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City in the Sky: The Rise and Fall of the World Trade Center
"A fascinating story . . . Those who delighted in Caro's Power Broker will relish City in the Sky. "
-Thomas Bender, The New York Times Book Review
The World Trade Center was the biggest and brashest icon that New York has ever produced-a pair of magnificent giants that became intimately familiar around the globe.
In this vivid, brilliantly researched narrative, New York Times reporters James Glanz and Eric Lipton re-create the life of the World Trade Center from its genesis in David Rockefeller's ambition to rebuild lower Manhattan to the spirited battles with local storeowners and powerful politicians who opposed it, to the bold structural engineering innovations that would later determine who lived and died in its collapse. And like David McCullough's The Great Bridge , City in the Sky is a riveting story of New York itself- of architectural daring, political maneuvering, human ambition and frailty, and a lost American icon.
-Thomas Bender, The New York Times Book Review
The World Trade Center was the biggest and brashest icon that New York has ever produced-a pair of magnificent giants that became intimately familiar around the globe.
In this vivid, brilliantly researched narrative, New York Times reporters James Glanz and Eric Lipton re-create the life of the World Trade Center from its genesis in David Rockefeller's ambition to rebuild lower Manhattan to the spirited battles with local storeowners and powerful politicians who opposed it, to the bold structural engineering innovations that would later determine who lived and died in its collapse. And like David McCullough's The Great Bridge , City in the Sky is a riveting story of New York itself- of architectural daring, political maneuvering, human ambition and frailty, and a lost American icon.
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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April 26, 2016
I never really noticed the ubiquity of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center until they were gone. Despite dominating an already formidable skyline, the Towers were so intertwined with New York City that they somehow lost an independent identity. The Twin Towers were New York, a symbol and a synonym. When King Kong came back to the Big Apple for an unnecessary remake, the ape ignored the Empire State Building entirely. When young Kevin McAllister arrives in New York City, once again separated from his parents at Christmas, he takes in the view from the observation deck of the South Tower. And whenever Friends needed an exterior establishing shot, it came in the form of 1 & 2 WTC.
The collapse of the Towers left a gigantic hole, literally and figuratively. Something as banal as a Mad About You rerun can suddenly take you back to one of the dark days of U.S. history.
When I picked up James Glanz and Eric Lipton’s City in the Sky, it was out of a sense of nostalgia for those buildings. I wanted to know about how they were conceived and built. I wanted to know how they lived. Also – and importantly – I wanted a book that had been written after 9/11, because you cannot make sense of life without death.
City in the Sky proved to be exactly the type of World Trade Center book I’d been looking for. It encompasses the whole history of the buildings, including their fall on September 11, 2001; but the emphasis is on their design and rise.
The World Trade Center story began as a plan, spearheaded by David Rockefeller, to move the Chase headquarters to lower Manhattan. This relatively modest goal somehow morphed into the “World Trade and Finance Center,” an amorphous concept lifted from the New York World’s Fair.
Of course, this is not what came to pass.
The World Trade Center came into the hands of Austin Tobin and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Tobin and the Port Authority are two of the central characters in this narrative.
The Port Authority is a sort of supra-governmental body that is perplexing to those of us (and we do exist, New Yorkers) who live outside the NYC-NJ area. A creation of congressional statute, the Port Authority overseas the transportation infrastructure within the Ports of New York and New Jersey via an interstate compact between the two States. Under the ambitious Tobin, who became the Executive Director of the PA in 1942, the Authority expanded its operations far beyond the ports. Under his hand, operations expanded to include airports and – eventually – the leasing of commercial real estate to private business.
A lot of things can be said about the PA, but the most pertinent is that the PA is flush with power and cash (coming from the tolls on bridges and tunnels). It has the influence of a governmental entity combined with the accountability (i.e., non-accountability) of a private corporation run by unelected officers. The PA runs on an admixture of money and power, but in order maintain those things, it must spend them (lest the people of New York and New Jersey ask for something as logical as lower tolls).
Tobin threw his weight behind the World Trade Center project, despite its tenuous connection to the PA’s transportation-oriented locus.
(Initially, the tenants of the Twin Towers had to have a connection to international trade. As time went on, and space went un-leased, this rule was followed only in the breach. Finally, it was scrapped altogether. This makes sense, since it was a charade from the start).
