From Publishers Weekly
Frank, a reporter for Time magazine, opens his informative if uneven narrative with a chilling account of his experiences on September 11, when he rushed from his Brooklyn Heights home to the scene of the disaster just after the first of the Twin Towers was hit. Using a question-and-answer format, the author then effectively distills for young readers information about the Middle East (especially Afghanistan), Islam, Islamism, the Taliban, Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. He also discusses terrorist groups' hatred of America and their campaigns against it. Frank's writing is at times confusing or sloppy. He notes, "Many people said the whole world changed on September 11th. It didn't. America woke up in those two hours and suddenly saw the world in a different light." Yet on the following page, this statement appears: "On September 11th, the world changed in two hours." However, the book delves into pertinent topics in reasonable depth. Readers may find here a useful framework for examining the possible motives for the terrorist attacks and the U.S. government's subsequent responses. Illustrations include photographs and maps; final artwork not seen by PW. Ages 12-up. (Aug.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up-A Time magazine reporter uses a journalistic approach to organize his information. Who were the hijackers? What is Islam? Why did the terrorists target the U.S.? Why did we go after Afghanistan? And so on. Although the answers are not footnoted, the bibliography is organized by chapters, so readers can see that Bernard Lewis's The Middle East (Scribner, 1995), Thomas Lippman's Understanding Islam (Meridian, 1995), and Don Belt's The World of Islam (National Geographic, 2001) informed the author's thinking, as did current periodicals. He offers fairly in-depth explanations of how Islam and terrorism diverge and when they come together, providing historical background, biography, and descriptions of important texts, such as the Qur'an and the Encyclopedia of Jihad. He presents an empathetic picture of Middle Eastern resentments. He is blunt in laying out the religious, political, and economic reasons for U.S. interest in the region and passionate about civil liberties. Black-and-white photographs, insets, maps, an index, and a glossary that includes a number of Muslim terms provide additional assistance.
Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Booklist
Gr. 7-12. "What is terrorism?" "What is jihad?" "What makes al-Qaeda different from other terrorist groups?" "Why attack the Twin Towers and the Pentagon?" Using a question-and-answer format that distills topics down to their core, this fine title by a Time magazine reporter boldly tackles the largest questions about the 9/11 attacks. In remarkably simple, accessible language, Frank, a New Yorker, begins with an overview of the tragic events, including his own terrifying first-person experience. Always, the author moves beyond the facts of what happened to why, and the book's later chapters are devoted to questions about who the terrorists were, where they came from, what they wanted. Frank takes a worldview that assumes that "America is the most powerful nation on earth," and his language sometimes jars with its blatant nationalism: "Why does the Middle East matter to us?" But his constant reminder is that change and hope begin by learning about other people, other cultures. The black-and-white photographs are all the more alarming for their snapshot quality, and a time line of 9/11 progresses along the bottom of each page. Direct, unflinching, intelligent, and humane, this is an invaluable resource for teens and adults alike. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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