In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years after the 9/11 Attacks
- Downloads：3286
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-10-17 06:51:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Don Brown
- ISBN：0358223571
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A graphic novel chronicling the immediate aftermath and rippling effects of one of the most impactful days in modern history: September 11， 2001。 From the Sibert Honor– and YALSA Award–winning creator behind The Unwanted and Drowned City。
The consequences of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City， both political and personal， were vast， and continue to reverberate today。 Don Brown brings his journalistic eye and attention to moving individual stories to help teens contextualize what they already know about the day， as well as broaden their understanding of the chain of events that occurred in the attack’s wake。
Profound， troubling， and deeply moving， In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers bears witness to our history—and the ways it shapes our future。
The consequences of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City， both political and personal， were vast， and continue to reverberate today。 Don Brown brings his journalistic eye and attention to moving individual stories to help teens contextualize what they already know about the day， as well as broaden their understanding of the chain of events that occurred in the attack’s wake。
Profound， troubling， and deeply moving， In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers bears witness to our history—and the ways it shapes our future。
Reviews
Nihilistic Librarian
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This is a Graphic Novel written for a 6th-8th grade audience （ages 11-14） and while I found it moving and brought up my own memories of 9/11 （I grew up in NJ and could see the Manhattan skyline that morning， it becoming more and more real as each one of my classmates were called to the office to be picked up by a parent or relative; the day ended with me being 1 of 4 students left in my classroom）， I also found it to be just nationalistic enough to make me uncomfortable （example: an illustration This is a Graphic Novel written for a 6th-8th grade audience （ages 11-14） and while I found it moving and brought up my own memories of 9/11 （I grew up in NJ and could see the Manhattan skyline that morning， it becoming more and more real as each one of my classmates were called to the office to be picked up by a parent or relative; the day ended with me being 1 of 4 students left in my classroom）， I also found it to be just nationalistic enough to make me uncomfortable （example: an illustration of a fleet of UK and US planes dropping bombs and carrying out airstrike attacks over Afghanistan with an American bomber sporting "NYPD， WE REMEMBER" on its nose）。 I know the target audience makes it difficult to include geopolitics， and Brown did address the skyrocketing anti-Muslim hate crimes after the attack， and how the number of those crimes had not begun to touch that number again until 2016， when anti-Muslim hate crimes ECLIPSED those of 2001 and 2002 in the United States。 And take a wild guess who kicked that off with his white supremacist shoes。 Brown includes this information， as well as including that the United States DID torture people who were later discovered to be uninvolved， but unless you are older and lived through that time period， especially my own experience being so close to NYC， this book needs to be read and discussed。 Discussion is the only way I see past the small bits of blind nationalism peaking out of some page layouts and the only way to begin explaining geopolitics and teaching children history correctly。 。。。more
Teresa
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So many details I didn’t know: pile burning， couldn’t be extinguished。 Air traffic following “ghosts” of planes that had crashed， to DC。 Rubble covered with shoes。 Useless firefighters’ location beepers sounding。 Statistical breakdown of victims。 Excellent footnotes and sources
Janelle
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Excellent non-fiction graphic novel to get a feel for the scope and impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the USA。
Margaret Gerberding
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A compelling graphic novel about the events of Sept 11。 I have to admit I got emotional reading this book。
Kerrie
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4。5Haunting。 Includes bits of headlines and stories that may be unknown to many--make some great jumping off points for further investigation and study。
Mitchell
，
I don't watch the aftermath of disasters。 I didn't watch this one。 But this graphic novel was a compromise。 Definitely felt like you were there。 And almost overwhelming but not quite。 Mostly just the facts of what it felt like。 And then a little bit of Afghanistan。 The art was a bit sketchy but it seemed appropriate。 And it kept the story moving at rapid speed。 I don't watch the aftermath of disasters。 I didn't watch this one。 But this graphic novel was a compromise。 Definitely felt like you were there。 And almost overwhelming but not quite。 Mostly just the facts of what it felt like。 And then a little bit of Afghanistan。 The art was a bit sketchy but it seemed appropriate。 And it kept the story moving at rapid speed。 。。。more
Simplekind
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Well I learned a few new things today。
Alyssa
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This was written pretty clearly when considering tying in all the happens on and after 9/11。 The storyline covers all in a general light。 The illustrations were okay， not the best。 A lot of sources and such were sited at the end- thought that was interesting。 A lot of planning went into this。