The first thing he had to do, which takes up a riveting chapter in Glanz & Lipton’s book, is get rid of the people already located on the proposed WTC site. This meant the use of eminent domain to get rid of the so-called “Radio Row,” a collection of oddly-profitable small businesses selling consumer electronics (think of it as the Radio Shack district, back when a place like Radio Shack could be in the black).
The owners of Radio Row, led by Oscar Nadel, the leader of the Downtown West Businessman’s Association, put up a lengthy and intermittently successful fight in the courts of law and public opinion. Eventually, in a decision that presaged the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial decision in Kelo v. City of New London (in which the phrase “public use” was defined so broadly as to lose all protective meaning), Radio Row was condemned, the owners were bought out, and an era came to an end (that is to say, sooner than it would have otherwise).
Once Tobin had his land, he hired Minoru Yamasaki to design the World Trade Center. Now far removed from the original conception, Yamasaki delivered a proposal to build the two largest towers in the world.
The design and construction of the Twin Towers is the most fascinating part of City in the Sky. At every turn, the architects and builders had to find novel ways to overcome the laws of physics and geography. An enormous concrete bathtub wall (aka the “Slurry Wall”), anchored by cable tiebacks, had to be constructed to keep out the river. Secret experiments were conducted to determine how people would react to the building’s sway. Unknowing participants were offered a free eye exam. After entering the office, many of them became suddenly nauseous. The reason: hydraulic lifts mimicked the gentle, almost unnoticeable oscillations of a super-tall tower buffeted by winds. Based on the results of those experiments, dampers were added, the spacing of the vertical columns was increased, and a support structure called a “hat truss” sat atop each building to tie the core to the exterior.
Glanz & Lipton’s discussion of the dimensions and specifications of 1 & 2 WTC are often made with an eye towards their eventual collapse. They talk about the inadequate fireproofing techniques, and how the buildings’ revolutionary design – the vertical sheath that allowed for so much open, leasable space – led to stairways clustered in the core. On September 11, most of those stairways would be blocked in an instant.
The final chapters deal with the 9/11 attacks and the collapse of the Twin Towers. This section is well done – especially when it focuses on the buildings’ successes and failures in absorbing their mortal blows – but it pales in comparison to Dwyer & Flynn’s landmark 102 Minutes.
(City in the Sky came out first, but 102 Minutes is the account of the death of the Twin Towers. It bears noting that both books were written by reporters from the New York Times. The NYT’s reporting on the subject has been exceptional from the beginning).
City in the Sky ends with the plans to rebuild on the site, with the centerpiece being the “Freedom Tower” (a name, thankfully, that is now slipping into disuse. Officially, the flagship tower of the office complex is One World Trade Center). Only here does Glanz & Lipton’s story feel incomplete. Published in 2003, City in the Sky ends with the promise of rebirth. It is unable to foresee the epic boondoggle that would follow: the missed deadlines; the turf wars; the design fracases; the untold millions wasted.
Eventually, One World Trade Center will open for business, and it will be a part of a beautiful and already-functioning museum and memorial. People will forget the sleaze and shadiness that went into lifting the tower into the sky, just as they did with the Twin Towers. People will come to see One World Trade Center as a new symbol of New York City, just as they did with the Twin Towers. Time will pass and – god willing – this new tower will outlast living memory. No matter what happens, it is unlikely that the shadows of the absent towers will ever disappear.
The collapse of the Towers left a gigantic hole, literally and figuratively. Something as banal as a Mad About You rerun can suddenly take you back to one of the dark days of U.S. history.
When I picked up James Glanz and Eric Lipton’s City in the Sky, it was out of a sense of nostalgia for those buildings. I wanted to know about how they were conceived and built. I wanted to know how they lived. Also – and importantly – I wanted a book that had been written after 9/11, because you cannot make sense of life without death.
City in the Sky proved to be exactly the type of World Trade Center book I’d been looking for. It encompasses the whole history of the buildings, including their fall on September 11, 2001; but the emphasis is on their design and rise.
The World Trade Center story began as a plan, spearheaded by David Rockefeller, to move the Chase headquarters to lower Manhattan. This relatively modest goal somehow morphed into the “World Trade and Finance Center,” an amorphous concept lifted from the New York World’s Fair.
