Post by Taxigirl on Oct 15, 2004 9:19:42 GMT
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3744690.stm
The report written by the US commission investigating the 11 September attacks has been nominated for a prestigious National Book Award.
The detailed report, which has sold more than 1m copies, was nominated in the non-fiction category.
In it, the commission blamed US leaders for failing to comprehend the gravity of the threat posed by al-Qaeda.
The report has been widely praised by critics for its readability and the strength of its narrative.
"It's very well constructed. It's a good read. It's surprising," New Yorker magazine media critic and author Ken Auletta told Reuters news agency.
"Most government reports are turgid and often unintelligible and you have to be an archaeologist to dig through them and unearth the precious stones. But this is a narrative and has the sweep of a good narrative," he said.
Dramatic read
"From the beginning, I took our mandate to report to the American people very seriously, and you cannot report to the American people with language that is either dull or obtuse," commission chairman Thomas Kean told the Associated Press news agency.
The first chapter of the report details the unfolding of the events of 11 September, 2001, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed.
Later chapters deal with the US government's response to the threat posed by al-Qaeda. It goes on to recommend a wide-ranging overhaul of US intelligence services and congressional oversight.
The report was compiled by the 10-member bipartisan commission after a two-year investigation.
It is the second government report to be nominated for the prize.
A report by a special commission on a deadly riot at a state prison in Attica, New York, was nominated in 1973 but did not win.
Other nominees in this year's non-fiction category include a biography of William Shakespeare and the story of a woman leaving prison after 16 years inside.
The winner will be announced in New York on 17 November.
The report written by the US commission investigating the 11 September attacks has been nominated for a prestigious National Book Award.
The detailed report, which has sold more than 1m copies, was nominated in the non-fiction category.
In it, the commission blamed US leaders for failing to comprehend the gravity of the threat posed by al-Qaeda.
The report has been widely praised by critics for its readability and the strength of its narrative.
"It's very well constructed. It's a good read. It's surprising," New Yorker magazine media critic and author Ken Auletta told Reuters news agency.
"Most government reports are turgid and often unintelligible and you have to be an archaeologist to dig through them and unearth the precious stones. But this is a narrative and has the sweep of a good narrative," he said.
Dramatic read
"From the beginning, I took our mandate to report to the American people very seriously, and you cannot report to the American people with language that is either dull or obtuse," commission chairman Thomas Kean told the Associated Press news agency.
The first chapter of the report details the unfolding of the events of 11 September, 2001, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed.
Later chapters deal with the US government's response to the threat posed by al-Qaeda. It goes on to recommend a wide-ranging overhaul of US intelligence services and congressional oversight.
The report was compiled by the 10-member bipartisan commission after a two-year investigation.
It is the second government report to be nominated for the prize.
A report by a special commission on a deadly riot at a state prison in Attica, New York, was nominated in 1973 but did not win.
Other nominees in this year's non-fiction category include a biography of William Shakespeare and the story of a woman leaving prison after 16 years inside.
The winner will be announced in New York on 17 November.