List of cultural references to the September 11 attacks

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This list of cultural references to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the post-9/11 atmosphere includes works of art, literature, poetry, theater, film, music, and popular culture.

Contents 1 Art and design 2 Film 2.1 Europe 2.2 International 2.3 North Africa and the Middle East 2.4 North America 2.4.1 Feature films 2.4.2 Television films and miniseries 2.4.3 Theatrical documentaries 2.4.4 Television and internet documentaries 2.5 South Asia 3 Music 4 Novels and short stories 4.1 Europe 4.2 North America 4.3 Australia 5 Poetry 6 Popular culture 6.1 Comic books and comic strips 6.2 Television 7 Theater 7.1 North America 8 References 9 External links

Art and design

• A Garden Stepping into the Sky^[1] (2002-3) by Ron Drummond is a design for a World Trade Center Memorial built out of the "clay" of functional interior space suitable for commercial, cultural, or residential uses. Praised by New York novelist and critic Samuel R. Delany and architecture critic Herbert Muschamp, Drummond's design was the focus of a documentary by the award-winning independent filmmaker Gregg Lachow and was featured on CNN and KOMO-TV News.
• 9/11 Flipbook^[2] (2005–present) by Scott Blake allows viewers to watch a continuous reenactment of United Airlines Flight 175 crashing into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Accompanying the images are essays written by a wide range of participants, each expressing their personal experience of the September 11th attacks. In addition, the authors of the essays were asked to reflect on, and respond to, the flipbook itself.
• A painting by Brian Whelan entitled "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" is used as a metaphor to depict the 9/11 tragedy.

Film

Europe

• Brick Lane, a 2007 British film tells the story of Nazneen, a Bengali who grew up in Bangladesh. It follows her experiences after she moves to London before, during, and after 9/11.
• The Road to Guantanamo, a 2006 British docudrama about British Pakistani and British Bangladeshi young men who were impacted by the Post-9/11 climate.
• Yasmin, a 2004 German/British film set in a British Pakistani community in parts of Keighley, West Yorkshire, England) before and after 9/11.

International

• 11'09"01 September 11, a 2002 international anthology film composed of contributions from Iran, France, Egypt, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, United Kingdom, Mexico, Israel, India, USA, Japan, each exploring reactions to 9/11.

North Africa and the Middle East

• The Baby Doll Night, a 2008 Egyptian film set in Cairo post-9/11.

North America

Feature films

• The 9/11 Commission Report, a 2006 drama based upon the 9/11 Commission Report.
• AmericanEast, a 2007 American drama about Arab-Americans living in Post-9/11 Los Angeles.
• Amreeka, a 2009 American/Canadian independent film that documents the lives of a Palestinian American family and their experiences in Post-9/11 suburban Chicago.
• Bandhak, a 2003 American film that explores the theme of racism against South Asian Americans post-9/11.
• Julie and Julia, the main character works in a call center for 9/11 victims, leading her to find an escape.
• Mooz-lum, a 2010 American independent film that documents the lives of an African American Muslim family whose lives are changed by 9/11 and its aftermath.
• Reign Over Me, a 2007 American drama about the post-9/11 experiences of Charlie Fineman who lost his wife and children in the attacks.
• Remember Me, a 2010 American drama in which the events lead up to 9/11.
• The Space Between (film), a 2010 American drama about a flight attendant who finds herself responsible for a Muslim minor in the wake of the attack.
• Stairwell: Trapped in the World Trade Center, a 2002 American independent film about a group of people trapped in a sub-basement of the World Trade Center after the two towers collapse.
• United 93, a 2006 American drama about United Airlines Flight 93.
• World Trade Center, a 2006 American drama by Oliver Stone.
• WTC View, a 2006 American independent film about the effect of 9/11 on a photographer who had been interviewing potential roommates on September 10.
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, a 2011 Hollywood movie

Television films and miniseries

• DC 9/11: Time of Crisis, a 2003 American made-for-television Showtime drama, re-enacting the events of 9/11 from the point of view of President George W. Bush.
• Diverted a Canadian made-for-television Canadian Broadcasting Corporation film about the town of Gander, Newfoundland hosting thousands after the United States shut down its airspace.
• Flight 93, a 2006 American made-for-television A&E Network drama about United Airlines Flight 93.
• The Path to 9/11, a 2006 American made-for-television ABC mini-series about events preceding 9/11.
• Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story, a 2003 American made-for-television USA Network drama which includes Giuliani's response to the events of 9/11.
• Tiger Cruise, a 2004 American made-for-television Disney Channel Original Movie which intertwines a fictional storyline with the events of 9/11.

