Wake-Up Call
The Political Education of a 9/11 Widow
By Kristen Breitweiser
Read by the author Hachette Audio, (2006)
An Abridged Recording on 5 CDs
ISBN: 1-59483-560-8
Genre: Current Events
Reviewed by Angela Evans - September 28, 2006
The horrific events of September 11, 2001 are indelibly written on the psyche and history of the American people. This is no less true of the people who lost loved ones on that tragic day. Kristen Breitweiser is one of those. Her husband, Ron, died when the World Trade Center towers collapsed. She was left widowed with a small child, and she was to discover that her loss was to be compounded by bureaucratic obfuscation, frustration, and even personal attacks!
At the time of the terrorist attacks on 9-11, Breitweiser was a stay-at-home mom ne lawyer who had just withstood the devastating loss of her mother from cancer. After the attacks and her husband's death, Breitweiser set out to uncover all she could about the U.S. Government's involvement and response to the attack.
She chronicles her emotional journey to find the truth in Wake-Up Call:
The Political Education of a 9/11 Widow. In clear and precise language, Breitweiser explains how she and other 9-11 widows were transformed into political activists. Often referred to as The Jersey Girls, they were instrumental in forcing the government to open an independent inquiry into the 9-11 attacks with the goal of uncovering just what went wrong on that fateful day and what might be done to prevent a recurrence. The 9-11 Commission Report was the result, in part, to Breitweiser's tenacity and perseverance.
Wake-Up Call is a moving and inspirational account of one woman's quest to discover the truth. It is also a book about how she came to terms with her husband's death and learned to channel her sorrow and rage into productive endeavors. Her account comes across honest and forthright, and her frustration at the bureaucratic, political, and personal hurtles that she had to overcome is palpable. This is a story of survival, of rage, and of a desire to convince people that it is in everyone's best interest to know the truth - for only by knowing all the facts can the necessary steps be taken to protect the country from further terrorist attacks.
With mid-term elections approaching, Breitweiser's book is both timely and informative. She details important information about how the Bush administration tried to cover up unflattering details about security failures prior to 9-11, and how the administration tried at first to prevent the formation of an independent inquiry into the terrorists' attacks, and then once the inquiry was underway they tried to stymie it by denying the investigators access to vital information. This is an enlightening, inspirational, and an informative book that is a must read.
The audio version of this book, which is read by the author also includes a edifying conversation with Breitweiser.
Related Reviews:
Restoring Faith, edited by Forrest Church
The horrific events that occurred on September 11, 2001 in New York City seared the hearts and souls of people the world over. In response to these events, religious leaders promptly penned new sermons, messages, poems, and prayers to meet this unprecedented situation. Restoring Faith is a collection of sermons and readings delivered in the days immediately following the terrorist attacks of September 11th.
The 9-11 Commission Report, by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks.
An accessible version of this significant governmental report that is distributed on CD in both a large print version and a plain text version that is compatible with most computer screen reading programs.
