The Unfinished Bombing

Edward Linenthal has written or contributed to several books concerning the way Americans remember and memorialize the past. This new book, about the Oklahoma city bombing, is more specifically about how that horrific event has been commemorated by local residents and the nation at large. He describes it as the story of the formation of a bereaved community. Linenthal has closely followed the process of creating the official memorial of the bombing, and is the only 'outside' person with complete access to the archives and storerooms of the memorial commission. In the courese of his work, he has also gotten to know many of the survivors personally, and they will be a source of fascinating material as well (both their recollections, and examples of the outpouring of mail they received from all over the world). Linenthal's book will be a unique and moving contribution to the growing literature on history and memory.