Theatrical documentaries

• 9/11: Press for Truth, a 2006 American independent film which investigates the events of 9/11.
• 911: In Plane Site, a 2004 American documentary film which investigates the events of 9/11.
• Being Osama, a 2004 Canadian documentary that explores the Post-9/11 lives of six Montreal Arab men, all with the first name Osama.
• Beyond Belief, a 2007 American independent film about the post-9/11 experiences of two women who lost their husbands on 9/11 and who set up a humanitarian program for war widows in Afghanistan.
• Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing, a 2006 American independent film about the backlash experienced by the country music band, Dixie Chicks during the Post-9/11 climate.
• Fahrenheit 9/11, a 2004 American documentary film by Michael Moore.
• The Heart of Steel, a 2006 American independent film about the post 9/11 experiences of a group of volunteers.
• It's My Country Too: Muslim Americans, a 2005 documentary that follows the journey of the South Asian rock music band Junoon during their tours to America and the lives of Salman Ahmad and Muslims in the United States, and the Muslims for Bush pressure group.
• The Tillman Story, a 2010 American independent film about the death of football star and Army Ranger Pat Tillman during the Post-9/11 climate.
• Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?, a 2008 American documentary directed by Morgan Spurlock

Television and internet documentaries

• 102 Minutes That Changed America, a 2008 American made-for-television History Channel documentary which follows the events of 9/11 through raw footage.
• 9/11, a 2002 Franco-American made-for-television CBS documentary.
• 9/11: The Twin Towers, a 2006 American made-for-television Discovery Channel documentary about the events of 9/11.
• The Concert for New York City, documentary of the five hour benefit concert at Madison Square Garden.
• Countdown to Ground Zero, a 2006 American made-for-television History Channel documentary which covers a 9/11 timeline.
• Flight 175: As the World Watched, a 2006 American made-for-television The Learning Channel documentary about United Airlines Flight 175.
• The Flight That Fought Back, a 2005 American made-for-television Discovery Channel documentary about United Airlines Flight 93.
• I Missed Flight 93, a 2006 American made-for-television History Channel documentary about people who missed Flight 93.
• Inside 9/11, a 2005 American made-for-television National Geographic Channel documentary about the events before, during, and after 9/11.
• Loose Change, an American series of internet documentaries which advocates the 9/11 conspiracy theories.

South Asia

• Kabul Express, a 2006 Bollywood film that tells the story of Suhel Khan and Jai Kapoor, Indian journalists working for Star News, who are sent into Afghanistan to create a report on what life is like in the country following the US Invasion of the country in September 2001.
• Khuda Kay Liye, a 2007 Pakistani film that tells the story of three Pakistanis and their lives before and after 9/11.
• Kurbaan, a 2009 Bollywood film that tells the story of Avantika Ahuja and Ehsaan Khan in India and the United States Post-9/11.
• Madhoshi, a 2004 Bollywood film that is about Anupama Kaul whose sister is killed during 9/11.
• My Name Is Khan, a 2010 Bollywood film that is a Bildungsroman of the life of Rizwan Khan. It begins with his childhood in Mumbai and progresses to his later years living in the United States before, during, and after the events of 9/11.
• New York, a 2009 Bollywood film that tells the story of Samir, Maya, and Omar. They are three New York college students whose lives are changed by 9/11 and its aftermath.
• Tere Bin Laden, a 2010 Bollywood film that is a comedy about journalist Ali Hassan who, in his desperation to migrate to the U.S., makes a fake Osama Bin Laden video using a look-alike, and sells it to TV channels.
• Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota, a 2006 Bollywood film that tells the story of a group of people from India who were aboard the ill-fated flights that crashed into the Twin Towers and Pentagon on 9/11.

