Rating: 
Summary: One of the better books published on this topic
Review: I will never forget that day. I was just getting up and flipped on the TV and set the channel to NBC (Today Show), to see what was going on in the world. They had just come back from commercial's and there LIVE on TV was a live shot from a helicopter high above the NY skyline in the morning, showing the whole world a tall building, with billowing smoke coming out of it. I remember she reported that they believed a small commuter plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers at the WTC. I remember saying to myself "Bummer". Then after about 8-10 minutes I was on the phone with my boyfriend telling him he was missing a great call in NYC, but we lived in New Jersey.
(He is Firechief here in our town.) He was on his way home to see what was going on and after I hung up with him, I turned my attention back to the TV right to see a live shot from one of the helicopters the second plane to hit the other Tower. I knew something was wrong. The whole day we watched and just couldnt believe what was going on. As the months went on and we began to pick up the pieces, I was shopping at our local Target and came across this book that had just came out. I grabbed it with out even looking at the price and knew I had to have it. I am a history junkie and would love to have a copy for future memories and to share with family and friends. I was not disappointed with this book, the DVD was alittle off and drifted from the main plot, but I will still always remember where I was when I heard the news. Like people say they remember where they were when they heard about JFK being shot, the Shuttle exploding (both times), Princess Diana's death and the Oklahoma City bombing. Great book to have around for reference and to share the stories with if you have small children who wouldnt remember that day.
Rating: 
Summary: What a Horrific Day- " 9/11 We Will Never Forget "!!
Review: I will never forget that day. I was just getting up and flipped on the TV and set the channel to NBC (Today Show), to see what was going on in the world. They had just come back from commercial's and there LIVE on TV was a live shot from a helicopter high above the NY skyline in the morning, showing the whole world a tall building, with billowing smoke coming out of it. I remember she reported that they believed a small commuter plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers at the WTC. I remember saying to myself "Bummer". Then after about 8-10 minutes I was on the phone with my boyfriend telling him he was missing a great call in NYC, but we lived in New Jersey.
(He is Firechief here in our town.) He was on his way home to see what was going on and after I hung up with him, I turned my attention back to the TV right to see a live shot from one of the helicopters the second plane to hit the other Tower. I knew something was wrong. The whole day we watched and just couldnt believe what was going on. As the months went on and we began to pick up the pieces, I was shopping at our local Target and came across this book that had just came out. I grabbed it with out even looking at the price and knew I had to have it. I am a history junkie and would love to have a copy for future memories and to share with family and friends. I was not disappointed with this book, the DVD was alittle off and drifted from the main plot, but I will still always remember where I was when I heard the news. Like people say they remember where they were when they heard about JFK being shot, the Shuttle exploding (both times), Princess Diana's death and the Oklahoma City bombing. Great book to have around for reference and to share the stories with if you have small children who wouldnt remember that day.
Rating:
Summary: Hamill, Rather & Bryan Charles
Review: One of the better books regarding 9/11, this collection includes the first-person accounts of two great New York writers who were witnesses to the WTC attacks -- Pete Hamill & Bryan Charles. Hamill, in his consumate, world-weary New Yorker voice, delivers a powerful narrative in a style that his readers have come to love during his long career as a jounalist. Bryan Charles is a newcomer, but his story is an impressive debut. His tale of what it was like inside the doomed Towers will not soon be forgotten. The DVD is a nice bonus, especially for the "as it happened" news reporting. Dan Rather writes a thoughful forward, but what was he doing in the shower at 9am?
Rating:
Summary: Runs the Scale of Emotions: Necessary Reading/Viewing
Review: Rather than thinking of "What We Saw" as a book with a DVD, think of this as a DVD that comes with a book attached to it. This is an important chronicle of the date of infamy for our generation, and lets us re-live that horrific date through the medium most Americans experienced it: television. The DVD is a 2-hour long documentary of CBS News coverage of 9/11 and the aftermath of the Attack on America. We see Bryant Gumble talk to witnesses of the first plane crash, as a second one flies into the South Tower, to the astonishment of everyone. Then, we see the Pentagon in flames. We can hear in the "Oh my goodness!" of Gumble, a certain tone, that something that will forever change our nation has just happened."What We Saw" includes in text, photos, and the DVD the story of the Attack on America, but also more importantly, the way the nation responded. Personally, I wish the DVD contained some things left behind. Who can forget, having watched television on 9/11/01, the site of Congressional leaders announcing how they'd support the President, spontaneously singing "God Bless America" in unison. Who could forget the President's attempts to calm the nation that night, when no one knew if we were about to be hit again. Who could forget watching President Bush in an informal briefing in the Oval Office choke back tears the following Thursday as he said, "I'm a loving man," but vowed to bring justice to those responsible. Who could forget the emotionally draining memorial service on the National Day of Mourning, September 14, 2001? That service at least is included in a John Roberts report on how President Bush become Comforter-in-Chief, but seeing more would have been a little more fulfilling. The DVD also shifts from the attack itself, to the recovery. The heroes of 9/11, the people who made it out alive, the people who gave up their normal lives for weeks on end to volunteer at Ground Zero. These pieces from "60 Minutes," "48 Hours," and "Sunday Morning" are very important reminders of how America recovered from the attack. Ultimately, "What We Saw" is a story of hope, as an entire generation of Americans saw the darkest hour we'd ever known. And how, through that darkness, came a light of hope, that seemed at first to flicker, but would move beyond the clouds to provide sunshine as we lived through the finest hour our nation has known. That spirit of unity, love, devotion to duty is What We Saw. That's why "What We Saw" is necessary viewing for Americans for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: Combined with a DVD, this makes this purchase worth buying!
Review: September 11th was a day that many of us will remember. Some would like to forget but for many, they will not forget this day because the truth is, this day has charged our lives forever. With several books on the market about September 11th, "What We Saw: The Events of September 11, 2001 - In Words, Pictures, and Video" by CBS News, Dan Rather has one thing going that pushes this book up as one of the primary purchases for those looking for books on 9/11 and that is this book includes a 2-hour full length DVD. The book focuses the experiences of individuals, individuals from other publications and people working for CBS. Dan Rather mentions in the beginning how people like to ask one another, what were you doing when you first heard of the first attack on the first tower. This book features those articles and interviews. The book shows black and white photos that many of us have seen on newspapers and other publications and it is definitely an interesting read. But of course, the highlight is the DVD. The DVD features in documentary style round two dozen chapters focusing on the first report with Bryant Gumbel talking to people near the World Trade Center and the shock when the second plane hit the other tower. The DVD features footage from the Pentagon after it been hit. CBS reporters who were near the WTC when it hit, reporting of their situation and how they were saved and to the rescue operation of Ground Zero. This DVD also features something for everyone. Analysis of what has happened, the heroes of 911, the children who lost a parent, the search for survivors, the NYFD pipers who have been playing everyday for a funeral for their lost brothers, people who survived the WTC, how flags were selling out throughout the US, business owners who lost their business and are in agony of wondering what happened to their employees and so much more. I have watched this DVD several times, showing it to friends and family and the events are still fresh in our memory even though we approach the one year anniversary of 911. I highly recommend this book/DVD. While books do help to refresh our memory of the dreadful events of the day but also the American spirit that lives, by seeing it via DVD and in video...it makes this item worth purchasing.
Rating: 
Summary: A shocking memoir
Review: The book is short, with b/w photos but powerful text. The DVD includes actual footage of the events of that day, as well as footage showing the heroes, survivors and other aspects. I liked the book despite the lack of colour, but I think there could be more in the DVD. Although it is almost 2 hours in length, it is hard to navigate and does not include extras. I would like it more if it would include some documentary about the WTC before the tragic day, snapshots of newspapers of the day after the attack, or any similar items. Also, the lack of subtitles is disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: So-so recap of 9/11
Review: The included DVD is probably a lot more interesting than the book itself. The DVD contains actual news stories from the day of the attacks, including the live footage as the attacks were happening. The book contains transcripts, reprints of news stories, and actual accounts from a variety of people on CBS's news staff. None of this is new or filled with revelations, and in fact many of the accounts in here are also recounted in other books (most notably Covering Catastrophe). Still, if you're interested in oral histories, it's not terrible. The DVD, especially, gives one a feel for the day itself, as disaster upon disaster unfolded and (for awhile, at least) it seemed the world was coming apart. My only complaint is that the included footage is edited severally at points; I would have preferred a straight, unedited feed from the time of the first reports on. But that would have taken too many discs, and so its understandable that CBS had to edit it down. Anyway, buy this book for the DVD, but don't expect much from the text.
Rating:
Summary: The DVD is spectacular...
Review: This book about the tragic events of 9/11 is good by itself, but the DVD that comes bundled with the book is worth the price by itself. While the book is a standard pictorial history, the DVD provides a comprehensive recollection of what occurred on that day and its aftermath. Particularly stunning is the video footage of the event as it occurred live. A highly recommended purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Moving
Review: This book is a collection of press accounts of what various people saw on the September 11, 2001, and the days immediately following. Containing a host of black-and-white pictures, this book took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions, as I relived what I saw during those days. This book even contains a terribly haunting picture that I have not seen since those days - one of the towers burning, it's windows filled with people trying to get air...or escape... As an added bonus, this book comes with an excellent DVD, in which Dan Rather narrates a collection of CBS news reports, many of which are covered within the book. If you want to look back on 911 with the same perspective that you had on that day, then I cannot recommend this moving book highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: A great purchase
Review: This book was brought to my attention at the National Review website. They thought the DVD was great. I agree. I watched the DVD and was amazed how the emotions started to well up in me. I heard the news over the radio on 9/11 so this was the first time that I got to see the "raw" newscast as it happened. The only problem that I have is that there is no mention to the flight that went down in Pennsylvania.
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