Five essential 9/11 books

David L. Ulin is the author of The Myth of Solid Ground: Earthquakes, Prediction and the Fault Line Between Reason and Faith and book critic at the Los Angeles Times.

One of his five essential 9/11 books:

"American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center" by William Langewiesche (2002).

Originally serialized in the Atlantic, Langewiesche's inside account of the dismantling of the Trade Center site is a masterpiece of compression, a sober look at an emotionally loaded operation and a subtle rendering of the territorial battles between police, fire fighters and construction crews that were only heightened by the tragedy. Langewiesche was on the rubble from the beginning, and his observations — understated, reflective and insightful — remind us of the power of work to root us amid horror, as well as the courage involved in doing what needs to be done.

Read about the other books on Ulin's list.

Check out my review of American Ground.

--Marshal Zeringue