The tenth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon is an occasion sure to be observed around the world. But among the memorials, political speeches, and news editorials, the most pressing consideration--and often the most overlooked--is the lives and well-being of the 9/11 first responders, their families, and the victims' families over the past decade.

Journalist and historian Garrett Graff tells the story of September 11, 2001 as it was lived, in the words of those who lived it. Drawing on transcripts, recently declassified documents, original interviews, and oral histories from nearly five hundred government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends, and family members, Graff paints a vivid and human portrait of the September 11 attacks. Beginning in the predawn hours of airports...