The proposal was for a $250 million World Trade Center complex, on 13.5 acres of land, near the site of the Fulton Fish Market on the East River. The centerpiece would be a single office tower of perhaps seventy stories, with a hotel. But there would also be a six-story international trade mart, an exhibition hall, and a securities exchange building, which Rockefeller hoped would someday house the New York Stock Exchange. All of this would be built on a three-story platform that would lift the complex off the ground, giving it nice views of the river.
Of course, this is not what came to pass.
The World Trade Center came into the hands of Austin Tobin and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Tobin and the Port Authority are two of the central characters in this narrative.
The Port Authority is a sort of supra-governmental body that is perplexing to those of us (and we do exist, New Yorkers) who live outside the NYC-NJ area. A creation of congressional statute, the Port Authority overseas the transportation infrastructure within the Ports of New York and New Jersey via an interstate compact between the two States. Under the ambitious Tobin, who became the Executive Director of the PA in 1942, the Authority expanded its operations far beyond the ports. Under his hand, operations expanded to include airports and – eventually – the leasing of commercial real estate to private business.
A lot of things can be said about the PA, but the most pertinent is that the PA is flush with power and cash (coming from the tolls on bridges and tunnels). It has the influence of a governmental entity combined with the accountability (i.e., non-accountability) of a private corporation run by unelected officers. The PA runs on an admixture of money and power, but in order maintain those things, it must spend them (lest the people of New York and New Jersey ask for something as logical as lower tolls).
Tobin threw his weight behind the World Trade Center project, despite its tenuous connection to the PA’s transportation-oriented locus.
(Initially, the tenants of the Twin Towers had to have a connection to international trade. As time went on, and space went un-leased, this rule was followed only in the breach. Finally, it was scrapped altogether. This makes sense, since it was a charade from the start).
The first thing he had to do, which takes up a riveting chapter in Glanz & Lipton’s book, is get rid of the people already located on the proposed WTC site. This meant the use of eminent domain to get rid of the so-called “Radio Row,” a collection of oddly-profitable small businesses selling consumer electronics (think of it as the Radio Shack district, back when a place like Radio Shack could be in the black).
The owners of Radio Row, led by Oscar Nadel, the leader of the Downtown West Businessman’s Association, put up a lengthy and intermittently successful fight in the courts of law and public opinion. Eventually, in a decision that presaged the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial decision in Kelo v. City of New London (in which the phrase “public use” was defined so broadly as to lose all protective meaning), Radio Row was condemned, the owners were bought out, and an era came to an end (that is to say, sooner than it would have otherwise).
Once Tobin had his land, he hired Minoru Yamasaki to design the World Trade Center. Now far removed from the original conception, Yamasaki delivered a proposal to build the two largest towers in the world.
The design and construction of the Twin Towers is the most fascinating part of City in the Sky. At every turn, the architects and builders had to find novel ways to overcome the laws of physics and geography. An enormous concrete bathtub wall (aka the “Slurry Wall”), anchored by cable tiebacks, had to be constructed to keep out the river. Secret experiments were conducted to determine how people would react to the building’s sway. Unknowing participants were offered a free eye exam. After entering the office, many of them became suddenly nauseous. The reason: hydraulic lifts mimicked the gentle, almost unnoticeable oscillations of a super-tall tower buffeted by winds. Based on the results of those experiments, dampers were added, the spacing of the vertical columns was increased, and a support structure called a “hat truss” sat atop each building to tie the core to the exterior.
Glanz & Lipton’s discussion of the dimensions and specifications of 1 & 2 WTC are often made with an eye towards their eventual collapse. They talk about the inadequate fireproofing techniques, and how the buildings’ revolutionary design – the vertical sheath that allowed for so much open, leasable space – led to stairways clustered in the core. On September 11, most of those stairways would be blocked in an instant.
The final chapters deal with the 9/11 attacks and the collapse of the Twin Towers. This section is well done – especially when it focuses on the buildings’ successes and failures in absorbing their mortal blows – but it pales in comparison to Dwyer & Flynn’s landmark 102 Minutes.
(City in the Sky came out first, but 102 Minutes is the account of the death of the Twin Towers. It bears noting that both books were written by reporters from the New York Times. The NYT’s reporting on the subject has been exceptional from the beginning).
City in the Sky ends with the plans to rebuild on the site, with the centerpiece being the “Freedom Tower” (a name, thankfully, that is now slipping into disuse. Officially, the flagship tower of the office complex is One World Trade Center). Only here does Glanz & Lipton’s story feel incomplete. Published in 2003, City in the Sky ends with the promise of rebirth. It is unable to foresee the epic boondoggle that would follow: the missed deadlines; the turf wars; the design fracases; the untold millions wasted.