Nrhs_library
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Haunting
Leander Public Library
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Tough Topics: described the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11， 2001
Patricia
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I'm used to Don Brown's books using a laser-like focus to draw attention to a big event。 This felt much more diffused。 Maybe it's an event that is just too complex？Read for Librarian Book Group I'm used to Don Brown's books using a laser-like focus to draw attention to a big event。 This felt much more diffused。 Maybe it's an event that is just too complex？Read for Librarian Book Group 。。。more
Kayce B
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A decent snapshot of what happened and I even learned a few things that I hadn’t heard of before。 It’s a challenge， I’m sure， to be able to convey the grief， shock， heartbreaking sadness， and fear that we all felt in drawings and text bubbles。 But even with that in mind it just kind of fell a little flat for me。
Telps
，
This is a hard subject for me。 I lived in New Jersey on 9/11。 That is a day I will never forget。 I try to read something each year on the anniversary。 This was a good read。 I read some new things I had not heard before。
Maeghan K
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This feels really rambly， but I'm having a lot of mixed emotions， so bear with me （if you want）。Reading this made me realize two things: how much I've （apparently） actively avoided reading other books featuring 9/11 as a central plot， and how much my trauma from living through it as a tween impacted my memory of the events of the day （and those that followed）。 I've had teens at work find out that I'm from New York and ask me what it was like to live through this， and I always struggle to answer。 This feels really rambly， but I'm having a lot of mixed emotions， so bear with me （if you want）。Reading this made me realize two things: how much I've （apparently） actively avoided reading other books featuring 9/11 as a central plot， and how much my trauma from living through it as a tween impacted my memory of the events of the day （and those that followed）。 I've had teens at work find out that I'm from New York and ask me what it was like to live through this， and I always struggle to answer。 It was obviously very scary to experience this as a child， and not understand the concept of terrorism in general， but I feel like the kids who ask want facts about the attacks， and I often feel like I can only speak to the mental and emotional impact it had on me， specifically。 I guess that's the result of my trauma。Don Brown's take on the 9/11 terrorist attacks will certainly evoke an emotional response。 Quotes from "characters" in this work were taken from interviews with survivors， and they read with great authenticity。 I think this will be a fascinating read for middle school and high school students who were not alive for this。 I wouldn't discourage younger or older readers than that， however。I did not cry， but felt quite choked up at times going through this book。 Even though I lived through it， I felt like an outsider while reading。 I always think that I want to read historical fiction for kids taking place during 9/11， but never get around to it。 I grew up just a short train ride away from New York City and I typically attribute the "explosion" of my anxiety to this event。 It's hard to battle my desire to understand it better while simultaneously trying to bury the experience。 This latest work by Don Brown begins to scratch that itch， if only because it is so short for such a huge day in American history。 My "bad librarian" confession for the day is that this is the first book of his that I've read， so I cannot compare--but I wonder if I'd feel the same about his take on Hurricane Katrina？ His books always seem so short， but is it that there's just too much info to pack into one volume， or that he only skims the surface， and a bit lower？This publication seems very purposefully timed with the 20th anniversary of 9/11。 As such， it's been hovering in the back of my mind a lot during this early part of fall。 I remember being picked up from school that day， and not understanding why so many of us were getting called to the office to meet our parents。 Was it interrupting my social studies lesson， like I remembered it？ Or does that just fit in well with the narrative of such a historic day？ I'll always question it。I asked my mom what was going on when she showed up， and she said， "It's just such a beautiful day， and I wanted to spend it with you and your brother。" I thought that was weird， but just went with it， because why would my mom lie to me？ It just didn't make sense with so many other kids getting picked up。 She must have been trying not to alarm other kids waiting。 I don't remember for sure if she told us on the short car ride home， or when we walked into the house， or if I just figured it out when I stupidly turned on the TV。 It felt like all the channels were reporting on the attacks and it was overwhelming for my 11 year old self。 I distinctly remember going to Nickelodeon and being angry that they were playing episodes of SpongeBob while something so devastating was happening。I started drinking a lot of tea that year， so that it would "calm" me。 I don't think I've ever really been calm since， honestly。 My anxiety skyrocketed after that day--and I'm sure so many other kids were in the same situation。 If anyone can recommend a middle grade novel that touches on this， that takes place during 9/11， I would love to know it。 That's the book I needed then， and obviously could not have。 。。。more
Anne
，
