Description
Book SynopsisWhen United Flight 93, the fourth plane hijacked in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the gash it left in the ground became a national site of mourning. The flight's 40 passengers became a media obsession, and countless books, movies, and articles told the tale of their heroic fight to band together and sacrifice their lives to stop Flight 93 from becoming a weapon of terror. In Angel Patriots, Alexander Riley argues that by memorializing these individuals as patriots, we have woven them into much larger story of our nationan existing web of narratives, values, dramatic frameworks, and cultural characters about what it means to be truly American. Riley examines the symbolic impact and role of the Flight 93 disaster in the nation's collective consciousness, delving into the spontaneous memorial efforts that blossomed in Shanksville immediately after the news of the crash spread; the ad-hoc sites honoring the victims that in ti
Trade Review"Deploying the very best kind of cultural analysis, Alexander T. Riley vividly illustrates what the narration of United Flight 93 tells us about the contemporary American condition and more broadly provides important insights into the nature of Western societies today. Angel Patriots deserves to become a classic text in the field." -- Brad West,author, Re-enchanting Nationalisms: Rituals and Remembrances in a Postmodern Age
"Angel Patriots is essential reading for anyone interested in American national identity or collective memory. Alexander Rileys vivid and well-informed account of how Flight 93 has been remembered captures the myth-making process in action, and his analysis of sacred totems, redemptive heroes, and sacrificial ritual reinvigorates our understanding of civil religion." -- Lyn Spillman,author, Nation and Commemoration: Creating National Identity in the United States and Australia
"Alexander RileysAngel Patriotsis an engaging account of the cultural processes through which the meanings, narratives, and memory of United Flight 93 are constructed and reconstructed." * Sociology of Religion *
"Alexander Rileys Angel Patriots is an engaging account of the cultural processes through which the meanings, narratives, and memory of the United Flight 93 are constructed and reconstructed." * Sociology of Religion *
"Rileys sophisticated interpretation of the myths surrounding Flight 93, coupled with hisstrong research at the chapel and memorial sites, make this an easy book torecommend. [T]his is an excellent book for scholars wishing to learn about thememorialization of Flight 93." * The Historical Society of Pennsylvania *
"A profound and thought-provoking study,Angel Patriotsunveils how, in the wake of 9/11, America mourned much more than the loss of life." * Daily American *
"Excellent material on national identity and cultural analysis. Clear and accessible discussion of myth and symbol." * Choice *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii 1. Flight 93 and 9/11: American Mythology in the Making 1 2. Death, Horror, and Culture: Making Sense of the Senseless in Memorials 35 3. The Sacralization of Shanksville: The Emergence of the Temporary Memorial Site 68 4. Flag Bodies: Commemoration in the Flight 93 Memorial Chapel 111 5. The Permanent Memorial: Symbolic Work and Conflict in the "Bowl of Embrace" 156 6. The Cultural Narratives of the Books on Flight 93 192 7. The Cultural Narratives of the Films on Flight 93 219 8. Myth in Practice: Visitors at the Temporary Memorial Site 258 9. What Flight 93 Tells Us about America 281 Notes 289 References 305 Index 311 About the Author 317
