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After Ground Zero: Everyday Americans and the Unhealed Scars of 9/11
Not yet published
Expected 20 Aug 26This first-hand reporting spanning from Ground Zero on the day of the 9/11 attacks through decades of trauma and healing offers a stark reminder of just how forcefully the events of September 11 and the war on terror have impacted the lives of countless Americans.
Mike Kelly was across the Hudson River when the two jets crashed into the World Trade Center's twin towers in downtown Manhattan on September 11, 2001. His immediate goal was to get to the scene and gather some first-hand reporting to file on deadline. But this was just the first step of a decades-long journey through another kind of rubble, through the pain left behind and the unhealed scars of people's lives in the wake of a terrorist attack.
After Ground Zero traces the lives of a diverse portrait of Americans forced to confront the pain and mystery of the terrorism that tore apart their lives beginning on that September morning. From Kelly's on-the-ground reporting at Ground Zero to Iraq, the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Washington, D.C. and various spots in between, the book follows a line of survivors that range from first responders such as police, fire fighters, clergy, and construction workers, to soldiers deployed overseas, loved ones of those killed, and numerous others as they search for answers, policy changes, reparations and accountability, faith, and healing. Kelly's up-close storytelling is a powerful reminder of just how impactful the 9/11 attacks were and the ripple effect they have had in the decades that followed.
Mike Kelly was across the Hudson River when the two jets crashed into the World Trade Center's twin towers in downtown Manhattan on September 11, 2001. His immediate goal was to get to the scene and gather some first-hand reporting to file on deadline. But this was just the first step of a decades-long journey through another kind of rubble, through the pain left behind and the unhealed scars of people's lives in the wake of a terrorist attack.
After Ground Zero traces the lives of a diverse portrait of Americans forced to confront the pain and mystery of the terrorism that tore apart their lives beginning on that September morning. From Kelly's on-the-ground reporting at Ground Zero to Iraq, the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Washington, D.C. and various spots in between, the book follows a line of survivors that range from first responders such as police, fire fighters, clergy, and construction workers, to soldiers deployed overseas, loved ones of those killed, and numerous others as they search for answers, policy changes, reparations and accountability, faith, and healing. Kelly's up-close storytelling is a powerful reminder of just how impactful the 9/11 attacks were and the ripple effect they have had in the decades that followed.
320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication August 20, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
5 Stars for this worthwhile read as the twenty-fifth anniversary approaches. Chapter by chapter, the book prepares you for a day & a time where our way of living dramatically changed forever. The author captures how the US looked altered when the sun rose on September 12, 2001.
It is reassuring to realize that the author is an award-winning journalist plus penned several well-researched books. Adding further credibility, Mike Kelly went barreling across the Hudson River towards The Twin Towers as everyone else (with the exception of emergency workers) fled on foot.
The individual stories honor the victims here & as I read, I would pause & look up each name. I felt they deserved that respect. This didn’t happen on some pin on a map in a faraway land – It is challenging to find anyone even in today’s times that didn’t know someone or felt affected by this disaster. How could we ever forget the phrase…If you see something, say something? Travel in every form, schools, & public places were reworked in the days & months ahead.
I read & reread the detailed account of the vast monies poured into 9/11 by Saudi Arabia. The author doesn’t avoid how these funds conflict with our past & current leader in the US.
Trump, the Bush Family & even Henry Kissinger were (or are) too cozy with this terroristic landscape. The LIV Golf League should be considered a slap in the face to every citizen in our country. These are my own opinions. The author sticks to just reporting the facts.
With 19 hijackers moving around the US for months prior to September 11, 2001, & none being able to speak English.…assistance was provided for their comfortable day-to- day life plus the successful effort to fade into various states. Support existed, but the question mark remains.
I close by repeating a direct & sad quote in this book from Trump…”Well, nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11”.
I thank NetGalley, Mike Kelly & Bloomsbury Academic Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair & honest review.
I also remember a dear friend from college & best buddy of my then Husband in 2001…Greg Malone from Maxcor/Euro Brokers in Tower Two. I also remember a friend from our work in the 1980s & news commentator herself - Barbara Olson on AA Flight 77 that crashed into The Pentagon. They were both on my mind as I read & remembered.
It is reassuring to realize that the author is an award-winning journalist plus penned several well-researched books. Adding further credibility, Mike Kelly went barreling across the Hudson River towards The Twin Towers as everyone else (with the exception of emergency workers) fled on foot.
The individual stories honor the victims here & as I read, I would pause & look up each name. I felt they deserved that respect. This didn’t happen on some pin on a map in a faraway land – It is challenging to find anyone even in today’s times that didn’t know someone or felt affected by this disaster. How could we ever forget the phrase…If you see something, say something? Travel in every form, schools, & public places were reworked in the days & months ahead.
I read & reread the detailed account of the vast monies poured into 9/11 by Saudi Arabia. The author doesn’t avoid how these funds conflict with our past & current leader in the US.
Trump, the Bush Family & even Henry Kissinger were (or are) too cozy with this terroristic landscape. The LIV Golf League should be considered a slap in the face to every citizen in our country. These are my own opinions. The author sticks to just reporting the facts.
With 19 hijackers moving around the US for months prior to September 11, 2001, & none being able to speak English.…assistance was provided for their comfortable day-to- day life plus the successful effort to fade into various states. Support existed, but the question mark remains.
I close by repeating a direct & sad quote in this book from Trump…”Well, nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11”.
I thank NetGalley, Mike Kelly & Bloomsbury Academic Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair & honest review.
I also remember a dear friend from college & best buddy of my then Husband in 2001…Greg Malone from Maxcor/Euro Brokers in Tower Two. I also remember a friend from our work in the 1980s & news commentator herself - Barbara Olson on AA Flight 77 that crashed into The Pentagon. They were both on my mind as I read & remembered.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I absolutely loved this book. There was so much information not just about 9/11 itself but the after effects and where things stand up till today. Even if you have read plenty of books about this, there is something unique and refreshing about this one. I enjoyed the writing style and the different people introduced that were impacted on a personal level. I thought I knew everything on this topic but I actually learned several new things. Kudos to the author on this great book! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.
I was only 2 years old when 9/11 happened. While I grew up learning about the event, I never truly knew how devastating it was until I read this book. Reading about people’s experiences on this tragedy was eye opening. Learning about the political actions (and in-actions) was incredibly educational. Even 25 years later, people are still so impacted and traumatized by what happened. I don’t know if I quite “enjoyed” this book because it’s about such a terrible event, but it was written well.
I was only 2 years old when 9/11 happened. While I grew up learning about the event, I never truly knew how devastating it was until I read this book. Reading about people’s experiences on this tragedy was eye opening. Learning about the political actions (and in-actions) was incredibly educational. Even 25 years later, people are still so impacted and traumatized by what happened. I don’t know if I quite “enjoyed” this book because it’s about such a terrible event, but it was written well.
Review of advance copy
After 9/11, USAmericans found out actions have consequences
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews