September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners full of fuel for transcontinental flights and sent three of them hurtling into occupied buildings. The nation reeled with shock, not only from the brutal attacks, but from the sudden loss of so many lives. Even those who did not personally know the deceased felt injured and shaken. Some people raged at the unfairness of it all. Others begged those trapped in the crushed buildings to "hang on" long after it became clear that rescue efforts were futile. Even the most devoutly religious struggled to reconcile their faith with their sense of outrage and grief. As the months passed after the attack, though, a healing process slowly began. The national focus shifted slightly to encompass rebirth as well as death, and several magazines and television news programs featured "Sept. 11 Widows" who had given birth to new babies since the attacks.

Dylan...
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