Eventually, One World Trade Center will open for business, and it will be a part of a beautiful and already-functioning museum and memorial. People will forget the sleaze and shadiness that went into lifting the tower into the sky, just as they did with the Twin Towers. People will come to see One World Trade Center as a new symbol of New York City, just as they did with the Twin Towers. Time will pass and – god willing – this new tower will outlast living memory. No matter what happens, it is unlikely that the shadows of the absent towers will ever disappear.
March 9, 2016
A rare moment where you actually come out feeling more educated after reading something. I'd love to see an expanded edition that includes more pictures and provides new chapters on the memorial and how relief workers have gotten sick from breathing in all of the particles during the recovery effort.
Among the more interesting things that I learned:
The Port Authority is extremely shady. It was created as a government entity to support transportation but instead it has transformed into this horribly corrupt unaccountable organization that only cares about providing money for itself through taxes, tolls and real estate.
Nobody wanted the World Trade Center. Locals bitterly opposed the destruction of their neighborhood. The small businesses of Radio Row were completely ruined. The city opposed the development. The business community wasn't interested. In fact, it created such a huge glut in office space that it depressed the market for thirty years. That's why there wasn't a rush to rebuild. There's simply no need for it.
They used loopholes and lack of oversight to cut corners in construction. It's a major reason why the buildings collapsed. They didn't have the proper fireproofing so they literally melted. The most eye-opening revelation involves a secret study where they tested vertigo in high rises by experimenting on unsuspecting folks, including pregnant women.
Among the more interesting things that I learned:
The Port Authority is extremely shady. It was created as a government entity to support transportation but instead it has transformed into this horribly corrupt unaccountable organization that only cares about providing money for itself through taxes, tolls and real estate.
Nobody wanted the World Trade Center. Locals bitterly opposed the destruction of their neighborhood. The small businesses of Radio Row were completely ruined. The city opposed the development. The business community wasn't interested. In fact, it created such a huge glut in office space that it depressed the market for thirty years. That's why there wasn't a rush to rebuild. There's simply no need for it.
They used loopholes and lack of oversight to cut corners in construction. It's a major reason why the buildings collapsed. They didn't have the proper fireproofing so they literally melted. The most eye-opening revelation involves a secret study where they tested vertigo in high rises by experimenting on unsuspecting folks, including pregnant women.
September 24, 2022
City in the Sky by James Glanz and Eric Lipton is an amazing account of both the construction and collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center.
This book is a deeper dive than Gillespie's Twin Towers. It goes into more detail on the people, politics and events surrounding the towers as a construction project. For example, one aspect not much discussed by Gillespie was the influence of David Rockerfeller, whose uncle originally proposed a World Trade Center concept just before the second world war. Later in the 50s, Rockerfeller wanted to revitalise Lower Manhattan with property development, and he used his uncle's idea as part of the driving force. He got the Port Authority involved because he knew they would be necessary for the planning permission and have vast financial resources. One thing the book doesn't really make too clear is where the involvement of Rockerfeller ended after the Port Authority were on board, because it was essentially their project, and Rockerfeller seemed to have little or no influence at that point.
Another aspect glossed over in Gillespie's book but given full treatment by Glanz and Lipton was an account of the political skirmishes the Port Authority went through before they could begin construction. After a lot of negotiation, a bill approving the project was signed and passed by the Governors of New York and New Jersey in March 1962, but construction didn't commence until August 1966. The first obstacle was the strong opposition by the small business owners on 'Radio Row', who were essentially going to be bulldozed over to make way for the trade center. They were represented by a prolific lawyer who challenged the Port Authority and initially they won their case: the World Trade Center bill was declared unconstitutional on the basis that it was too broad and gave the Port Authority too much power. However, the decision was overturned in an appeals court. The case was then taken to the Supreme Court, but they dismissed it. That wasn't the end of the trouble. In 1964, Lawrence A. Wien, whose property development syndicate had acquired the Empire State Building at the end of 1961 for $65 million, setup a committee to oppose the project. They were concerned about their market being undercut by the millions of square feet of office space the towers would provide, and in May 1968, Wien even had an article published in the New York Times, that among other things, warned against the possibility of a commercial jet colliding with the towers. Then at the beginning of 1966, John V. Lindsay was inaugurated as the new Republican Mayor of New York. He didn't like the project, and right off the bat, he asked that the demolition preparations be halted. He setup a committee to review the city's relationship with the Port Authority, essentially to undermine the enterprise. Despite all this, obviously we know the Port Authority prevailed, but it was really great to get the detail from the book on this interesting history.
