Towers Falling
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-13 06:54:32
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Jewell Parker Rhodes
- ISBN：0316262218
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
From award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful novel set fifteen years after the 9/11 attacks in a classroom of students who cannot remember the event but live through the aftermath of its cultural shift。
When her fifth-grade teacher hints that a series of lessons about home and community will culminate with one big answer about two tall towers once visible outside their classroom window， Dèja can't help but feel confused。 She sets off on a journey of discovery， with new friends Ben and Sabeen by her side。 But just as she gets closer to answering big questions about who she is， what America means， and how communities can grow （and heal）， she uncovers new questions， too。 Like， why does Pop get so angry when she brings up anything about the towers？
Award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes tells a powerful story about young people who weren't alive to witness this defining moment in history， but begin to realize how much it colors their every day。
When her fifth-grade teacher hints that a series of lessons about home and community will culminate with one big answer about two tall towers once visible outside their classroom window， Dèja can't help but feel confused。 She sets off on a journey of discovery， with new friends Ben and Sabeen by her side。 But just as she gets closer to answering big questions about who she is， what America means， and how communities can grow （and heal）， she uncovers new questions， too。 Like， why does Pop get so angry when she brings up anything about the towers？
Award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes tells a powerful story about young people who weren't alive to witness this defining moment in history， but begin to realize how much it colors their every day。
Reviews
Rebecca Caufman
，
Three 5th-grade friends study with their class the changed skyline of NYC as the 15th anniversary of 9-11 approaches。 I was interested to learn about the tradition of putting a white rose on the victim's names on the 9-11 memorial when it is their birthday: https://youtu。be/hTSoFLgmHcQ Three 5th-grade friends study with their class the changed skyline of NYC as the 15th anniversary of 9-11 approaches。 I was interested to learn about the tradition of putting a white rose on the victim's names on the 9-11 memorial when it is their birthday: https://youtu。be/hTSoFLgmHcQ 。。。more
Melissa
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It was the perfect morning to finish this book。 I couldn’t stop reading。 Or crying in some places。 Thoughtful， sensitive way to introduce younger readers to September 11。
Patti
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It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since the attacks of Sept 11。 I was 21 years old， had just moved to San Francisco， and was woken up early by my roommate as we watched the catastrophic events of the morning unfold on the news。 I didn’t know what else to do， so I went to work， only to be sent home minutes after arriving。 We found out later that a family friend was on Flight 93。My own children don’t realize the impact of 9/11， and the despair so many of us felt during that time。 It’s h It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since the attacks of Sept 11。 I was 21 years old， had just moved to San Francisco， and was woken up early by my roommate as we watched the catastrophic events of the morning unfold on the news。 I didn’t know what else to do， so I went to work， only to be sent home minutes after arriving。 We found out later that a family friend was on Flight 93。My own children don’t realize the impact of 9/11， and the despair so many of us felt during that time。 It’s history to them， an event that took place years before they were born， and I personally find it difficult to explain what happened on that day。 So I decided to read this book out loud with my 10 year old， in hopes that it would be a learning opportunity as well as a stepping stone to deeper discussions。The story takes place in 2016。 Fifth grader Dèja lives in a homeless shelter in Brooklyn with her Ma， Pop， and younger siblings。 She starts at a new school and during the first week her teacher shares that they’ll be studying what happened on September 11， 2001， when the towers fell。 They talk about home and social units， and how we’re all connected。 They learn about America’s far past and recent past， and other attacks on American soil。 Along the way Dèja also learns about her own personal connections to 9/11， and how far reaching the impacts were and continue to be。I appreciated this book so much。 It brought back vivid memories for me， and there were moments during our read aloud that I had to take a break from reading。 There were parts of the book that were scary for my 10 year old， but she now realizes the significance of the day and why we remember it。 。。。more
Jill
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Got the audiobook from the library。 The story seems to setup well and could be interesting， but the author is also the narrator of the CD audio recording。 Her voice is grating， like she is pretending to be a snarky， 5th grader。 I hoped her “yelling” would die down once the story got underway。 However 1 disc in of 4 discs， I finally allowed myself to stop forcing this narrator’s voice upon my children。 Perhaps the novel as read would be more intriguing， but the narrator is so piercing and angry t Got the audiobook from the library。 The story seems to setup well and could be interesting， but the author is also the narrator of the CD audio recording。 Her voice is grating， like she is pretending to be a snarky， 5th grader。 I hoped her “yelling” would die down once the story got underway。 However 1 disc in of 4 discs， I finally allowed myself to stop forcing this narrator’s voice upon my children。 Perhaps the novel as read would be more intriguing， but the narrator is so piercing and angry that we lost interest in continuing。 。。。more
Maureen
