9/11: The Conspiracy Theories

by David Gardner

The time is right to learn what really happened on 9/11.

The time is right to unearth what has been deliberately withheld from the public.

Nearly twenty years ago, on 11 September 2001, four passenger aircraft were hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon near Washington, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Nearly three thousand people were killed. The narrative in the weeks and months that followed seemed straightforward: the attacks had been masterminded by al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, an embittered terrorist with an abiding hatred of the West. But, as the twenty-year anniversary approaches, that neat explanation still fails to answer some important questions surrounding that fateful day.

How did World Trade Center Building 7 - 100 yards from the Twin Towers - collapse so quickly and symmetrically when it had not been hit?

How could two rogue aircraft bring down three towers?

Did the US government help orchestrate the attacks as an 'inside job'?

9/11: The Conspiracy Theories seeks the truth - not only of what we do know about 9/11, but also what has been intentionally hidden from us. Researching these stories with the help of strong first-person reporting and an in-depth examination of documentation released under freedom-of-information protocols, this book sheds new light on one of history's most tragic and troubling episodes, which shattered for ever the myth of America as a country immune to international terrorism.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Conspiracy Theories, True Crime, Audiobook, Journalism, Crime

354 pages, Paperback

Published August 19, 2021

About the author

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Reviews

[TheBookBinge🤓 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went in to this book highly sceptical worried it would be a disrespectful account of 9/11 in order to make a quick buck with no regard for the victims. I’m very glad to say this is not the case.

I listening to this as an audiobook it honestly was such a fascinating book. The first half focuses on the facts of 9/11 discussing the de-classified documents and the events of both 9/11 and the run up before the hijacking. I don’t know if I would have found this as engaging if I read it but listening to it gives you the opportunity to hear the calls from the planes and the interactions between air traffic control, the military etc.

The second half focuses on the conspiracy theories and explains where they come from. It goes through the testimonies of the firefighters and first responders explaining as they fought the flames they thought the buildings had bombs exploding from inside. This book also includes the heartbreaking story of a brother of one of the victims of 9/11 and his firm beliefs and architects explaining the science of the collapse of the twin towers.

I don’t think book attempts to make you believe the conspiracy theories instead it gives you the facts of 9/11 and an explanation of how the conspiracy theories have come about. It was fascinating, engaging, upsetting and deeply moving at times especially when listening to the real audio from that day.

A 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ audiobook

[Neil Lacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel the title is misleading and although an interesting read this was more a focus on the perceived failings and cover up of the American Government, mainly to do with CIA & FBI. It has large political tones which although may be valid just don't think they fit into conspiracies. A large section of the books is made up of transcripts of the fateful day and statements from dozens of firefighters and although powerful, I felt was a little lazy of the author. The couple of focus points around conspiracies were interesting and thought provoking. Overall worth a read just not what I thought it would be.

[Niamh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping read of the tragic events of 9/11.

The book begins by revealing the facts and horrors of 9/11, while the second half discusses the origins of some conspiracies. It finishes by highlighting that there are secrets being kept behind closed doors (not being shared with the victims/families/public) and that there are numerous questions left unanswered, even 20 years later. However, the author holds an unbiased opinion throughout.

I listened to the audio book, where they played live recordings of victims, it was chilling and heart wrenching, so tragic.

I do think the title is misleading, without having read the blurb one would presume it’s a book solely about and fuelling 9/11 conspiracies, however that is not the case.

An extremely insightful and profound read.

[ErnstG · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little thin, really. Padded with firemens' memories and verbatim air traffic control chat.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this book had a different title because at first glance it looks like it could be a disrespectful, false account of 9/11. However, that is not the case. The book is based on substantial evidence and interviews with people directly involved, and I learned a lot of new information. Part of the book is about conspiracy theories, but rather than trying to get you to believe them, it simply states how they came about, and why they could be debunked. Some parts could have been written better (did we really need 70-odd pages of ATC transcripts? Much of it was irrelevant) it was a really interesting read.

[Savannah Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*. Really moving book reading the events that happened both before and after 9/11. Two chapters in particular were the most emotional, The Flights and The Firefighters.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad. Not very engaging. Semi-interesting.

