Rating: 
Summary: "Lite" (superficial) reading
Review: "Twin Towers" is a breezy tribute to the World Trade Center written well before its destruction. It is a cheerful book -- perhaps overly so, given the many controversies that plagued the center.For readers seeking a "brite" view of the WTC, I can recommend this book. But if you're looking for a comprehensive, honest and balanced assessment of the WTC's controversial conception, design, and impact on life in Manhattan -- or if you seek any pictures or illustrations to give the narrative some context -- then look elsewhere. The author devotes this book to a defense of the all-too-obvious belief that the WTC is (was) an American landmark and icon. In writing this defense, the author jumps around timelines and topics in a manner that proves quite confusing. In addition to the disorganized narrative, the author commits two other serious errors: He repeats elementary facts over and over, AND he fails to explain a number of obscure facts as well as opinions that are less clear-cut than he assumes. Instead of discussing critics' views as a means of refuting them, the author instead brushes aside well-known design flaws, environmental concerns, and alleged corruption, offering uncritical praise of the protagonists. Even when interviewing leading proponents of the trade center, the author often merely paraphrases them. The author's intent seems to be to keep the book upbeat and free of weighty issues. But the result is a somewhat bland book whose writing is lacking in flair, focus, and thoughtful analysis. A few photographs might have aided in the book's upbeat approach. But here the publisher has inexcusably gone cheap. There's no photography. Even the book's few drawings are hand-drawn by an amateur or reprinted at no charge from public records. Gillespie is an associate professor at Rutgers. He is intelligent, but his writing style needs an injection of flair, focus, and logical organization. I give this book an honorable mention for the author's effort and for the book's upbeat tone; the author clearly was a very big fan of the Trade Center, and fellow fans may like this book. However, for a compellingly written and well-balanced book that covers the WTC's conception, construction, its impact on New Yorkers, and its controversies, I recommend "Divided We Stand" by Eric Dalton.
Rating: 
Summary: The Towers That Once Were
Review: Angus Gillespie has put together a phenominal story about the WorldTrade Center. Indeed they stood as a symbol of America and power; butalso of economic diversity, as dozens of nations were represented.The author does expound his love and fascination, and devoteadmiration for the World Trade Center; yet that is what gives"Twin Towers" part of its charm. For those of us whohave never been to the World Trade Center, or don't know much aboutit,... "Twin Towers" will help better our understandingand appreciation. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition
Rating: 
Summary: Twin Towers is a must read!
Review: As the Statue of Liberty is known around the world as the symbol of America and freedom, the Twin Towers are recognized around the world as the symbol of America and power. Angus Gillespie's "Twin Towers" sneaks the reader past security to see what it really took to create these modern day monuments to human greatness. The book also lets the reader peer through the eyes of the myriad of different people who work in the building, maintain the building, and even those who try to destroy the building. Simply fascinating!
Rating: 
Summary: Amateur
Review: Bad writing. Really Awful Paper quality. No photos, cheap illustrations. A 99 cent book that found good fortune because it was there at the right time. I feel truly ripped off.
Rating:
Summary: Twin Towers: the life of NY World Trade Center by Gillespie
Review: Book is totally MISREPRESENTED (...) It is not an oversized photo book of the World Trade Center (as shown) but a truly boring history (copy only) of the WTC with a disgustingly few, black and white mini-illustrations. (...)
Rating:
Summary: Poignant reading
Review: Following the Sept 11th tragedy, this was a 2001 reprint of the book originally published in 1999. Reading it provides a dimension lost to many people; for instance, do you know who owns and built the WTC complex? (The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey); were the towers embraced readily by New Yorkers? (no, in fact, Empire State Building did everything it could to stop the towers from being constructed and thus maintain its position as the tallest point in NYC; various environment organizations challenged the creation of the towers on grounds ranging from harming the flight path of migratory birds to equating the towers with industrial blight). Do you also know that the excavated earth from the WTC site created Battery Park? Time and certain humanizing events -- the climbing of the towers by a French BASE'ist, parachuting off the observation deck by some daredevil, the filiming of King Kong -- endeared the towers to the general public. Their iconic status in the consience of America abruptly came to an end on September 11th, 2001. If you do get a chance, pick up this book and read beyond the engineering marvel that these towers were. Read about the human drama, the aspirations of a few hard men, and the tough battle these towers fought for their supremacy of the NY skyline.
Rating:
Summary: Where are the photos
Review: Having worked at One World Trade from 1985-1987 and being a native New Yorker, I ordered this book thinking I would at least get a better understanding on the construction of the towers with photos to document the history. Unfortunately those photos do not exist in this book. There a few diagrams, but no photos worth while in the book. So if you're looking for a basic understanding and would like to see the building of the towers(via photos)and to see the "city within a city" that it was, this isn't the book.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing; informational, but not overly so
Review: I am really quite disappointed in this book. I thought it would have much more detailed engineering analyses of the construction, and definitely thought it would be full of pictures. Unfortunately, it has neither. The diagrams and images it does have are not worth very much. For those who never had the chance to visit the towers, or those who want a quicky, condensed light history, you can go for this book. I hesitate to recommend it, though, because of the lack of information that you really shuold have. For those of have visited, and those of us who worked in it or near it, you will realize that this book is not a proper memory or record. It lacks engineering information, and it also lacks much of the history that is essential knowledge. It has some of the political stuff that went on, but doesn't do justice to the political wrangling, the economic wrangling, the fights between citizens and architects, and the fights between the tower architects and other architects. New York City is a colorfully political place, with incredibly volatile dialogue between corporate America, the politicians, the construction mob bosses, artists, liberals, conservatives, you name it. The building of these towers brought all these people out to speak against and for, and unfortunately, this book completely misses the whole "New Yorkness" of the dialogue/debate about constructing the towers. The author writes about it in a way that leaves the reader not really knowing New York City. The building of the Towers could have taken place in any other city, for all the sense of location the author imbues into the story. It's very sad.I hate to rag on a book, but I found this so unappealing after reading it, because of the lack of pictures, lack of detail, and lack of history, that I cannot recommend it. I still give it two stars, because even though it isn't as well done as it should have been, at least it is factual in the story that is presented. It's incomplete, but it is true.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: I couldn't believe how thorough this book was. This book doesn't only speak of how the towers were built, but also of how the people of New York opposed the buildings, and once they were built how they thought of them as ugly. This is a must read for anyone interested in architecture, but also anyone who wants to know about our beloved towers that are no longer with us.
Rating:
Summary: Needed some photos to make it Complete
Review: I don't know what the authors were thinking, but to write a book like this, which will no doubt be in HUGE demand now, and not put photographs inside, is clearly not wise. If it were not for the awesome cover shot of these steel phantoms, we would not have even a glimpse inside of the beauty that once was before September 11, 2001. Having lived in New York City all my life, I witnessed these towers crumble, and I can't get my hands on enough stuff even remotely related to them, this is why I ordered this book. However, this is wonderful to read -- not to look through. Informative and well written, it certainly includes thorough coverage.
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