Portraits: 9/11/01: The Collected "Portraits of Grief" from The New York Times

by The New York Times

A new edition that now includes the complete New York Times profiles of those who died at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001

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.” The series profiled the lives lost in the attacks on the World Trade Center and was a story in itself, becoming required reading for many the world over.

Beginning on September 14, 2001, a half-dozen Times reporters began working from a stack of one hundred missing persons fliers collected from points around the World Trade Center. They wrote profiles containing short but signature details of the lives they strove to present. These portraits transcend race, class, age, and gender while capturing the poignancy of the victims’ life cut short in an American tragedy. This new edition includes the complete “Portraits of Grief” series with approximately four hundred additional portraits published since February 3, 2002. The profiles have become a source of connection and consolation, a focus for the sorrow of readers both reeling from disbelief and searching for support.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Reference, Biography Memoir, Historical

696 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

The 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.

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Brenna Darazs · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Gaber Patanè · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking. Just that.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hard book to read and one that I wish would have never been written.