Talk by 9/11 Author Cancelled Under Fire

A union representing Massachusetts firefighters said yesterday it had convinced WordsWorth Books in Harvard Square to cancel an appearance by a journalist whose articles chronicling the recovery effort at New York’s Ground Zero questioned the conduct of some firefighters who helped clear the wreckage.

William Langewiesche, a prize-winning correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly, turned his three-part series into a book, American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center.

His stop at WordsWorth was planned as the penultimate event of a three-week, 20-store publicity tour.

While reviewers have praised the work and its author, critics, including many firefighters, have taken issue with Langewiesche’s interpretation of several events, including the discovery of a destroyed firetruck with new pairs of blue jeans filling the chassis.

In his book, Langewiesche writes that “it was hard to avoid the conclusion that the looting had begun even before the first tower fell,” implying that firefighters themselves had filled their truck with the items.

Elsewhere in the article, Langewiesche interprets the behavior of certain firefighters as less than cooperative with other groups of rescuers.

Reprersentatives for WordsWorth, including an official who identified himself as a manager, declined repeated requests for comment as to why the event had been cancelled.

But Robert B. McCarthy, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts (PFFM), said that his group called WordsWorth Wednesday to inform them that firefighters were boycotting the book and would protest the apperance of its author.

He said that WordsWorth then contacted Farrar, Straus and Giroux, the parent company of the book’s publisher, North Point Press, who agreed to release WordsWorth from its commitment to host the event.

“When the bookstore became aware of it, they were shocked—they didn’t realize that there was this controversy,” McCarthy said. “They wanted to support the firefighters: whatever we wanted, they wanted to support.”

In an interview, Langewiesche said the cancellation mattered little to him.

“Ultimately, this is a little tempest in a teapot,” he said. “It will blow over... It’s not something I’m very upset about.”

Beneficial Professor of Law Charles Fried, an expert on First Amendment litigation, said he did not believe that the cancellation threatened esablished freedoms of expression.

“WordsWorth is a private business, and they have a Constitutional right to have any speaker they want, not have any speaker they want, cancel any speaker they want, for any reason they want,” he said. “I believe that freedom of speech includes the freedom of private parties to do whatever they want in this respect.”

But a representative for another major Square book retailer said she could not remember ever cancelling an engagement due to political pressure.

“I can’t think of an occasion on which we’d cancel some event because of

pressure from an interest group,” said Nancy L. Fish, marketing manager at the Harvard Book Store. “We don’t shy away from political issues by a long shot. We’re certainly not allergic to controversy.”

Firefighter McCarthy said the boycott had nothing to with politics—only facts.

“We’re outraged that this so-called journalist makes these statements in his book that firefighters looted Ground Zero,” he said. “It’s unbelievable that he would print such garbage.”

Langewiesche said that the firefighters’ allegations demonstrate that most of them have not read the book.

“I respond ‘read the book,’” he said. “It becomes silly once you read the book. If they want to comment or get excited about it, read the whole thing.”

He said that he never meant for the book to attack anyone or tarnish reputations.

“The funny thing about it is that the book is in fact not at all about misdeeds by anybody,” Langewiesche said. “The book becomes, because of the success of [the recovery] culture, a celebration of the U.S.”

WordsWorth was the first bookstore to cancel a planned appearance, though firefighters have protested outside book events in New York and Massachusetts.

McCarthy said that more than 100 firefighters will protest Langewiesche outside Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Mass., tomorrow.

“We’re going to boycott every place we can and call him a liar,” McCarthy said. “We don’t want people buying his book.”

Despite the protests and WordsWorth’s cancellation, Odyssey plans to go ahead with its event.

“My position is they’re of course welcome to protest peacefully outside,” said Joan Grenier, co-owner of Odyssey. “That’s absolutely their right to do.”