Music

Novels and short stories

Europe

• A Manhã do Mundo (The Morning of the World) (2001) by Pedro Guilherme-Moreira.
• Brick Lane (2003) by Monica Ali. The novel tells the story of Nazneen, a Bangladeshi woman who moves to England and her life before and after 9/11.
• Burnt Shadows (2009) by Kamila Shamsie^[3]
• Dead Air (2002) by Iain Banks. An early chapter is set in London on September 11, 2001. The main protagonist is a left-wing radio "shock jock" attending a wedding when news of the attacks filters through (Tuesday afternoon British time).
• Eleven (2006) by David Llewellyn. The novel takes place in Cardiff and London on September 11th and deals with the impact the terrorist attacks have on the lives of people in the UK.
• False Impression (2005) by Jeffrey Archer. The novel is a thriller that takes place during and immediately after 9/11.
• Netherland (2008) by Joseph O'Neill. The novel tells the story of a Dutch businessman who lives in New York and is traumatized by the events of 9/11.
• Saturday (2005) by Ian McEwan. The novel is set in London after the September 11th attacks but before the 7 July 2005 London bombings. The novel shows how much the world has changed since the attacks in America.
• Windows on the World (2003) by Frédéric Beigbeder. The novel is set in the restaurant at the top of the North Tower on September 11. It tells the story of Carthew Yorston and his two sons as they try to escape or somehow survive the attack. Each chapter of the book represents one minute in time between 8:30 and 10:30 on 9/11. It also features a parallel narrative wherein the author, a French writer sympathetic to America, discusses the process of writing the book and his motivations for doing so.

North America

• Between Two Rivers (2004) by Nicholas Rinaldi
• Brooklyn Follies (2005) by Paul Auster
• The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004) by Stephen King. It makes a reference to the attack, when the characters place an artifact known as Black Thirteen in a coin-op storage in the World Trade Center. After leaving, Jake and Callahan half-jokingly discuss what would happen if the towers were to collapse on the object.
• A Disorder Peculiar to the Country (2006), by Ken Kalfus. The novel follows the lives of New Yorkers Joyce and Marshall Harriman who are in the middle of a nasty divorce. In the early morning hours of September 11, Marshall leaves for the World Trade Center and Joyce for the airport.^[4][5]
• The Emperor's Children (2006), by Claire Messud. The novel traces the lives of three NYC friends before and after the events of 9/11.
• Everyman (2006), by Philip Roth. The protagonist of the novel moves to the New Jersey shore as a result of the fear he feels in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2005) by Jonathan Safran Foer. The novel follows the narrator, 9-year-old Oskar Schell, whose father was on the upper floors of the World Trade Center when the jets crashed into the Twin Towers. To fight his grief and quell his imagination, Oskar embarks on a quest to find what he hopes is his father's most illuminating secret. In service of this quest, Oskar conquers many of his irrational fears and comforts other damaged souls.
• Falling Man (2007), by Don DeLillo. The novel features a protagonist who survives the attacks on the World Trade Center.
• Forever (2003) by Pete Hamill. The novel tells the story of an Irish immigrant who is granted immortality, provided that he never leaves the island of Manhattan. Hamill had completed his manuscript at 11:20 pm on the evening of September 10, 2001, and was prepared to deliver it to his editor when the attacks occurred; he revisited his manuscript and spent another year reaching a final draft. As a result, the September 11 attacks form the culmination of 250 years of New York history described in the novel.^[6]
• The Good Life (2006) by Jay McInerney. The novel takes place immediately before, during, and after the events of 9/11.
• Home Boy (2009) by H. M. Naqvi. The novel tells the story of three Pakistani college students, AC, Jimbo and Chuck, before and after 9/11.
• ″The Mutants″ (2004) a short story by Joyce Carol Oates in I Am No One You Know: Stories.
• In the Shadow of No Towers (2004) by Art Spiegelman. A graphic novel that mourns both 9/11 and the political uses to which it has been put.
• Last Night in Twisted River (2009) by John Irving. Portions of the end of the novel take place on September 10 and 11, 2001, and deal with several characters' reactions to learning about the attacks.
• Night Fall (2004) by Nelson DeMille. The novel connects TWA 800 to twin tower crash.
• Once in a Promised Land (2007) by Laila Halaby.^[7]
• Pattern Recognition (2003) by William Gibson. The novel was the first novel to address the attacks; the main character is a marketing consultant whose father disappeared in Manhattan on the morning of September 11.
• The Submission (2011) by Amy Waldman. The novel is about an American Muslim architect Mohammed Khan whose design is chosen for the memorial site at Ground Zero.^[8][9]
• ″The Suffering Channel″ (2004) a short story by David Foster Wallace in Oblivion: Stories. It tells the story of a writer for Style magazine (headquartered in the World Trade Center) trying to complete an article before deadline, on September 10, 2011.
• Saffron Dreams (2009) by Shaila Abdullah.^[10]
• Terrorist (2006) by John Updike. The novel explores post 9/11 America through the eyes of a radical Muslim youth and his Jewish guidance counselor.
• Villa Incognito (2003) by Tom Robbins. The novel features several scenes of Military and CIA officials reacting to news of the attacks.
• We All Fall Down (2006) by Eric Walters. September 11, 2001 was "Bring Your Kids to Work Day", and the main protagonist, Will was going to meet with his father in his office in the World Trade Center. This novel focuses on how Will and his relationship with his father changes on the day of the 9/11 attacks.
  • United We Stand (2009) was a sequel that focuses on the aftermath of the attacks on September 12, 2001.
• The Zero (2006) by Jess Walter is a novel about Brian Remy, a New York City cop suffering memory gaps in the wake of 9/11.^[11]

