Beyond the Great Divide

An unprecedented and shocking inside view into 9/11, examining the ways in which the attacks continue to shape our future-politically and culturally. "On that terrible day, a nation became a neighborhood. All Americans became New Yorkers." Following the attacks of September 11th, New York Governor George Pataki spoke words that touched American hearts, regardless of their generational, ethnic, or cultural background. Those words echo today with a hollow ring, even a bitter sting. The economic and emotional fallout post-9/11 was devastating. The political toll was even worse, bringing us to where we are today, a society as divided as the Civil War separated by political tribes that demand ideological purity coupled with blind loyalty. Along with President George W. Bush and Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Pataki was only one of three people directly involved in, commanding, and making life or death decisions during 9/11. In looking at America and its divide, Pataki asks a bold question: Did the terrorists win? This is a question no sitting politician or pundit from either side of the political spectrum will dare address. Few have the experience or depth to even begin to dive into this subject; as a result, Pataki's answers might disturb you. Drawing on Pataki's memories, notes, crises, and critical events, the book gives an unprecedented, shocking, heart-pounding inside view into what happened before, during, and after 9/11. The Governor reflects on where our country is today politically and culturally, as well as how we can rebuild and return to a more civil time when we were all Americans. Now, almost twenty years since the deadliest terror attack on American soil, the Governor addresses and asks: In a fleeting point of history, we had a moment that unified us. We were a neighborhood. Can we, as a nation, recapture that?