The book works on the one hand as, is often the case with the Life books of this genre, the photography is excellent and well scaled. There is enough to convey the impact and scope of the attacks without engendering sensory overload. The use of a news ticker like format in the photo section is effective in that it provides identification and context sufficient to the need without detracting from the power of the photography.
The best part of the book, however, is the second half which is basically broken into three parts: A section that concentrates on the victims in the planes and buildings, a section that concentrates on those who responded to the events, and a third sort of Big picture/Summary section.
The vignettes in the second half show the wider impact and effect of the events, as well as the national, racial and ethnic diversity of the victims and those who responded. The stories are long enough to get the picture of individual circumstances and numerous enough to communicate the scale of the tragedy without overwhelming the emotional senses to much.
My wife gave me this for Christmas and I went through it pretty thoroughly then and have returned to look over it in snippets from time to time since. A lot is going on now with the war on terrorism and the return, somewhat, to politics as normal on a national stage and going back for a peak serves to remind what sacrifices are needed and necessary. This book communicates the big picture and if there is one thing we cannot do at this point, it's lose track of the big picture.