9/11 movies and books

There is a big budget movie about 9/11, or a part of it coming out this summer. Called Flight 93, it is (obviously) about the passengers that overcame the terrorists and prevented the destruction of the White House or the Capitol. This is a tough one. We know what happens, so it has to be quite dramatic, like Apollo 13, and it has to avoid being smaltzy. The NYT has an article on the movie and other 9/11 flims.

One of the new movies is an adaptation of 102 minutes, the time from the first impact to the final collapse. It's an enthralling read, almost surprisingly so. We heard so much about the towers in 2001, that I thought there was nothing more to learn. There are lots of incredible stories, but also some lessons about preparation and management of large scale disaster. So much of the post 9/11-Iraq world has become focused on politics. People's positions seem to be based on their like or dislike of President Bush. This book takes place at the local level and has little or nothing to do with politics or policy, although policy recommendations do come into effect. Check this one out.