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“Unanswered Questions” looks at the events of 9/11 from the perspective of 9/11 families. The author follows the journey of the well known “Jersey Girls” as well as many groups or organizations that grew out of the frustration experienced by the families. Although I began to doubt the official story of 9/11 early on, I had not heard of the Family Steering Committee, Families of September 11, 9/11 Families for a Secure America, 9/11 Families to Bankrupt terrorism, Coalition of 9/11 families, Fix the Fund, Give Your Voice, LMDC Families Advisory Council, Skyscraper Safety Campaign, Tuesdays Children and several more. Intertwined with the experiences of the families is mention of the loved ones lost. Where were they on that morning, how did they die that morning? What was the final communication with family?

According to author Ray McGinnis, only 11% of the questions posted to the 9/11 commission were answered. Entire chapters are devoted to questions posed but not answered of NORAD, the FBI, Mayor Giuliani, President Bush, Vice President Cheney, the Port Authority, Donald Rumsfeld, as well as the FAA, CIA, Security and Exchange Commission.

The 9/11 families are not a monolith but rather a diverse group of people who came together based on their own beliefs and as a reaction to the reluctance of the government to even form a commission, as well as how the commission operated and it's conclusions. This resulted in many diverse groups and efforts. Many of the family members, such as Kristen Breitweiser, Patty Casazza, Lorie Van Auken, Mindy Kleinberg, Bob McIlvaine, Mary Fetchet, Sally Regebgard, Carrie Lemack and Robin Wiener may be familiar names, but the author digs much deeper into the many family experiences.

By approaching the issue in this way, the book becomes personal in that the reader cannot help but empathize with the experiences of the family members not only for the devastating loss of a loved one, but also with their difficult experiences in the 20 years following the event.

One would think that the 9/11 commission would have answered these questions.

> How did WTC building 7 collapse at 5 pm?

> Why weren't NORAD jets able to intercept the Hijacked Planes given that they were airborne within 8 minutes?

> Why were the initial four hijacked planes able to elude all radar?

> What are the names of the individuals and institutions who placed “put” orders on American and United Airlines 3 weeks prior to the event?

> Why was the WTC steel removed so quickly, without being examined?

> To Dick Cheney, did you have open lines to Secret Service, NORAD, the FAA, and DOD? Where are the documents?

> Why did Bush authorize the Bin Laden family to fly out of the United States?

> How could the Pentagon be undefended?

Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth have worked for years to reveal the fact that the buildings were brought down by controlled demolition. To a large extent, the work of the family members and particularly the NYPD initiated these questions. The author deals with the physics of the event, including the rivers of molten steel that existed into January 2002, the fall of WTC7, the free fall speed of collapse, the fact that steel beams weighing tons were thrown 400 feet away from the footprint, and...the explosions. And more, of course.

The evidence that explosions occurred in the North tower well in advance of the collapse as well as before the second plane struck the north tower (yes, you read that right). Also included is the accounts of explosions from many NYPD and other people who escaped.

As an example, Robert “Bobby” McIlvaine was killed by lacerations from a bomb blast. His body was removed prior the collapse of the North tower. His body is the evidence.

The author also discusses the behavior of the population (unable to believe that this could have been planned by our own government), the use of the term “conspiracy theory”, and the behavior of the media. As you might imagine, the work of the 9/11 Commission was dissected based on the behavior of those in charge, especially Phil Shenon as well as Lee Hamilton and Thomas Kean.

Having read several books on this subject, including most of David Ray Griffin's excellent books, Terror Timeline by Paul Thompson, and Kevin Ryan's book “Another Nineteen”, I still found this book riveting as well as an easy read. By approaching the subject from the point of view of those who were victimized, the author brings the reader into the event in a highly personal way. Try not to cry.

Pete Johnson