9/11 and the War on Terror: A Documentary and Reference Guide

Gr 9 Up—This collection of excerpts (and, occasionally, full documents) is arranged chronologically into four sections: background on American interactions and understanding of terrorism prior to September 11, 2001; documents directly associated with 9/11; and those from the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Most excerpts are two to five pages long and conclude with a paragraph of analysis, a statement of significance, and the complete name of the document. In most cases, these pieces are freely available online. Among the 80 included documents are a memorandum on assassination, Osama bin Laden's 2002 letter to the American people, and a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union expressing concern over perceived rights violations in the name of the War on Terror. "Did You Know?" call-out boxes define terms or give additional context. The "Guide to Related Documents" makes it easy to locate al Qaeda communications in all sections or to see the changes in detainee interrogation policies over time This text is well constructed for reference and would be useful if a high school or college assignment were designed with it in mind. Most readers will find it dry going for any other purpose.