Don Brown shows what happened on 9/11 as it was unfolding。 Anyone who was alive at that time and those who were not will understand this event。 Mr。 Brown’s compassion for people is evident in this book。 He does not flinch from sharing the gruesome and absolutely true details of what happened。 I believe every person should read this book wherever they encounter it。
Morgan
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Interesting graphic novel that attempts to capture the immediate and long-term impacts of 9/11。 Since it's intended readers weren't alive for 9/11， it's an important addition to teen nonfiction graphic novels。 Interesting graphic novel that attempts to capture the immediate and long-term impacts of 9/11。 Since it's intended readers weren't alive for 9/11， it's an important addition to teen nonfiction graphic novels。 。。。more
HaileyAnne
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This book is a great look at the events of 9/11 and the lingering impact。 I liked that it did discuss the Islamophobia that came after the attacks， which is a very important part of the story。 The illustrations were haunting and I thought helped really tell the heartbreaking story。
Kristi Starr
，
Another example of excellent research and a melding of multiple voices to tell the story of 9/11， both the day of and the years that followed。 Don Brown again chronicles historical events through the words of people who lived them。 The graphic novel format is the perfect way to provide context and emphasize the breadth of the events with a relatively minimal amount of text。
Lindsay
，
borrow
Margie
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The illustrations， and story， by Don Brown are wonderful， troubling， moving， and sad at the same time。 He included the story of Jules Naudet， a filmmaker who was documenting a firefighting crew in Lower Manhattan on 9/11/2001 when he filmed the first plane slammed into the North Tower。
HollyLovesBooks
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This is a graphic novel showing through wonderful illustrations and thoroughly researched material， how events unfolded on 9/11/2001。 This book is very detailed with facts about how the people affected most closely started the day， how the events took place， the response to the startling first plane hitting the tower and the aftermath。 There is also a lot of information about the governmental response， both in the short term and the long term ramifications。 This is a book that is a great tool fo This is a graphic novel showing through wonderful illustrations and thoroughly researched material， how events unfolded on 9/11/2001。 This book is very detailed with facts about how the people affected most closely started the day， how the events took place， the response to the startling first plane hitting the tower and the aftermath。 There is also a lot of information about the governmental response， both in the short term and the long term ramifications。 This is a book that is a great tool for those who have lived through the day but also for teaching the younger people who have only heard or seen information from the date。 The illustrations were beautiful and captured 9/11 as it played out， the shock， the fear， the anger， the determination to help， and the way the people of the USA rallied together to try to get through all of the emotions。 The author shares a synopsis of the lives lost and who was impacted directly at the end of the book。 It is incredible to stop and read through this section。 I also found the vast array of sources that were used to be impressive。Highly recommend。#IntheShadowoftheFallenTowers #NetGalley #ClarionBooks #Etch 。。。more
Alissa
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There’s some good information here in graphic novel format for kids that prefer that。
Derek
，
Another excellent non-fiction historical graphic novel by author Don Brown。 This very informative graphic novel shares over 100 pages of historical context to one of the darkest days in the history of the United States of America。 Many who lived through it can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing on that fateful Tuesday morning。 This is a must read for all MS/HS students and all teachers！ Also be sure to read the Afterword， Statistics， Source Notes， and 8-page Bibliography。 Another excellent non-fiction historical graphic novel by author Don Brown。 This very informative graphic novel shares over 100 pages of historical context to one of the darkest days in the history of the United States of America。 Many who lived through it can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing on that fateful Tuesday morning。 This is a must read for all MS/HS students and all teachers！ Also be sure to read the Afterword， Statistics， Source Notes， and 8-page Bibliography。 This book is a treasure！ 。。。more
Ann-Marie
，
Words cannot express this book。 The information was presented in an outstanding format that will be understood by all。 To all who lost their lives that day and through the years because of that day。。。 We salute you。
Amanda
，
This book brings back a lot of memories from that day and the days that have followed。 It is difficult to convey the devastation， confusion， fear， heartache， and all the rest of the emotions brought about through the events of 9/11 in such a short story frame， however， I think the author/illustrator did a good job in getting his message across。 Parts of the story felt disjointed， however， it reminded me of what that actual day felt like。 There was so much going on， so much information to process This book brings back a lot of memories from that day and the days that have followed。 It is difficult to convey the devastation， confusion， fear， heartache， and all the rest of the emotions brought about through the events of 9/11 in such a short story frame， however， I think the author/illustrator did a good job in getting his message across。 Parts of the story felt disjointed， however， it reminded me of what that actual day felt like。 There was so much going on， so much information to process， as well as so much information we didn't have， that most people didn't know what to think。 Another commenter said that it didn't seem to convey emotion。 I have to disagree with that。 There were multiple times that tears threatened to fall and I felt I could connect with the individuals discussed in the novel。 In my opinion， this was a heartfelt homage to all those people we lost that day， as well as those who acted in the face of fear and the unknown simply to help their neighbors and those who helped in the aftermath。 。。。more