On the collapse, the authors have a chapter describing the day's events, which is very similar in nature to Dywer and Flynn's 102 Minutes, but it's worth bearing in mind that this book was published two years before, presumably while 102 Minutes was still in development. It also has other details 102 Minutes didn't really touch on. Then there is a large, interesting chapter that deals with the immediate aftermath, which was the immense operation to clean up the site and salvage bodily remains, which completed in June 2002 (although the effort to identify remains from the material recovered still goes on to the present day).
In the Epilogue, there is a summary view of the design of the towers, in terms of how they helped and hindered the disaster on September 11. The main problem was the fact that the Port Authority really just didn't take fire safety seriously enough. The lighter steel that was used for the columns and floor trusses wasn't ever subject to furnace testing to determine how much fire proofing material was necessary, or particularly with respect to the trusses, if they would even be safe at all in a fire situation. If they did have that testing done, it could have forced a redesign of the whole project, and Malcolm Levy, who was the Port Authority's technical lead, decided not to take the risk. It's worth bearing in mind again that this book was written in 2003, so it predates the NIST investigation, which didn't start until late 2002.
Overall, City in the Sky is a superb read for anyone interested in 9/11 or the history of the World Trade Center. There's lots more detail I didn't mention here, it's tremendously well written, and it's sourced by nearly 100 pages of references. Highly recommended.
This book is a deeper dive than Gillespie's Twin Towers. It goes into more detail on the people, politics and events surrounding the towers as a construction project. For example, one aspect not much discussed by Gillespie was the influence of David Rockerfeller, whose uncle originally proposed a World Trade Center concept just before the second world war. Later in the 50s, Rockerfeller wanted to revitalise Lower Manhattan with property development, and he used his uncle's idea as part of the driving force. He got the Port Authority involved because he knew they would be necessary for the planning permission and have vast financial resources. One thing the book doesn't really make too clear is where the involvement of Rockerfeller ended after the Port Authority were on board, because it was essentially their project, and Rockerfeller seemed to have little or no influence at that point.
Another aspect glossed over in Gillespie's book but given full treatment by Glanz and Lipton was an account of the political skirmishes the Port Authority went through before they could begin construction. After a lot of negotiation, a bill approving the project was signed and passed by the Governors of New York and New Jersey in March 1962, but construction didn't commence until August 1966. The first obstacle was the strong opposition by the small business owners on 'Radio Row', who were essentially going to be bulldozed over to make way for the trade center. They were represented by a prolific lawyer who challenged the Port Authority and initially they won their case: the World Trade Center bill was declared unconstitutional on the basis that it was too broad and gave the Port Authority too much power. However, the decision was overturned in an appeals court. The case was then taken to the Supreme Court, but they dismissed it. That wasn't the end of the trouble. In 1964, Lawrence A. Wien, whose property development syndicate had acquired the Empire State Building at the end of 1961 for $65 million, setup a committee to oppose the project. They were concerned about their market being undercut by the millions of square feet of office space the towers would provide, and in May 1968, Wien even had an article published in the New York Times, that among other things, warned against the possibility of a commercial jet colliding with the towers. Then at the beginning of 1966, John V. Lindsay was inaugurated as the new Republican Mayor of New York. He didn't like the project, and right off the bat, he asked that the demolition preparations be halted. He setup a committee to review the city's relationship with the Port Authority, essentially to undermine the enterprise. Despite all this, obviously we know the Port Authority prevailed, but it was really great to get the detail from the book on this interesting history.
On the collapse, the authors have a chapter describing the day's events, which is very similar in nature to Dywer and Flynn's 102 Minutes, but it's worth bearing in mind that this book was published two years before, presumably while 102 Minutes was still in development. It also has other details 102 Minutes didn't really touch on. Then there is a large, interesting chapter that deals with the immediate aftermath, which was the immense operation to clean up the site and salvage bodily remains, which completed in June 2002 (although the effort to identify remains from the material recovered still goes on to the present day).
