In response to the tragic events of September 11, photographer Nathan Lyons--known for his honest and often questioning depictions of American culture--has created a poignant portfolio of images. Photographing in small towns and large cities, Lyons has captured the extreme and often confusing variety of responses--from deep reverence to blatant commercialization--manifested by ordinary Americans. One will marvel, for instance, at the myriad uses of the American flag.

This provocative sequence of images with multiple messages is powerfully coherent and strangely disturbing. In the...