Why Conspiracy Theories Can't Stand Up to the Facts
September 1, 2006
Expanding on an article published in " Popular Mechanics" in March 2005, the staff of the highly regarded magazine painstakingly deconstructs many of the myths surrounding the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Drawing on interviews with engineers, aviation experts, military officials, eyewitnesses, and investigators, this book addresses only those questions raised by conspiracy theorists, mostly that somehow the U.S. government was behind the attacks, and puts forth no theory of its own. Each section announces a theory, discloses the major proponents behind the theory, and deconstructs the theories specifically surrounding the World Trade Center (the fires could not have melted the steel in the structure), the Pentagon (the holes in the building were too small to have been made by a Boeing 757), and United Flight 93 (that it was actually shot down by an air force plane). The afterword details how " Popular " Mechanics itself was accused of being part of the conspiracy to support the administration. Although it isn't likely to stop conspiracy theorists, this book offers sound information for readers to ponder. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)