Australia

"The Caribou Herd" by Miles Hitchcock won The Age Short Story Award in 2003. The narrator is a elderly English man with dementia flying to New York on the day of the attacks, and reminiscing about the 20th Century.

Poetry

• Anything Can Happen (2004) by Seamus Heaney (a loose translation of Horace's Ode 1.34) is a response to the attacks.^[12]
• Photograph from September 11 (2002) by Wisława Szymborska^[13]
• Curse (2002) by Frank Bidart^[14]
• Didactic Elegy by Ben Lerner^[15]
• Fallacies of Wonder (2001) by Richard Howard is poem about the difficult task of trying to remember the Twin Towers as they actually were now that they are gone.^[16]
• Routine Procedure(s) 2: Prayer Beads of Cold Sweat or Driving While Izlaamic (2006) by Ismail Khalidi (writer)^[17]

Popular culture

Comic books and comic strips

• 9-11: September 11, 2001, Volume 1 (9-11 #1)^[18] published by Dark Horse Comics, Chaos! Comics, and Image Comics and Volume 2 (9-11 - The World's Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember),^[19] published by DC Comics, featured short stories and single-page works of art from a wide variety of artists.
• The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #36, called the Black Issue for its solid black cover, explores how Spider-Man and other Marvel characters like Captain America, Daredevil, Magneto, and Dr. Doom react in the aftermath of the attacks.
• The Boys by Garth Ennis showed three of the four hijacked planes being shot down by the Air Force, and the fourth being intercepted by superheroes; that plane subsequently crashed on the Brooklyn Bridge, destroying it and killing over a thousand people.
• The Call of Duty which focused on firefighters.
• Ex Machina by Brian K. Vaughan and published by Wildstorm/DC, is set in a world in which a superhero called the Great Machine becomes mayor of New York after intervening in the September 11 attacks — managing to save only the South Tower, and later describing himself as a failure, because a real hero would have been in time to stop the first plane.
• Human Target #2-3, "The Unshredded Man" (Parts 1 & 2) by Peter Milligan feature a man who had faked his own death in the WTC attacks to escape embezzlement charges, but who is now given the opportunity to come clean.

