[.ca] City in the Sky: The Rise and Fall of the World Trade Center (ISBN 0805074287)

Weak as parts, yet strong as a whole.:
When looking at City in the Sky in its parts (chapters), I found it to be a relatively boring book. I did not care what the names of the people were, who decided to design the World Trade Center in a more modern way. Nor did I care, where the business owners protesting against its building ate lunch. Yet then, as I read further into the book, I actually became quite enthralled with the almost Lord of the Rings type quest that these men went through to get the World Trade Center. As a whole, all of these tiny, seemingly boring problems that they ran into, began to amaze me. I had no idea that there was so much hatred toward the building of what I thought to be a beloved national monument. The negative two stars are for a lack of interest in the beginning of the book and a tiny bit of unneeded babble. On the other hand, the positive 3 stars, and actually I'd give it more of a 3 1/2, are for a great, flowing writing style, that while consisting of facts and plain history, reads like a novel. In the end you will be left thinking, "Wow, there's more to those buildings than I thought there was."

The saga of the WTC from its initial conception in 1939:
It is all right here. From the germ of the idea at the 1939 New York World's Fair to the design and planning of a project unlike any other in the history of mankind to the cataclysmic events of September 11, 2001. New York Times reporters James Glanz and Eric Lipton have pieced together the complete history that needed to be told. "City In The Sky" is the remarkable story of how the World Trade Center came to be. It is a riveting tale from start to finish. Learn about those who first envisioned this project way back in the late 1940's and of the considerable role politics would play in this saga over the ensuing decades. You will be introduced to Lawrence A. Wien, owner of the Empire State Building, who fought this project tooth and nail. And you'll meet one Oscar Nadel, owner of a small appliance business that would be displaced by the World Trade Center. Put yourself in his shoes and in the shoes of hundreds of other small business people who were to be evicted in the wake of this massive project. Glanz and Lipton also devote a considerable amount of time to the struggle between the City of New York and the New York and New Jersey Port Authority for control of this enormous project. You will learn why the WTC was located where it was and about all of the people who made this concept a reality from the visionary David Rockerfeller to the unconventional architect Minoru Yamasaki to powerful Port Authority chairman Austin Tobin. And of course, you will read once again of the tragic events of 9/11 and see how decisions made decades earlier may have helped decide who would live and who would die on that fateful day. Were corners cut during construction? Was the fireproofing used adequate? And were the consequences of an airliner crashing into the Twin Towers ever seriously considered? So many questions. This is an important book that helps you to unravel some of the complex issues here. Recommended.

Story of the Trade Centers: Start to End:
Most people at first glance would think this book is about the 9/11 attacks on the WTC, but really it is much more than that. If you really read this book, it is very interesting to look at the immense problems these people had to overcome. It took a lot of genius to create such huge buildings. The architect Minoru Yamasaki's emotional motivation, and David Rockefellers ambition to renovate lower Manhattan was the driving force that got the towers built. I gave this book four stars instead of five even though its a very well written and intersting book. It seemed to drag from a few points, but otherwise was a smooth read. I definitely recommend reading the tale of the Twin Towers.

An excellent history of the WTC....:
This book is an excellent history of the World Trade Center towers, from their conception in the early 1960's to their eventual destruction on 9/11/2001. This book avoids many of the political biases generally associated with this subject, and instead simply tells the story. Surprsingly, the book is a quick read, much like a novel. Highly recommended!

A great history of the Twin Towers and their people:
City in the Sky gives us a balanced and fascinating look at the conception, creation, life and destruction of the World Trade Center. The human interest inherent in the story of the construction and loss of the Twin Towers is balanced with a detailed, yet easily understandable explanation of the physics involved in both. New York Times reporters Glanz and Lipton have created a very readable book on the weightiest of subjects, acknowledging the tremendous human loss without excessive sentimentality.