Feels a little disjointed. It chops between sections which feel like they could be together and elsewhere. 'The brother' and 'the widow' seem a good way to end the book with the message being 'still looking for answers and getting none', but instead they're separated in the middle of it all.

I don't understand the need for 76 pages of transcript from ground control and the planes. Alot of superfluous information to get the point across that there was confusion. The same goes for 15 pages of firefighters describing explosions. Just a select couple, followed by 'there were ample more experiences of explosions'. Things like this make it seem like an essay I'd write at school with massive quotes to fill the word count, not a published, seemingly academic work.

All in all, not great. Nuggets of interest throughout but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started well enough, but then I lost interest

[Tamsynsbookreviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author: David Gardner
Page Count: 334 Pages
Published Date: 19th August 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐️
Synopsis:
The time is right to learn what really happened on 9/11. The time is right to unearth what has been deliberately withheld from the public. Nearly twenty years ago, on 11 September 2001, four passenger aircraft were hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon near Washington, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Nearly three thousand people were killed. The narrative in the weeks and months that followed seemed straightforward: the attacks had been masterminded by al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, an embittered terrorist with an abiding hatred of the West. But, as the twenty-year anniversary approaches, that neat explanation still fails to answer some important questions surrounding that fateful day. How did World Trade Center Building 7 - 100 yards from the Twin Towers - collapse so quickly and symmetrically when it had not been hit? How could two rogue aircraft bring down three towers? Did the US government help orchestrate the attacks as an 'inside job'? 9/11: The Conspiracy Theories seeks the truth - not only of what we do know about 9/11, but also what has been intentionally hidden from us.
My Thoughts:
I couldn't get into this book to start off with it was half way through when the book started talking about 9/ 11 because before that i don't know what it was talking about plus some of the wording was very confusing. Although I didn't quite like this book it was nice to learn about 9/ 11 and read what people thought who where actually there and survived and the family members of the people that sadly didn't make it. I have rated this book 3 out of 5 stars.

[Paul Holden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as madcap as you might think from the title. The author looks at all the well known theories with objectivity. Some are not theories, they are fact. Like how the CIA knew two of the highjackers were in the US but prevented the FBI from knowing. The CIA is not legally allowed to operate in America but they did and, it’s highly likely, they worked with the Saudi intelligence. Why? The explanation favoured by those that worked in the intelligence services at the time is that that the CIA was trying to flip one of the highjackers so they’d have a source inside al Qaeda. Unfortunately that operation failed and they lost track of the terrorists, only releasing their names to the FBI in August 2001 when it was too late.

What about all the NY firemen who heard explosions before the towers came down? There are pages and pages of testimony here. The author doesn’t believe an element of the US government, or the CIA, engineered 9/11. But what is certain is that the former accidentally allowed 9/11 to happen. But whoever dropped the ball was protected by the CIA director and the new president. The author doesn’t believe either of them knew about the failed op, but they were certainly involved in the cover up.

Yes, there is definitely a US government cover up. Why else are so many related documents still classified or heavily redacted? If it was a straightforward case of terrorism catching them unaware, why are there so many unanswered questions and secrets? Why are families still battling the government for the truth, 20 years later?

This is definitely worth reading for anyone interested in history and current affairs.

[Paul Crozier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great look at the events of 9/11. I listened and read it simultaneously so the review will reflect this.


The title 9/11 The Conspiracy Theories is a bit misleading as I thought it’d be a book full of conspiracy theories and then rebuttal of the truth but in fact the book is full of the truth and very few conspiracy theories are in it.

The author does great work letting us the listener / reader know exactly what happened before that fateful day upto the days after it happened. It delves in to why the CIA and FBI failed to shared intelligence about the hijackers who were already in the USA living life and trying ( badly ) at learning to fly…two didn’t even want to know how to take off or land…how this never got reported to someone like the FBI is astonishing and may have thwarted the entire attack.

There’s so much more information within this title which I could go on and on about but I’d rather you the listener / reader found out about by themselves and learn the ( possible ) truth about the most famous terrorist attack in human history.

