Rating: 
Summary: Obligatory For All . . .
Review: There are now many books about the attacks on 9/11, many of them commemorative photo books, but if you are thinking about which one or two ought to be in your library, HERE IS NEW YORK is one you must have. The experience of seeing this storefront exhibition (which the book represents) was endlessly fascinating and moving. Thousands of photos were solicited by both amateur and professional photographers, and all were tacked up in seemingly random order all over the walls of a small shop. These charted the World Trade Center from its glory as a New York City landmark through the aftermath of the attacks. Virtually every photo was evocative, many were beautiful, and when taken together they created a staggering portrait of that day and those that immediately followed. Many experiences and points of view are represented. To enter this exhibit was an amazing experience, and when it was housed in a storefront on Sixth Avenue off Bryant Park in Manhattan, I found myself drawn there again and again. This book can't exactly recreate that experience, but it does come close to recreating the slide show that appeared on plasma screens in the exhibit, which invariably transfixed dozens of visitors at a time. To characterize the experience of thumbing through this book (even in the hurly burly of a bookstore) as riveting, moving, human is not really enough. It struck this New Yorker as an important and definitive document and one well worth having.
Rating:
Summary: Words are not necessary.
Review: This book is absolutely amazing. First of all, you don't realize how big it is going to be just by looking at the picture online. When I picked up the box I was surprised by the weight! The quality of the book is marvelous, because I want this book to withstand time. I bought this book because I knew words could not explain to my grandchildren in 40 years from now how the world felt that day. On top of that, I live in California...so I can honestly say it seemed "unreal" to me, and in a way it still does.I have made it halfway through the book before I had to stop for tonight. My husband left the room and I did not want to be left alone. There were pictures towards the middle that bothered me, that really drove it home that people died. One is a close-up of the point of impact and you can barely makeout that there are people standing on the ledge. There is another a few pages over of the people jumping. And then the worst is that of a severed leg that I quickly flipped past. These pictures DO speak louder than words. If you only want to spend your money on one book to remember this event forever, this book and all 800+ pages are it.
Rating:
Summary: Like Being There...
Review: This is a magnificent and sympathetic volume, but it also illustrates the more horrific images.(Which, in my opinion, should be available if we choose to view them... but not thrown in our faces.) Of the dizzying onslaught of publications, this one stands out. Its point of view varies from professional stock photographer, to terrified pedestrian shooting with a disposable. Some images are familiar from magazine coverage, some images are new. Both photograraphers on the same field that day, and the combined result will serve as a chilling reminder of what happened there that day, how horrible, and inconceivable that terrorist act was - and that it was done in the name of "God".(A digression for a moment: I have always had a problem with the story of Joan of Arc, and my fundamental conundrum with that story has a parallel to September 11th.(Which I prefer to the over-catchy "911"). Why was "God" on the side of France, but not England? After all, isn't God the traditional inventor of All? All nations? All life? All Ground, and Ocean? And why is "Allah" - an omnipotent "God" - a "God" who seeks to destroy adversaries? That motivation strikes me as particularly Human.) If you only buy one book about that beautiful and gruesome day, I vote for this one.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible.
Review: This is an incredible book. It not only pays tribute to and honors all those who were horribly lost on Sept 11, 2001, but also to those who fought emotion, fear, confusion and anger to help and to the people who opened up this incredible gallery of photos. This book is an emotional masterpiece with every turn of the page.
Rating:
Summary: Here is the Book
Review: This is it. At this writing (August 26 2002),
"Here is New York" is the book that best
captures the 9/11 attack on the U.S. at
the World Trade Center and the immediate
and ongoing effects on those of us in New York City. This book is not a souvenir.
It is not an editorial summary.
It is not an exploitation. It is shattered glimpses of the reality
that we New Yorkers lived, simply presented.
This is what was and is. Except for an introduction describing how
the photographs were collected, the entire
book is just photographs. Just photographs.
And the book is as thick as a Manhattan phone
book. Each photograph is given an entire page or
double page spread. Each is meticulously
reproduced so that you can study the details
of what is going on. You can read the faces
of people in them. There are no captions.
The photos speak for themselves. Virtually
every one of them is profound. After all, there really are no words for this. Look at the details. There are no ordinary
photographs here. If you think a photograph
is ordinary,you are missing something important;
look again. There are nearly a thousand photographs, most
never before published. They communicate an
intimacy of meaning that I have seen no where
else. The whole project is stunning; the order
and format of the photographs in this book
offer a depth of experience that cannot be
duplicated in other media. Please know: the wreckage photographs are the
best I've seen, yet even at the size of a full
page they cannot convey the scale and depth and
constant danger of "Ground Zero." There was far more going on than even this city
full of cameras could capture. Some still goes on.
And much is still going on inside ourselves.
No book, no media, can bring it all together.
But this book is more than a sum of its parts
and delivers more than I thought possible. I offer my highest praise. Indeed, here is New York, U.S.A.
Rating:
Summary: Humanity and Inhumanity Captured Perfectly
Review: This is the best of all of the Photo-essay books about the September 11 tragedy. Featuring photos taken by amateurs and professionals,on the street, subways, busses and wherever they happened to be, this very thick book is over 800 pages of photographs, with no words accompanying the images. The omission adds to the impact of the photos, most of them depicting the horror, sadness, grief and humanity of people witnessing and reacting to the attack. There is one extremely disturbing photo of a victim's limb which may not be suitable for everyone. More so than the often seen images by professionals, these photos by ordinary people linger hauntingly in the mind and demand emotional introspection.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing - If you can not visit, get this book
Review: Walking into the "Here is New York" "exhibit"/store in SoHo (in southern Manhattan) is an incredible experience. The collection of photos is extrordinary and captures the horrible essence of what happened that day. And sadly, it will leave you speechless. If you can not visit the store, get this book. It will get you that much closer to "what really happened"... and SO much happened in those few days. This is THE collection with contributions from all over the city.
Rating:
Summary: Never Forget This Tragedy
Review: We felt as helpless as everyone else watching the events unfold from the moment the planes hit the twin towers. We knew our son was down there volunteering the day after. Imagine our surprise and joy to see a picture of him at the site on page 736. It is a memory he will never forget, just as we as his parents will never forget the events of Pearl Harbor. This book should be in everyone's home library.
Rating:
Summary: TRAGIC YET BEAUTIFUL
Review: Well done & would recommend to anyone. Don't let 1 picture in this book (the leg) keep you from buying it because it's the reality of what happened on 9/11. I was skeptical about the price but it is well worth it if you want something to show the history of that horrible day.
Rating:
Summary: 9/11 as it happened
Review: What happened on 9/11 was horrific, stunning and chilling. This book shows you what the scene was on that day and the days afterwards. Many comments have been made about the 1 photo of the unbelievable horror that occured that day. Yes, there was no sticker to tell you it was coming, but do you really think a book about 9/11 wouldn't include some photos that make us all disgusted? I have found too many publications that whitewash the event so as not to offend, but we lose our desire not to let it happen again as it becomes a distant memory. Many in this country have already forgotten that day and what it felt like and how sickening it was and if this book, however small, makes us remember how we felt that day and how proud we were to be Americans, then it is worth it over 1 photo.
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