Burt's Eye View: 9/11 and its aftermath

By Burt Ross · Mon Aug 31 2026

We all remember where we were when we learned of the attack on our homeland. I was at a gym in New Jersey on my stationary bike watching television when I saw the first plane hit and raced home to be with my bride. Our two children, my father, other family members, and many of our friends were in New York City on that fateful day. Although Sept. 11 was our wedding anniversary date, the thought of celebration was quickly replaced with a primal fear for our loved ones.

Although the towers were ultimately replaced, and most of us slowly returned to our normal lives, for many people, 9/11 was just the beginning of a new normal. My friend and acclaimed columnist Mike Kelly has recently written a riveting book, "After Ground Zero," which is now available just in time for the 25th anniversary of that day, which will live in infamy alongside Dec. 7, when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

Mike describes his going to Ground Zero shortly after the second plane hit. His account of what happened is chilling, because he tells the story through the eyes of the people who were there. What makes this book special is the book doesn’t end with the events of that day, or that week. It follows over the past 25 years the survivors, relatives of the victims, police, and firemen who still carry the scars, both physical and emotional, from the attack on our homeland, which killed almost 3,000 people. Mike does not tell the story as if he is dealing with numbers. Rather he tells the story of people who will never be the same.

I strongly urge my friends to read "After Ground Zero." We in Malibu witness a touching memorial each September when Pepperdine University places around 3,000 flags on its sprawling lawn — one flag from the nation of each victim. This book is a testament not only to those who lost their lives then, but to the literally tens of thousands of people who are still suffering.