A shout out to the narrator too who does a fantastic job narrating the whole lot and not once messing up Saudi names or places. No funny accents either which was a bonus too.

If you want to learn more about 9/11 I’d highly recommend reading / listening to this book as you’ll be surprised at what went on that day and days after.

Two other books I’d highly recommend reading / listening to are Fall and Rise by Mitchell Zuckoff and The Only Plane In The Sky by Garrett Graff… seriously amazing work which delves into the victims and families plus the first responders of that horrific tragedy.

[Katia M. Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up during my online food shop. I have a section in my library on accidents and disasters, so I figured this should slot in there. Like anyone else who was alive during 9/11, I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. I'm not a conspiracy nut, nor am I American, but from an outsider's POV I always felt there were too many unanswered questions or things that had been explained away too simply and relied on American patriotic zeal to be accepted as fact.

This book is not so much about conspiracy theories, but about cover-ups and excuses for failure. There are brief mentions of plane swaps, no planes, missiles, thermite, controlled demolition, and the like, but no mention of things like 'dustification' or sonic weaponry. The book focuses far more on the things that went so wrong from a national security perspective, from confusion during the event, to the blocking of communications between agencies, and ignoring clear intelligence from other countries. It also focuses on the fight by the victim's families to bring these injustices out into the light and to try and get the answers they have craved for 20 years.

It's relatively well written and easy to follow, but a bit repetitive and dull in places. Jersey Girl, Mindy Kleinberg is far more articulate and eloquent in her expression than the author - pp. 277-278. She has a powerful voice.

If you are interested in reading a non-sensational account of the questions that hang over 9/11, this is a good read.

[Lu Etchells · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect with this book; I feel the title might be somewhat misleading. Ultimately, this is not really an account of conspiracy theories, but instead a careful, thoughtful and at times insightful examination of the failings leading up to this overwhelming tragedy.

Clearly, there were plenty of opportunities to question and potentially apprehend the various terrorists and their associates involved in this atrocity. Perhaps there were chances to bring the whole plan to an abrupt end; however, we will never know whether that was likely or not. It’s easy to suggest had alternative action been taken the outcome would be different, but these things are rarely that simplistic.

For those worrying this might be an unsympathetic, and ultimately disrespectful look at 9/11, don’t be. With testimony and opinions from victims and survivors, as well as a look at interviews with fire personnel and transcripts from air traffic control, this book covers a lot of bases.

Whilst this is not a book that can be “enjoyed” in the strictest sense of the word, I did find myself struggling at times. It’s a slow read, quite laborious in parts, and disjointed. There is a lot of information, that isn’t always presented as clearly as it could be, and the verbatim transcripts were not really necessary, in my humble opinion.

Overall, an interesting read, but the execution leaves it a mediocre book.

[Phyllis Sherwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a bit sceptical when I first started reading this book. I thought that it could put a lot of untruthful facts out there. But in actual fact, it has put a lot of eye-openers out there. It has also clarified a lot of thoughts that I have had about 9/11 and the aftermath that I have had since I was at school. I am very pleased that I sat down and read this book. It is definitely worth the read. I definitely learnt some things whilst reading this book.

I for one would definitely like all of the victims and their families to get the answers that they so rightfully deserve. It's shocking that 20 years on they still don't have the answers that they need or deserve. If anything there is so many more questions that need answering. Sadly I don't think that they will get the answers that they need or deserve any time soon. If anything I think that it may take many more years for them to get the answers.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has turned everything I thought I knew about 9/11 on its head.
It is a fascinating read. The title made me think it might try to make me believe some of the conspiracy theories around 9/11 but that’s not the case. The author sets out those conspiracy theories, some of which are easily debunked but some of which are not, and let’s you make up your own mind based on the evidence and facts gleaned from FOI requests, official transcripts and interviews with people who were involved, including former FBI agents.
There are things in this book that blew my mind, that I previously had no idea about. That the families of the victims still don’t have any clear answers after 20 years is appalling. Highly recommended book.