In the Epilogue, there is a summary view of the design of the towers, in terms of how they helped and hindered the disaster on September 11. The main problem was the fact that the Port Authority really just didn't take fire safety seriously enough. The lighter steel that was used for the columns and floor trusses wasn't ever subject to furnace testing to determine how much fire proofing material was necessary, or particularly with respect to the trusses, if they would even be safe at all in a fire situation. If they did have that testing done, it could have forced a redesign of the whole project, and Malcolm Levy, who was the Port Authority's technical lead, decided not to take the risk. It's worth bearing in mind again that this book was written in 2003, so it predates the NIST investigation, which didn't start until late 2002.
Overall, City in the Sky is a superb read for anyone interested in 9/11 or the history of the World Trade Center. There's lots more detail I didn't mention here, it's tremendously well written, and it's sourced by nearly 100 pages of references. Highly recommended.
March 23, 2025
My main wish for this book is that it included way more illustrations and pictures. Reading the history of the birth of the WTC is fascinating, but my eyes and brain just could not picture the visual of the Bathtub, the slurry walls, trusses, fireproofing, etc. Funny enough I watched a documentary called the Rise and Fall of the World Trade Center just to get a visual of everything I was reading, and the author was featured in it (highly recommend btw).
The bibliography is beautifully detailed and gives the reader so many different people or information sources to further seek out details. I didn't check the publication date before reading so was surprised at this being a 2003 book. Would definitely read an amended edition with updated information.
The bibliography is beautifully detailed and gives the reader so many different people or information sources to further seek out details. I didn't check the publication date before reading so was surprised at this being a 2003 book. Would definitely read an amended edition with updated information.
August 10, 2022
Interesting story on the building and then demolishing of the WTC.
Printed in 2004, some of the information probably overcome by events.
Brought tears to my eyes when they talked of Welles Crowther.
Even today on 66% of the victims have been identified….one not ever recovered was a captain of mine from Stony Brook, Chris Panatier, gone but never forgotten
Printed in 2004, some of the information probably overcome by events.
Brought tears to my eyes when they talked of Welles Crowther.
Even today on 66% of the victims have been identified….one not ever recovered was a captain of mine from Stony Brook, Chris Panatier, gone but never forgotten
September 8, 2021
this book was so fascinating, particularly the early chapters on the political maneuvering and design decisions that took place before the towers were even constructed. managed to be both incisive and astounding throughout
January 25, 2025
A deep dive into the key players, politics, architecture, failings, collapse and aftermath of the World Trade Centers. The book is incredibly informative and makes you think a bit differently of every aspect that went into constructing each building. Highly recommend.
Want to read
September 11, 2021Watched History Channel documentary of same name (aired 9/11/2021) Authors were interviewed
August 12, 2022
The architecture, engineering, and physics of the construction and then the destruction of the Twin Towers. Very well-written.
August 26, 2025
3.5 but Goodreads doesn’t allow half stars
October 25, 2025
Covering the design, planning and planning as well as the collapse and clean-up. Written relatively soon after the events of 9/11.
February 6, 2012
This book is an excellent narrative of the building and ultimate destruction of the Trade Center. It is a great detailer of how the Port Authority was able to push for its contstruction as well as the design. It also does well at describing the details of the collapse on that fateful day (May We Never Forget)!
May 30, 2007
I don't intentionally expose myself to images/recountings of 9-11, so I skipped the chapter on the attacks (which to many may be the meat of this book). I did enjoy reading about the history of the Twin Towers and how such a huge undertaking came to pass.
February 19, 2015
The history of the creation of the World Trade Center is more complicated and stretches further back than one might expect. James Glanz evokes an era, shows the human face of those who made it happen, and chronicles the stories of those inside the tower after the attack.
April 6, 2007
written by nyt reporters, not only describes their end, but the tangled path that led to their construction
May 7, 2007
somehow the earnest, scientific and historical look at 9/11 is much, much more compelling and bearable than other ways of covering the event.
April 20, 2009
Powerful book of facts and the rise and fall of one of the Worlds Greatest Icons
July 14, 2009
I use to be really into the story of the World Trade Center so i use to read any and everything about it this book got boring but it was still ok
October 26, 2012
This book tells you everything and I mean everything there is to know about the World Trade Center from it's idea of it in 1939 at the New York's World's Fair to Post-911.
July 8, 2017
A favorite of mine, but of course it would be.
August 1, 2008
"Biography" of the Twin Towers.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews