September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows: Turning Tragedy into Hope for a Better World

Over three thousand families were torn apart on September 11, 2001. But from the devastation of that day, another family was formed--a family bound not by biology, culture or country, but by compassion and the commitment to spare all others the loss and pain they had shared. It is almost unfathomable to think that on the day following the September 11 attacks, some of the victims' families were already thinking about the terrible political consequences of their personal nightmares and were seeking a means to prevent them. September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows: Turning our Grief into Action for Peace describes how these families (totaling 80 to date), from all over the country and from all kinds of backgrounds, formed a non-profit organization dedicated to finding peaceful alternatives to the U.S. war on terror. The book intersperses a narrative that describes the group's development and activity (written by David Potorti, a group member) with personal essays by individual family members, and (the sometimes shocking) e-mail responses to the group's website: www.peacefultomorrows.org.

The mission of the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows is idealistic: it opposes war in the name of their lost loved ones and advocates the prevention of terrorism by addressing the difficult problems that lie at its root, namely extremism, militarism, poverty, racism, ignorance, inequality, hatred, hopelessness, and rage. Angry opponents to the group's goals and pursuits, including some in the media, have labeled them "unpatriotic," "cowards," "ignorant," and "naïve"--particularly in response to their reaching out to the Afghani and Iraqi victims of U.S. military action. But fair-minded readers of this powerful book will certainly be moved by the courage, commitment, compassion, and moral conviction expressed by these extraordinary/ordinary people and their supporters. Joined together by their grief and dedication, the group shows how "people-to-people, you can make a difference." --Silvana Tropea