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Watching the World Change: The Stories Behind the Images of 9/11
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Product Description
The attack on the World Trade Center was the most watched event in human history. And the footage seen of that day came not only from TV cameras, but also from workers, tourists, and passersby, each of whose lives would change dramatically when confronted with the sight of the attacks.
David Friend has uncovered the stories behind those images--from the street-level shots of the north tower crumbling to firefighters raising the American flag over the rubble. In Watching the World Change, he traces the images back to their sources and charts their impact over the next seven days. That week was the beginning of a digital age, a moment when all the advances in television, photography, and the Web converged on a single event. A brilliant chronicle of how we process disaster.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #668997 in Books
- Published on: 2007-08-21
- Released on: 2007-08-21
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 464 pages
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Friend, a former director of photography at Life and currently editor of creative development at Vanity Fair, writes: "For many of us, photos are the glue we use to hold in place the disjointed bits of fiction and fact that make up the stories of our lives." In this important analysis of how images of 9/11 and the "war on terror" have altered our understanding of power, world politics, religion and identity, he successfully merges reportage and analysis as he interprets the images of falling towers, panic in Manhattan streets and prisoners at Abu Ghraib that have been burned into our brains. But Friend elevates the book to a higher level with his iridescent commentary on the broad political and philosophical implications of 9/11 photography. For example, he recognizes the need to identify victims of a disaster as well as the Orwellian impulses in potential federal programs to create national photo ID cards. And he takes on such complicated issues as self-censorship in the media and how the Bush administration quickly learned how to use images to kick-start and maintain the war on terror. Lucidly written and urgently argued, this essential book is a valuable addition to literature on contemporary media and current politics. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Friend, Emmy Award-winning executive director of the documentary 9/11, offers a perspective on the terrorist attack from the actions and emotions of photographers on hand that day. Pros and amateurs, fashion photographers and news photographers--some wrestling with the ethics of photographing such a tragedy, others gladly taking advantage of being in the right place at the right time for a once-in-a-lifetime shot--recall the harrowing physical and emotional positions they took to get their shots with Leicas, Mamiyas, and disposable cameras. A photographer who was at home when the nearby World Trade Center was struck started taking shots, then put down her camera in favor of her rescue skills and equipment. Others recall focusing on the humans in the foreground, providing perspective and registering their own emotions and sense of personal danger. From the iconic photo of three firefighters raising the American flag at ground zero to photos of the missing that were posted in the days and weeks following the disaster, this compelling book demonstrates the power and pathos of an unforgettable event. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"An elegant and moving examination of the photographic legacy of that day in history. . . . Brings meaning to a terrible time."--The Times Picayune, New Orleans
"Compelling . . . Surely the most original treatment so far of the cultural impact of the day."--Frank Rich, The New York Times
"A tour de force."--The Oregonian
"Powerful, riveting . . . Friend is always a profoundly empathetic writer."--San Francisco Chronicle
Customer Reviews
The Photos And Stories of 9-11
Mr. Friend has written a wide-ranging analysis of 9-11 through his interpretation of the photographic record. Frame by frame, he gives a mini-discourse on the meaning of each photo then and subsequent political interpretations. "Watching the World Change" is not a book one will read straight through -- not given the images. It is a volume to ponder and think upon. For further viewing, the best photographic record is "Here is New York" (2002) with its nearly 1,000 photos of 9-11 and the days to follow. No commentary is necessary for this book.
Incredible writing
This book should become required reading for the professional photographers. It also is one of the best written books I have ever read . This author takes you with him to point you feel you are witnessing the events of 9/11 and the aftermath along with the actual people of New York. I wish I had the money to buy a copy of this book for all the people who have not yet read it.
A New Look At 9/11
A compelling and unique perspective on the World Trade Center terrorist attack. At times it reads like a breathless page-turning thriller as we relive events of that terrible day. But it's the larger picture that makes this book so gripping - the stories behind the still and moving images that are indelibly etched in our collective memories of 9/11. An important and extremely well written book.