Television

• Aliens in America (2007–2008) - an American television series about a high school foreign exchange student from Pakistan who lives with an American family in Wisconsin in a post-9/11 climate.
• Rescue Me (2004–Present) - A television series about the professional and personal lives of a group of firefighters in the fictional Ladder 62 / Engine 99 firehouse in New York City, post 9/11. Flashbacks of 9/11 are prominent throughout the series.
• Arrested Development (2003–2006) - In the episode "Best Man for the Gob", after Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) sarcastically asks Tobias Fünke (David Cross) why his marriage is suffering, Tobias responds "Well, I don't want to blame it all on 9/11, but it certainly didn't help."
• Becker (1998–2004) - In the episode "Subway Story", Becker skips dinner with an old friend because he accompanies the mother of a 9/11 victim to Ground Zero.
• Family Guy (1999–present) - The September 11, 2001 attacks are frequently referenced throughout the show. In the episode "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One", Lois Griffin repeatedly chants "Nine-eleven" to gain voters at a rally while running for mayor.^[20] In a deleted scene from "Meet the Quagmires", when Brian and Peter Griffin go back in time, Brian gets into a fight, and instructs the bar patron to meet on top of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.^[21] In the episode "Back to the Pilot" Brian tell his past self about it and ends up inniveradly stopping it from happing.
• Law & Order (1990–2010) - 9/11 is frequently referenced from season 12 (2001–2002) to the end of the series. The season 13 episode "The Ring" depicts the murder investigation of a woman who was reported killed in the World Trade Center but is found a year later buried in a vacant lot in Hell's Kitchen. It is later determined that that some of her remains were dumped in the rubble of the twin towers to hide the fact that she was killed the night before.
• Fringe (2008–present) - The show repeatedly references the 9/11 attacks, as well as depicts an alternate reality, in which the show explicitly shows the event having been averted, at the cost of there being other terrorist attacks in its place.
• The Office (U.S. TV series): "E-mail Surveillance" (2005) - Michael Scott (Steve Carell) initially mistakes the company's tech support employee, Sadiq (Omi Vaidya), for a terrorist as a result of the Post 9-11 atmosphere.
• The Sarah Silverman Program (2007–2010) - In the episode "Patriot Tact" (a pun of the Patriot Act), after Sarah is criticized for running over men with her car which she mistakes for Osama bin Laden, she tries to raise awareness for 9/11 by putting on a play where her neighbors Brian and Steve dress up as the towers of the World Trade Center.
• South Park (1997–present) - The Season 5 episode "Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants", which was the first episode to air after the attacks, is almost entirely based around the attacks and the American Invasion of Afghanistan. September 11 was also referenced in "A Ladder to Heaven", where Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" and Saddam Hussein are the main references in the show. In Season 10 in the episode "Mystery of the Urinal Deuce" "South Park" takes on 911 conspiracy culture.
• Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005) - In the Season 4 episode "Stormfront, Part 2", images of the World Trader Center Towers burning can be seen in the 'time stream' while Captain Archer and Crewman Daniels are talking about the Temporal Cold War and how history is restoring itself.

Theater

North America

• The Guys (2001) by Anne Nelson. The play explores the memories and emotions of a surviving fire captain and a writer who helps him write eulogies for his lost comrades.
• The Mercy Seat (2002) by Neil LaBute. The play is about a protagonist who considers faking his death after having coincidentally survived the attacks.
• Recent Tragic Events (2003) by Craig Wright. The play takes place on September 12, 2001, and deals with a blind date between a man and a woman who is trying to reach her sister, who lives in New York.^[22]
• Truth Serum Blues (2005) by Ismail Khalidi. The play tells of the story of Kareem a "young Arab-American" whose life is changed by the Post-9/11 atmosphere.^[23]

References

External links

• The Collected Works: How artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, video-game designers, and quilters responded to the attacks—a selection - New York Magazine, August 27, 2011.
• Rebuilding NYC: 9/11 in Art and Culture: September 11 Film and Video Documentaries; a lengthy list of September 11-related documentaries. The site also has lists of books, songs, theater and works in other media inspired by September 11.

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