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I really didn't like this。 I read it with my son for school and couldn't stand the main character， Deja。 She got on our nerves。 It was choppy and disconnected。 It was written for kids but even my son was not interested。 I really didn't like this。 I read it with my son for school and couldn't stand the main character， Deja。 She got on our nerves。 It was choppy and disconnected。 It was written for kids but even my son was not interested。 。。。more
Tracy
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This is a book about a child learning about the events of 9/11。 I thought it would be historical fiction about 9/11。 Interesting times see a child’s perspective about learning about everything， but overall I wasn’t a fan of the book。
Lisa Lowenfels
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Towers Falling is a great book for kids and adults。 There are Some hard topics and some funny twists。 This book is about 9/11 and what happened on September 11th。 Towers falling is a very good book for 4th/5th graders。I recommend this book to people who know what happened on the day that the towers fell。 This book is good for kids and adults that love reading about history and different cultures。-Wren， 4th grade
Heather
，
Set on the 15th Anniversary of September 11th， this is a good introduction to what happened for children grades 5-8。 RIYL books on Homelessness
Tiffany
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3。5 ⭐️
Deb Rankin-Moore
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I heard about this book on CBS Sunday Morning。 I’ve wondered since his birth 14 years ago， how my eldest grandson would learn about this life changing event。 I borrowed the book from my library and purchased a copy to send to my grandson。 I anticipate my grandson connecting with the well-developed characters in the book。 And an appreciation for the well written book， geared towards young adults。 My son， father of this grand， teaches reading at the middle school level。 He looks forward to reading I heard about this book on CBS Sunday Morning。 I’ve wondered since his birth 14 years ago， how my eldest grandson would learn about this life changing event。 I borrowed the book from my library and purchased a copy to send to my grandson。 I anticipate my grandson connecting with the well-developed characters in the book。 And an appreciation for the well written book， geared towards young adults。 My son， father of this grand， teaches reading at the middle school level。 He looks forward to reading this book and adding it to his classy library。 。。。more
Joshua S
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this book was really good to read and you could imagine the view and the learning of what was there and the confusion some kids have about why in pictures there are two buildings but now one that docent look the same。
Samantha Blair
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It was a really good book lol。 I enjoyed it a lot。 Def recommend。
Tanya
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Deja， Ben， and Sabeen are 5th graders in Brooklyn in 2016。 Due to the homework and discussions they’ve had in class， Deja goes on a journey of discovery。 Discovery of what happened on 9/11， discovery of why is happened， discovery of why her friend Sabeen is discriminated against， and most importantly， discovery of why her dad’s depression manifests itself a little more each September。 This was a well-written story of discovery for those who did not live through 9/11。 The author showcases the eve Deja， Ben， and Sabeen are 5th graders in Brooklyn in 2016。 Due to the homework and discussions they’ve had in class， Deja goes on a journey of discovery。 Discovery of what happened on 9/11， discovery of why is happened， discovery of why her friend Sabeen is discriminated against， and most importantly， discovery of why her dad’s depression manifests itself a little more each September。 This was a well-written story of discovery for those who did not live through 9/11。 The author showcases the events in such a way that are approachable for the little ones among us。 。。。more
JwW White
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Having spent a good amount of time around fourth and fifth grade students （and having been an English teacher in a poverty-plagued public school）， I have a lot of trouble with the dialogue in this book。 It seems stilted and overly simplistic。 The students talk more like first or second graders than fifth graders with some worldly experience （i。e。， having grown up in Brooklyn）。 Rhodes treats the students in the story as not having much capability to think deeply about the issues。 And the developm Having spent a good amount of time around fourth and fifth grade students （and having been an English teacher in a poverty-plagued public school）， I have a lot of trouble with the dialogue in this book。 It seems stilted and overly simplistic。 The students talk more like first or second graders than fifth graders with some worldly experience （i。e。， having grown up in Brooklyn）。 Rhodes treats the students in the story as not having much capability to think deeply about the issues。 And the development of relationships seems rushed。 A girl who for good reason is reluctant to trust the strangers in her classroom—or to like school in general—suddenly becomes invested in the class for reasons that we see but don’t feel or experience。 It is merely the author telling us that Deja suddenly trusts the teacher （but why she trusts her remains a mystery）。 And then there is the foreshadowing。 Deja’s father’s mental health and physical disabilities seem to have an obvious cause from the opening pages of the book and become glaring when Deja merely mentions 9-11 in the family’s temporary residence。 Maybe a lack of nuance in creating the story is OK for a YAL book， but I want young readers to have to think rather than to be told。 On topOf all of this， it seems unrealistic to me that a child growing up in a burough of NYC would get to ten years of age and never have heard of the twin towers or 9-11。 。。。more
Rea Scott
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3。5
Maryna Lysun
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The book reminded me of a good lesson plan with a lot of teaching moments about the importance of history。 It teaches the reader what history should be and how it should be used to understand who we are。 I hope it will be read and discussed in upper elementary classrooms。
Leslie
