A Heart, a Cross, and a Flag : America Today
- Book Review,
by Peggy Noonan
From Publishers Weekly
Noonan is the kind of whimsical romantic who likes to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge at five in the morning simply because "it is fun." Her take on life and world events is refreshingly different from the usual political commentary. She writes as if she were conversing with her readers; unpretentious and warm, she lays out her soul for the world to see. The former Reagan speechwriter offers a collection of her weekly columns from the Wall Street Journal spanning the year from September 11, 2001, to September 11, 2002. Many of the essays address the tragedy that changed our world. Sometimes Noonan plays the role of the daunting pessimist, warning we are not safe; "we are all soldiers now." And yet, she tells us, life is wonderful, we are lucky. She shares her passion for the small and grand details that make life worth living: her "darling subway," watching Kevin Costner eat Raisa Gorbachev's dessert, meeting the pope. Beware: Noonan (When Character Was King) does not hide her political conservatism. At times her warm persona takes on a rough urgency. Many of her opinions on such sensitive issues as profiling men of Middle Eastern descent and the invasion of Iraq may rankle some readers. But Noonan's book stands out because it is more than an exercise in right-wing political discourse. It's a testimony: a record of history as it was actually lived by real people. It is a celebration of America, a reminder that life is meant to be embraced. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
To say the year between September 11, 2001, and September 11, 2002, was one of tremendous upheaval is a massive understatement. Noonan, a former Reagan assistant, has collected the columns she wrote during that period of time. From the column she wrote just two days after 9/11, full of shock and raw emotion, to the reserved but determined piece she wrote on the one-year anniversary, Noonan's essays are thoughtful, introspective, and deeply patriotic. Although she is devastated by the horror of 9/11, her spirits are lifted by the heroism and kindness she sees in her fellow New Yorkers, from the firemen who bravely raced into the doomed towers to the people who turned out to cheer on the rescue workers and firemen who toiled in the wreckage. She sees Bush as a president who has risen to meet the challenge he and the country face; he is not unlike Harry Truman, she states in "The President Within," an unlikely leader who is steering a course with determination and resolve. Most of the essays address the effects of 9/11 on the world, but she also tackles a few other timely topics, such as the Enron scandal, the sex-abuse charges against the Catholic Church, and even movie stars. Noonan's columns are often extremely optimistic--she sees the best in the people and the leaders of the U.S., which makes this an inspiring collection. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
"This is a book about love." So begins Peggy Noonan's enormously moving collection of her post-September 11 Wall Street Journal commentaries. On the morning of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Noonan began writing, and produced at least one essay every week through September 11, 2002. These candid, compassionate and sometimes heart-wrenching pieces are full of insights and observations picked up throughout the country -- on experiencing the return of religious faith to a great modern city; on how the events influenced our perceptions of what it means to live in New York, or to be a man, or to take part in a community. Taking her own, her city's and her country's pulse, she administered a welcome dose of humanity, affirmation and inspiration, quickly attracting a large and loyal readership. This first draft of history -- a record, written on the ground, of what it felt like to be an American that day, and the days after -- balances the immediacy of the tragedy with its broader meaning for our world. Noonan, the bestselling author of When Character Was King, brings to these articles her unsurpassed powers of description: walking on the streets and riding on the buses of Manhattan in the hours and days following the attack; watching, along with most of the country, the televised reportage, public announcements, expert opinions and tributes; witnessing our "post-incident heartache" and anxiety, as well as the "spirited gaiety of New Yorkers at this time in history." By training our gaze on everyone from firemen, Catholic and Muslim mourners and the President to news anchors, bus drivers and school kids, these essays not only depict America in all its beautiful and diverse strengths but serve as an emblem of such. At once elegant and tough, elegiac and proud, outraged and tender, full of street smarts and down-home wisdom, this book will help Americans understand their emotional and intellectual responses to those devastating events. For everyone who felt scared, saddened, outraged and humbled but not defeated by the horror of that day, here is a balm and an apt tribute to what we lost and what we learned about ourselves.
About the Author
Peggy Noonan is a contributing editor of The Wall Street Journal and a columnist for the Journal's online editorial page. Her articles and essays have also appeared in Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post, Forbes and many other publications. Noonan is the author of five previous books, including the bestselling What I Saw at the Revolution and When Character Was King. She was a special assistant to President Ronald Reagan from 1984 to 1986. Noonan currently lives in her native New York City.
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