Twenty Years After Black Tuesday

A Personal Essay on Why I Wasn’t Shocked on September 11, 2001

“What would happen if an airplane crashed into a water tower?” This was a perennial question I asked as a boy whenever my dad drove past a water tower. I was curious and, when it became clear that no one in the station wagon could or would attempt to provide an answer, I kept asking. On occasion, someone would speculate. Mostly, I was teased for asking …