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Such an important book。 I discovered this book when a library family requested it。 After reading the reviews I felt it was the perfect book to read in honor of the upcoming 20th anniversary of that tragic day。 And it was。 Jewell Parker Rhodes does an excellent job telling the story of this day that changed America forever。 She shares just the right detail of the facts for middle grade readers。 I recommend reading it as a family or in the classroom be there will be lots of questions and discussio Such an important book。 I discovered this book when a library family requested it。 After reading the reviews I felt it was the perfect book to read in honor of the upcoming 20th anniversary of that tragic day。 And it was。 Jewell Parker Rhodes does an excellent job telling the story of this day that changed America forever。 She shares just the right detail of the facts for middle grade readers。 I recommend reading it as a family or in the classroom be there will be lots of questions and discussions。I recommend reading the book， rather than listening to the audiobook。 。。。more
Jill
，
Ten year old Deja hasn’t ever been taught about the Twin Towers or the terror attack。 Her eyes are opened when she moves to a new school in September just 15 years after 9/11。 She gains two friends and learns why her Dad is so sick。 The audiobook is read by the author。
Kimberly
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3。5-4
Beth
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Wow。 This book is absolutely incredible。 Everyone needs to read it。 Such a beautiful tribute to those who died and those who survived 9/11。 For those who still fight for our freedom today。 Thank you， Jewell Parker Rhodes， for this incredible novel。 It is truly a gift。
Soojung Lee
，
Such an important read crafted in an accessible way for middle readers addressing 9/11 and its aftermath。
Monday
，
I had to read this for school， and it does its job。 It serves as a way to introduce students to this tragedy， while also providing teachers and students the chance to experience the complex emotions that surround people who are going through terrible things。 Unfortunately， I did lose interest in it half way through as it seemed to slow down， but the beginning was really strong。
Pam
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This is an amazing book that surrounds the 9/11 tragedy。 The story start with Deju and her class learning about 9/11 15 years later。 Soon we find that her friends， teacher， family and classmates are all connected to 9/11 in some capacity。
Kelly Chervin
，
I would never say this isn't a good book for students to read。 Deja is a protagonist students can relate to and the narrative gives young readers insight into 9/11 in both engaging and sensitive ways。。。but I have to say， there is something troubling me about the nationalism of it。 Over and over again JPR is compounding this idea that "we're all Americans" and that that transcends our differences--a sentiment that feels dangerous and is also just untrue。 In the author's note JPR states， "Deja， Be I would never say this isn't a good book for students to read。 Deja is a protagonist students can relate to and the narrative gives young readers insight into 9/11 in both engaging and sensitive ways。。。but I have to say， there is something troubling me about the nationalism of it。 Over and over again JPR is compounding this idea that "we're all Americans" and that that transcends our differences--a sentiment that feels dangerous and is also just untrue。 In the author's note JPR states， "Deja， Ben and Sabeen， while imaginary， represent every child living today who will be protecting our nation and its values and promoting peace tomorrow。" In the year 2021， what are our national values？ What does it mean to promote national peace？ What makes someone American？ Or motivated to claim or not claim that identity as significant？ Teaching this book as a central text for an ELA class， requires critical engagement of these questions。 。。。more
Jojo
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I love that this book gave me a completely different perspective from race， economic status， and age。 It brought back a lot of disturbing memories that I have from watching the towers fall with my own eyes， which I’ve ever actually dealt with it。 Great read！
Aaron P
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I think the book is great but it takes a little too long to get to the meat of the story and the journey the kids go through。
Adrienne
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I do not recommend the audiobook， but I loved the story。
Michelle
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I decided to read this now because we are approaching the 20th anniversary of 9/11。 Deja is a fantastic character who provides a perfect lens for inquiring into the history of that day in NYC。
faith :）
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really good book and very emotional。 it honored 9/11 very well
Heather Moore
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Audiobook with my fourteen year old。 This is probably a 3。5 star story brought down with a 1 star narration。 Typically， I love it when authors read their own books but the narration was soooo whiney， I just couldn’t get into the story。 As my teen was into it and bothered less by the voice， we hung in there。 The subject matter was important and it definitely gave a great first-hand account of 9/11， but the other narratives surrounding the story felt contrived and forced。 This could’ve been so muc Audiobook with my fourteen year old。 This is probably a 3。5 star story brought down with a 1 star narration。 Typically， I love it when authors read their own books but the narration was soooo whiney， I just couldn’t get into the story。 As my teen was into it and bothered less by the voice， we hung in there。 The subject matter was important and it definitely gave a great first-hand account of 9/11， but the other narratives surrounding the story felt contrived and forced。 This could’ve been so much better。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Towers Falling
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Towers Falling&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Towers Falling&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0