers collected from points around the World Trade Center site. They crafted profiles--stories containing short but signature details of the lives they strove to present. These portraits transcend race, class, and gender lines and tell of the old and the young, praising their individuality while at the same time cutting through their differences to capture the poignancy of their shared life cut short in an American tragedy. The stories have become a source of connection and consolation, a focus for the sorrow of readers both reeling from disbelief and searching for support. To paraphrase "Portraits" reporter Charlie LeDuff, there's more than one Ground Zero--there are thousands of Ground Zeros. 9/11/01 , a collection of the over 1,800 profiles published in the Times , helps us visit them all.
558 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
7 people are currently reading
251 people want to read
About the author
The New York Times
1,822 books322 followersThe New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. Founded in 1851, the newspaper has won 112 Pulitzer Prizes, more than any other news organization. Its website receives 30 million unique visitors per month.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 22, 2019
Almost 20 years later I am still reading this book. I leave it in my kitchen and read a few biographies while I am cooking dinner. I love reading about the children of the victims and sometimes look them up to see what they are doing. It's gratifying to see that many of the children left behind are now in college or doing other productive things with their lives. I think I will continue reading this book over and over throughout the years to keep these brave people's memories alive in my heart.
July 9, 2014
After over 12 years of the attack, reading these short version of life stories still touched me so deeply. The stories lets me realize that how lucky and at the same time how unfortunate these people were; inspires me to enjoy my life to its most, pursue my dream ASAP, be kind to people around you before you are not able to, and spend some money rather than save more for future (I has been a good money keeper).
Have more of "I can do it!" Attitude rather than "how about if I fail".
RIP TO ALL THOSE WHO WERE DEAD ON THAT DAY.
Have more of "I can do it!" Attitude rather than "how about if I fail".
RIP TO ALL THOSE WHO WERE DEAD ON THAT DAY.
September 22, 2011
An incredibly touching collection of portraits of those who were lost on September 11th, 2001. I have been reading a dozen or more a day since September 11th of this year (2011). I have read about 200 of the 1,910 portraits in this collection and nearly every one has brought me to tears. The portraits began as a section in the New York Times paper and then they pieced those together into this remarkable collection.
April 21, 2013
So heart wrenching but also touching....when I first started reading this book I could only get about 2 pages done before I had to stop because I was crying so hard couldn't see the pages anymore.It is a must for anyone who is a history buff or interested in learning more about the innocents who were murdered on 9/11.
December 31, 2011
This book is a beautiful compilation of the lives of the thousands of people murdered on September 11, 2001. These first appeared in the NYT, so some photos are newspaper-grade. The bios are short but strive to be as detailed as possible, snippets that put a face on the many victims of the horrific attacks.
December 8, 2013
Heartbreaking. Just that.
January 20, 2016
A hard book to read and one that I wish would have never been written.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews