Rating: 
Summary: Not quite right
Review: It seems like a good purchase when you first begin to flip throught the pages and pages of pictures. But when you come to the end, you realize there is something missing and even a sort of mis-representation. Our current president of the United States, George W. Bush, is not pictured. Neither is the Mayor of New York, Rudolph Giuliani. Two men who have done so much for America especially since this event happened and they aren't even included in this book. There is something wrong with this picture.
Rating: 
Summary: A worthy and, at times, touching document.
Review: It's startling to read the reviews of this book on the heels of having read the reviews for "One Nation," the book put out by Time-Life. It's clear that many people hold some pre-conceived notion about Magnum and are predisposed to panning this book. Well, I know nothing about Magnum. I've heard the name but I couldn't tell you anything about the company. What I can tell you is that I live in New York and I watched this entire thing happen from my window. I now own two books about 9-11 -- One Nation and this -- and for the best accounting of what happened that day,I have to give the edge to Magnum. There are pictures in this book that are exactly what I witnessed that day. I actually prefer that they rely on photographers to tell what they witnessed instead of having upper-crust "experts" put everything into perspective. Also, contrary to what a reviewer in Seattle says, the colors depicted in the Magnum book are accurate. During the day, the sun used to reflect off of the World Trade Center buildings. On that day, it was reflecting off of impossible clouds of smoke -- black and white -- and the eery gray and washed out blue was how it looked and felt here. Also, something this book does that One Nation doesn't do, is supply several pages in the back of the book -- "Farewell to the Towers" -- featuring photos of the Towers as they were. The final picture is of a woman on the Staten Island Ferry, the WTC and New York behind her -- smelling a bouquet of flowers. I like this book. Alot.
Rating:
Summary: A worthy and, at times, touching document.
Review: It's startling to read the reviews of this book on the heels of having read the reviews for "One Nation," the book put out by Time-Life. It's clear that many people hold some pre-conceived notion about Magnum and are predisposed to panning this book. Well, I know nothing about Magnum. I've heard the name but I couldn't tell you anything about the company. What I can tell you is that I live in New York and I watched this entire thing happen from my window. I now own two books about 9-11 -- One Nation and this -- and for the best accounting of what happened that day,I have to give the edge to Magnum. There are pictures in this book that are exactly what I witnessed that day. I actually prefer that they rely on photographers to tell what they witnessed instead of having upper-crust "experts" put everything into perspective. Also, contrary to what a reviewer in Seattle says, the colors depicted in the Magnum book are accurate. During the day, the sun used to reflect off of the World Trade Center buildings. On that day, it was reflecting off of impossible clouds of smoke -- black and white -- and the eery gray and washed out blue was how it looked and felt here. Also, something this book does that One Nation doesn't do, is supply several pages in the back of the book -- "Farewell to the Towers" -- featuring photos of the Towers as they were. The final picture is of a woman on the Staten Island Ferry, the WTC and New York behind her -- smelling a bouquet of flowers. I like this book. Alot.
Rating:
Summary: Cathartic and Poetic
Review: Magnum's/David Halberstam's compelling record of "New York September 11" demonstrates the power of the merger of pictures and words. What poetry could be found within the terrible event is presented in dramatic form.Like the similar "Life" magazine look at what is now simply dubbed "9-11," "New York September 11," shows the carnage and the horror of the day. I think the "Life" book is a stronger book, but only because of the diversity of writers involved. This is no discredit to David Halberstam, and his one voice adds a clarity and consistency to this volume. Does it look like other books memorializing 9-11? Maybe... no matter who took the pictures, or who wrote the words, the destruction is intrinsically dramatic. There is no way to hide that drama, and "New York September 11" makes no pretense that it can. I fully recommend "New York September 11," but encourage you to get the "Life" book as well. In twenty years you will be glad you did. Anthony Trendl
Rating: 
Summary: I DO NOT LIKE IT
Review: Not worth spending the money on. Low quality binding and printing. The photography is probably the worst ever produced by Magnum. Again everything gravitates around the phortographers. Did it even accur to them what they where photographing? Who cares about being a country boy or objective. Who cares about what Magnum does and how they where born. This book completely misses the big picture. (...)
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC PHOTOGRAPHY!
Review: Of all the books on the market concerning the events of September 11th, this book is one of the best I have seen to date. There are over 70 coloured photographs here and a small number of black and white photographs. This quality book shows not only the destruction after the horrific events, but also shows several photographs of the Twin Towers taken over a period of time in years previous to the events of September 11th. "New York September 11" will make a valued keepsake to pass on to future generations as a memorial to those who lost their lives, their families and the courageous rescue workers. There are true-life heros in the world and this book is a fitting tribute to their courage and love for their fellow man. Magnum Photographers have done an excellent job in portraying, in photographs, the unforgettable devestation of September 11, 2001.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful and touching
Review: Of the half dozen or so photographic books dealing with September 11th, this book is particularly compelling--not just for the photographs (which, of themselves, are gripping and powerful) but also for the comments of the photographers. Along with fire- and policemen and medical personnel, the other people who ran toward the scene of this event (which--along with the assassination of JFK has become a signal date--one when everyone remembers exactly what they were doing at the time) were photographers. Photographers are the people who use (and need) images to present their impressions of any given experience. What makes this book unique is the accompanying thoughts of those people who captured the moment-to-moment aspects during the horrific attacks on the World Trace Center and after. The images in the aftermath are otherworldly in heart-squeezing fashion: shots of burning wreckage, of inward-looking firefighters, of something as ordinary as a street vendor's cart that looks bewilderingly out of place in the forefront of a scene whose background is a wall of impenetrable black smoke. This a deeply affecting look, close up, at what so many of us are still attempting to comprehend.
Rating:
Summary: A Book to Pick Up Over and Over
Review: RE "September 11" - I have just finished it for the second time - it is that kind of book for me. The first time, I read everything - looked at the photography and felt sad. Then yesterday, I looked again and more appreciated the "story" that was there for us. As the photographers tell us in each their own words - "our work tells the story" - and it does. For that we have to be most thankful. It is a book that needs looking over and over again. As it happens with a classic book, each time you will read - and in this instance, see - there will be another message - i.e., this time I really took notice of the man with the small hammer, the people with the haunted look, the ones looking for something and then the story about the one that was looking for what they "were investing in". And then, finally, the magnificent Towers as they were! Truly a book to keep and give our next generation.
Rating:
Summary: Shameless
Review: Shameless. I cannot believe that in this time where both the TV community and Hollywood have both restrained themselves in a noteworthy fashion that the publishing industry would stoop to such a level. This is only one of the growing number of publications coming out to cash-in on the tragedy. If I only had enough time on my hands to review all of these "insta-books" on the September 11 attacks... Oh, and though it's a nice gesture to donate part of the proceeds to a related charity, it's still all too blatant exploitation. We aren't all suckers, though P.T. Barnum's quote rings true just by looking at today's Amazon ranking... #1. Shameless.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting Images
Review: Stunning Work... Amazing that photographers of such high caliber were on hand to witness and document the tragedy. This book is a must for anyone who feels inextricably connected to the events of September 11.
|