[Dom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible book, but don’t be fooled this isn’t actually supporting conspiracy theories more like a breakdown of the day and the proceeding events and how people believe it has conspiratorial links throughout. It’s also quite modern with new breakthroughs in the case taking place up to 2020 and during Trump’s presidency. I learned some bits which I found quite interesting but I’m quite well studied on this so this didn’t go as in-depth but if you’ve not read a book about 911 before I guess this is pretty great starting point and if you listen to the audiobook version. It includes all of the sound clips from the day that can give some more context.

Pretty good. Still no inside job though lol

[Mick Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a misleading title,as it doesn't exactly debunk conspiracy theories.it attempts to put forward that the conspiracy is more to do with governments willing to cover their own tracks over clear mistakes and lack of sharing information between departments.some theories are glanced over but given no credence.the other cover up is between the USA,UK government as not to upset the Saudis.not so much the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world,is now translated into the ones that own the oil wells rule the world.

[Caz B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read (or listen as had this on audio) - not so heavily concentrated on the conspiracy theories as I thought it was going to be. But I have read and watch a lot on this event and it still came up with some facts that I was unaware of. I will always be fascinated at how this came to happen and will forever feel nothing but compassion for all the victims families. It still hits hard today as it did back in 2001. We are 23 years later and I still believe we do not know the full story. It is likely we ever will, sadly. May we all never forget that tragic day. xx

[Jonathan Harmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read quickly as was a “fast loan” from the library.

As others say, it’s a misleading title as while it touches on some of the conspiracies around 9/11, the focus is more on failings in the lead up and cover ups since.

Still a bit speculative on the part of the author and some of the transcripts are badly presented with no context.

Better editing and a better title would serve this book better!

[Matthew Eyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book off the library shelf because it looked enticing. A workaday account of the lead up, bombings themselves and immediate aftermath. His theory is that because of deeply entrenched US interests in Saudi, opportunities were lost to stop it. At least that will never happen again. So did the US have their cake and eat it too? The war on terror will go on and on, but so will the business men's profits...

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, really it’s two books split in half, the first half covering the events that lead to 9/11 and the day itself, then the second half covering the conspiracy theories. The more outlandish claims are covered well and very respectfully, in a kind of judge for yourself manner. Some may be put off by the title of the book but it’s a good thought-proving read.

[Lauren Draper-wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely opened my naive eyes to the atrocity of 9/11 and how those in power had every opportunity to stop it happening.
Don't let the title mislead you, while it touches on some of the more outlandish conspiracies, it actually hones in on the build up to the event and how it was handled in the days and years after.
The chapter with air traffic control was numbing to read.

So glad I read this.

[William Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whirlwind tour of the basic elements of 9/11: why was this allowed to happen by the US government, why was so much removed or glossed over in the 9/11 report, what is the truth? Fundamentally, Gardner develops a frame of US government neglect that, despite copious warning, passively permitted American terror, especially afterwards (e.g., Patriot Act, Stellarwind).

[Scott MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a little apprehensive about reading this book believing it to be disrespectful to all those who lost their lives on that fateful day. My eyes however have been opened to the extent of the deceit that has been bestowed and continues to this day.

[Chloe Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a lot of questions that have not, and probably will never, be answered.

It’s clear that something could have been done sooner, whether this would have changed the course of history, we will never know. But we do know that may things could have been done and were not.

[Danielle Boaler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely wrong title for this book. Not conspiracy theories at all just true reports, dialogues, profiles and hundreds of witness accounts that are provided to make your own mind up.

An essential read!

[Sheila Fearnley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of the courage of the victims families to achieve justice & openness in relation to the tragic events of 9/11. The novel highlights the lack of freedom of information & tries to shed light on aspects of the horror of that day & the pathway leading to it.

[lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

was worried would be some crackpot theories but was more just all the details and facts and then saying where different theories had popped up and the things that were known by the cia etc but not passed on

[Jakko23]

DNF. Possibly the most unengaging thing I've ever read.

[Virginia Rand · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can believe there was incompetence and ass covering, but Mr Gardner didn't convince me there was anything more to it.