Caroline
，
In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers is one of the newest books about September 11， 2001。 Author and illustrator Don Brown definitely worked to bring the events of the day to life， and he succeeded at showing the sheer devastation， on both the material level （the overwhelming amount of wreckage to sift through and clean up） and human level （the huge number of lives lost）。 Nevertheless， the book falls short because he didn’t convey something basic: that this devastation was intimately bound up with In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers is one of the newest books about September 11， 2001。 Author and illustrator Don Brown definitely worked to bring the events of the day to life， and he succeeded at showing the sheer devastation， on both the material level （the overwhelming amount of wreckage to sift through and clean up） and human level （the huge number of lives lost）。 Nevertheless， the book falls short because he didn’t convey something basic: that this devastation was intimately bound up with an all-consuming sense of grief。 Condensing a tragedy of such wide scope down to word bubbles and drawings may just be too challenging; this is an unemotional， mediocre work， hardly doing justice to one of America’s saddest days。 The book starts right after the South tower collapses。 Events then unfold in a haphazard way as Brown included certain notable aspects and details but not others， with lesser-known facts interspersed throughout。 Opening scenes are centered on a documentary filmmaker who happened to be in New York City that day working on a documentary about firefighters。 But in the next pages， Brown forgot about this filmmaker and jumped back and forth to different events of the day， such as the crashes at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania; George W。 Bush; the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; and recovery efforts at the “Pile” （as the World Trade Center ruins came to be known）。 The illustrations are in perfect harmony with the chaos that is the story。 They’re messy and ugly and show what happened only in a broad way。 Details are few; faces have little， if any， expression。 Pain isn’t shown。 The palette Brown used is drab--mostly watercolor grays， browns， and some dusty blues--though appropriate given the day’s widespread misery。 It could be argued that such slapdash construction actually works， that Brown did all this to highlight just how disorienting the day was。 However， when done successfully that kind of intentionalism leaves no room for doubt。 The timing of publication--so close to the 20th anniversary--suggests that this book was probably just rushed。 An afterword fleshes out some of what came before， and following this is a page of interesting statistics that break down things like the ethnicity， gender， and median age of those who died。 This isn’t exactly a necessary read， but I still got something out of it。 In particular， reading the book on and around the 20th anniversary felt like a kind of somber meditation to personally honor the day。 Adults and teens will be able to appreciate the information best， and this graphic novel could be a good accompaniment to school lessons about the tragedy。 Really， though， the tragedy probably can’t be simplified in a way that does it justice， and readers would be better off with a true nonfiction account with all the details and emotion。 Complementary viewing: 2021 docu-series "Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror" 。。。more
Edie
，
The illustrations dominate this book and give readers a sense of just how horrific the destruction was， especially in New York， with a feeling of the dust and and the greyness that permeated everything。There are a few rescues and the narrative recounts the steps of the destruction and recovery efforts but it is the illustration that is most memorable and powerful。
Courtenay
，
4。5 stars。 Out two decades after that horrible time in our nation's history。 I remember it like it was yesterday。 And the only piece mentioned that I did NOT remember， but which the book brought back to mind， was about "the bathtub effect" and what was done to prevent the Hudson from flooding the area until the vast pile of rubbish and ruin could be removed。 Well-written， with great respect toward all who participated， and honesty about the facts。 Masterful graphic novel， one I almost skipped （w 4。5 stars。 Out two decades after that horrible time in our nation's history。 I remember it like it was yesterday。 And the only piece mentioned that I did NOT remember， but which the book brought back to mind， was about "the bathtub effect" and what was done to prevent the Hudson from flooding the area until the vast pile of rubbish and ruin could be removed。 Well-written， with great respect toward all who participated， and honesty about the facts。 Masterful graphic novel， one I almost skipped （who wants to read depressing stories of truth during a pandemic， after all？） 。。。more
Jess
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I appreciate that the author discussed the torture by the American government and didn't shy away from sensitive topics。 I appreciate that the author discussed the torture by the American government and didn't shy away from sensitive topics。 。。。more
Christina Getrost
，