This is a comprehensive study of the first decade of literary representations of 9/11, moving from Art Spiegelman's In the Shadow of No Towers (2003) to Amy Waldman's The Submission (2012). It traces the way literature has dealt with an event that continues to resonate prominently in the American imagination and beyond, and argues that the corpus of literary fiction discussing 9/11 is characterised by a fundamental sense of conflictedness, a series of stark dichotomies and the tension between trauma and mourning and political imperatives or the rhetoric of epoch and nostalgia. Additionally, this book assesses an equally divided body of criticism on the 9/11 novel and locates Hurricane Katrina as a turning point in the politicisation of 9/11. The work offers in-depth analyses of texts that have historicised 9/11 and shaped the way we understand this key moment in American and world history.

This book analyzes six key narratives of Hurricane Katrina across literature, film and television from the literary fiction of Jesmyn Ward to the cinema of Spike Lee. It argues that these texts engage with the human tragedy and political fallout of the Katrina crisis while simultaneously responding to issues that have characterized the wider, George W. Bush era of American history; notably the aftermath of 9/11 and ensuing War on Terror. In doing so it recognizes important challenges to trauma studies as an interpretive framework, opening up a discussion of the overlaps between traumatic rupture and systemic or, "slow violence."

The Wire (2002-2008) was a searing exploration of post-9/11 America. It detailed the struggles of those living in America's disintegrating industrial heartlands and drug-ravaged neighborhoods, as well as those striving against the odds in its schools, hospitals and legal system. In the shadow of 9/11, while all eyes were turned towards Afghanistan and Iraq, The Wire was one of the few attempts to show the realities of America's dark corners. Dostoevsky and Tolstoy have been evoked in discussions of The Wire, its compelling storylines and memorable cast of characters creating a level of detail previously unseen in television series. However, while the show's scope and ambition garnered critical praise and a loyal following, a discussion of its political aspects, and in particular of the commentary it provided on Bush-era America, is overdue. The essays in this book examine The Wire in these terms, encompassing the unforseen consequences of the War on Drugs, the division of America's cities, the surveillance state, and the meaning of citizenship. In sum, this book provides new insights into how The Wire shone a light on the hidden realities of post-9/11 America.

The first substantial and focused critical study of Jesmyn Ward, now one of the most widely read, taught and studied contemporary authors Includes a co-authored introduction, twenty chapters and 'Afterword' Moves beyond existing Ward scholarship which focuses predominantly on two texts Gives space and attention to Ward's substantial body of non-fiction work This collection of essays provides a thorough and probing account of an author who is quickly becoming one of the most read, studied and taught contemporary writers, but whose work remains underrepresented in scholarship. It is broad and ambitious in scope, mirroring the richness of Ward's oeuvre, and it brings together a diverse and dynamic range of approaches that reflect the scholarly conversations in which Ward is embedded.