Rating: 
Summary: 9/11 Reference
Review: A hardcover book spanning almost 700 pages. It contains short bios and pictures of the victims that perished at the World Trade Center on 9/11/01. Keep in mind, the list of people is very long, and this book covers approximately 50% of them. Whether the people were lawyers, doctors, clerks, cooks, computer techs, or volunteers... they are all treated as equals here. The pictures are small and sub-par quality (like they were taken from a newsapaper). With only half (approx 2000) the people featured, would we assume a "Volume II" would follow?
Rating: 
Summary: We Will Never Forget!!
Review: A sad and inspiring journey through that fateful day.
Rating:
Summary: The Human Side of 9/11/01
Review: Everyone remembers the terrible events that took place on September 11, 2001. We have all viewed the images on television and in print, showing the airplanes striking the buildings, the fire, and the collapse of the World Trade Center. We have seen firefighters and rescue dogs searching for bodies trapped in the rubble. And we have seen politicians talking about the attacks and what must be done to prevent such an event in the future. But one thing that we don't see very frequently is information on the human victims themselves. That is, until now. In this book, the New York Times has taken on a great task: Assembling together a full volume showing pictures and personal information on each of the victims who died during the attack on September 11, 2001. The Times originally started to do this in the actual newspaper itself, highlighting the different victims with a section called "Portraits of Grief". It was from these portraits that the book was derived from. Most (but not all) of the victims are pictured in the pages of this book, with a small, black and white photo of the person's face, followed by a brief summary of the person's life, career, family, etc. The portrait information isn't extensive, but it manages to let you, the reader, know at least a little bit about each of the victims, complete with quotations from family members expressing how their lost husband/wife/child, etc. touched their lives in a positive way. Besides the photos of people, there are other pictures in this book, with most of them dedicated to the funerals, remembrance gatherings, and other grief- related events. You won't find pictures of the smoking buildings in this book. It centers instead on the people. Overall, this book is a nice effort on the part of the people at the New York Times. Approx. 143 people took part in the creation of this book, and their names are all listed in the back. It was a commendable effort and while I would have liked the book better if the pictures had been in color, I still think this is a book worth owning. My copy sits on my coffee table right now, reminding me of all the human tragedies that took place on the fateful day of September 11, 2001.
Rating: 
Summary: Is it allowable to write a negative opinion of this book?
Review: I dearly wish that the portrait of my father, Simon V. Weiser, were more accurate. To latch onto an insignificant fact and make it the centerpiece and title of the portrait perhaps made the reporter's job easier, but did not do justice to my father's life.
Rating: 
Summary: Quantity over Quality
Review: If you had to reduce your life to one paragraph or even someone you loved, it would be difficult. So is the case for the Portraits 9/11/01. Though we get to see a photo and a glimpse into their lives, it doesn't have the space to delve deep enough into each life. Unfortunately, we have this problem because so many passed away that day. It might have been better to do a one-page tribute to each life, even if meant publishing more than one book. I do give credit for the enourmous task the reporters did in assembling such a mass of information when emotions were raw. One thing the editors did was group families and friends together so you could see that some of the tragedies were indeed worse for some than others. Bottom line: would I buy it again? Probably not.
Rating:
Summary: A lasting tribute to those lost.
Review: Just four days after the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001, "The New York Times" newspaper began publishing "Portraits of Grief." In that section, they profiled all of those who were killed or missing, writing a short paragraph and including a photo so the nation could get a glimpse into the lives of those lost. Now, all of those stories have been put together in this book, "Portraits: 9/11/01." Stories of everyday people who were going about their daily lives fill this nearly six-hundred page book. My only minor complaint with this book is that it doesn't profile all who died. Since they were putting the stories in a book, it would have been nice to include everybody who perished that day so they all could be remembered. But, nonetheless, this is still an extraordinary, sad and very emotional book to read. We now get to put a name, a face and short biography to the staggering number of those who died, but will never be forgotten. R.I.P. Rich Caproni
Rating:
Summary: A lasting tribute to those lost.
Review: Just four days after the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001, "The New York Times" newspaper began publishing "Portraits of Grief." In that section, they profiled all of those who were killed or missing, writing a short paragraph and including a photo so the nation could get a glimpse into the lives of those lost. Now, all of those stories have been put together in this book, "Portraits: 9/11/01." Stories of everyday people who were going about their daily lives fill this nearly six-hundred page book. My only minor complaint with this book is that it doesn't profile all who died. Since they were putting the stories in a book, it would have been nice to include everybody who perished that day so they all could be remembered. But, nonetheless, this is still an extraordinary, sad and very emotional book to read. We now get to put a name, a face and short biography to the staggering number of those who died, but will never be forgotten. R.I.P. Rich Caproni
Rating:
Summary: An insight into all those lost on 9-11
Review: The bios of approximately 1,900 of those lost on 9-11. Although relatively short, they are informally written and each one conveys an essence of each life lost. Special people - in the ways that each of us are special - in both ordinary and extraordinary ways. Their hobbies, their loves, their pursuits - capsulized, along with a photo.
Although it is sometimes emotionally difficult to read through these, and to realize that in a period spanning about 90 minutes, every single life was lost. The wives, partners, parents, children, friends often contributed a quote or two.
People from all walks of life are profiled, and if you also have a chance to view the documentary that was filmed in connection with this book, it drives home the humanity of this disaster all the more intensely.
Nothing will ever be the same after 9-11. The blood, sweat and tears of those gone, and of those who mourn their loss must be channeled into a fitting memorial. Regardless of what physical monument will be built at the site, the emotional monument we carry in our hearts can be important in helping heal the pain. Not easily, and not without further tears, but with determination and vigilance. We must maintain the very freedoms that allowed the victims to be who they were - brokers, janitors, rich, poor, people of every religion and no religion. People who extolled the liberties of America by just being able to do their jobs, and pursue their goal of individual happiness. The sorrow and heartache that a handful of terrorists caused can never be fully comprehended - the scope is just so vast. But, we must not turn away. We must face the sorrow and find a way to go on.
Buy this book. Sit and read it - a few bios or a few pages at a time. Get to know some of those who fell victim to the unthinkable. Get to know some of our fellow Americans.
Rating: 
Summary: Book Buying
Review: The book is well presented and very thorough. The trouble is I got immediately taken by all the 5 star reviews and I didnt realize that the format,was a profile of lives of those people before they that died. It wasnt what I was looking for. Of course that is in no way intended to hurt any one who reads this text. This is simply a lesson in book buying. Read and understand what you are buying. Its a simple lesson.
Rating:
Summary: A Touching Remembrance
Review: Without this book, I don't think that I could even attempt to have closure concerning all the horror that occurred in our lives last September. I have been trying over the last eight months to absorb every little bit of information that I could about the victims of September 11th. This book brings each person's life into focus, and reminds us all that it's not a list of names, these were husbands and wives, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. They meant the world to someone. As the years go by, I will surely open this book again and again to revisit the pain of lives lost and the beauty of the love their families will always feel for them. This book brought me closer to a tragedy that occurred across the country and made me feel more a part of it. Though I can only get through a portrait or two at a time without tears, the pain is a small price to pay to get to know these people who just went to work one tragic day.
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