Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
American Ground  By  cover art

American Ground

By: William Langewiesche
Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.49

Buy for $21.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Noted author, war correspondent, and award-winning writer for the Atlantic Monthly, William Langewiesche furnishes a riveting firsthand account of the excavation of the World Trade Center ruins following its destruction on September 11, 2001. American Ground is an inspiring look at the often contentious mixture of personalities, politics, and emotions that fueled this massive effort. It is also a testament to American ingenuity in the aftermath of a great tragedy.
©2002 William Langewiesche (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"The most thoughtful and original [9-11] book to appear so far is American Ground, William Langewiesche's meticulous description of the rescue effort at Ground Zero and the subsequent excavation of the 1.8 million tons of debris at the literal and emotional heart of this calamity. Langewiesche was granted almost unlimited access to the site and the rescue staff, and he made the most of the privilege." (Newsweek)
"This is a genuinely monumental story, told without melodrama, an intimate depiction of ordinary Americans reacting to grand-scale tragedy." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about American Ground

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    52
  • 4 Stars
    26
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    34
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    35
  • 4 Stars
    11
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

unfortunate

Thought is was rather bland and was a little disillusioning. I prefer to think all were heros.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent account of the work done.

The details given were amazing. The things you never really heard about. Well worth it. The narration took a while to adjust to with the heavy breaths constantly in your ear. I almost stopped listening in the beginning. Mic too close or something.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

What a story!

This book was controversial upon its initial release. However, the audio version does it great justice. The narrator wonderfully captures the very objective nature of the author's focus. Read it. There are more heroes to the 9/11 WTC tragedy than most are aware of, and this book describes some of them.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

The narrator s tone guaranteed to put u to sleep. Couldn't even get thru chap. 1

Narrator is great if you are having problems getting to sleep. Could not make it thru chap 1. I hope there is no charge for this.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Read it on Net

This is a book that is basically the government's report on 9/11 turned into a nonfiction book, and I am stretching it by calling it that.
If you believe that Sir Isaac Newton's Law's of Motion are wrong, then I would recommend this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!