Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Commemorating 9/11 two decades after the tragedy, Sibert Honoree Brown (The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees) offers a visual recollection of Sept. 11, 2001, that both humanizes and poignantly remembers an overwhelming chapter in U.S. history, portraying the experiences of real individuals who lived through the attacks and their aftermath. Sourced extensively from news articles, documentaries, and reports, the quotes and harrowing, accessibly worded stories of survivors, first responders, volunteers, and soldiers are rendered in evocative, muted black lines and washes of watercolor. Panels adeptly guide and sustain reader attention, with perspectives or subject matter shifting as intensity builds. Two-thirds of the graphic novel centers New York City on and around September 11, though accounts from the Pentagon attack and Shanksville plane crash are included. Notable is Brown's ability to depict, in this economical format, the event's wide-ranging aftereffects, including Islamophobia, the physical and mental health toll on workers dismantling "the Pile," and U.S. soldiers ending up on horseback in Afghanistan. An afterword provides updates through 2019, while additional back matter offers a heartbreaking read of the demographic statistics of victims, as well as an eight-page bibliography. Ages 12--up. (Aug.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up--Brown's latest work of graphic nonfiction revisits September 11, 2001, and its aftermath in time for the tragedy's 20th anniversary. While filming a documentary about New York firefighters, French filmmaker Jules Naudet shifts his lens skyward as the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center are struck by airliners and, ultimately, collapse. Using vivid phrases like "debris-strewn whirlwind," "ocean of rubble," and "snowfall of papers," Brown captions emotional illustrations that depict the wreckage of the towers and, later, the Pentagon. Scenes of family members and first responders alike searching for survivors in the following days, weeks, and months are juxtaposed with depictions of the United States' response to the attacks, including war in the Middle East and a rise in Islamaphobic incidents domestically. Alternating between war and recovery, the remaining pages end with a ceremony one year later where the names of the 2,753 victims are read aloud. Though for a different and more mature audience, Brown's second attempt at covering this topic (after 2011's America Is Under Attack) is a more comprehensive look at the tragedy for an older audience. With a palette of mostly cool or ashy watercolors, the red heat of the destruction abruptly and noticeably pops off the page. Varied panel layouts capture the frenetic pace of the emergency, while spreads offer powerful moments of pause. Detailed back matter includes an afterword, sobering statistics, source notes, and an extensive bibliography. Most of the subjects featured in the book are white. VERDICT A succinct and impactful look at one of America's worst tragedies, skillfully rendered by one of comics journalism's best.--Alec Chunn, Eugene P.L., OR
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Review by Horn Book Review
Brown's America Is Under Attack (rev. 11/11) offered a superb dramatic account of the events of September 11th for readers too young to have remembered it. Here he returns to the topic with a volume for teen readers and a twenty-year perspective on the tragedy. The book begins with the attack itself and its immediate aftermath, capturing the horror, heroism, and particular personal stories and details -- claustrophobic images of survivors entombed for hours until pulled from the rubble, exhausted firefighters and rescue dogs, stranded pets, and shoes "absent their owners" littering the ground. The story continues, as Brown depicts subsequent American attacks on Afghanistan and the Taliban, with graphic images of hooded prisoners, waterboarding, and confinement of captives in small boxes. Meanwhile, in the U.S., 108,342 truckloads of rubble are hauled away, a new Freedom Tower is erected, and hope arises from the ashes, a bright American flag dazzling against Brown's palette of browns and grays. A construction worker on a beam above the skyline delivers a patriotic note: "They hit the World Trade Center. They hit the Pentagon. But they missed America." Once again, Brown (Drowned City, rev. 9/15; The Unwanted, rev. 9/18; A Shot in the Arm!, rev. 5/21) shows his mastery of the graphic format for portraying humanity in the most trying of circumstances. Back matter includes an informative afterword, statistics, source notes, and an extensive bibliography. Dean Schneider July/August 2021 p.132(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City in 2001 changed our world irrevocably. Now, 20 years later, the reverberations of this grievous assault on the United States can still be felt. Sibert Honor--winning graphic novelist Brown uses lyrical prose and powerful illustrations to revisit the horrific events of the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, and share with readers the profound and lasting effects they have had on the country and its residents. Based on the firsthand accounts of survivors, Brown chronicles some of the lesser-known stories of victims, first responders, and survivors in the days and years after the attacks. Readers will delve deeper into what they might already know about that morning as well as broaden their awareness of its harrowing aftermath. Brown's effective use of color adds yet another dimension to the story: The panels are illustrated in shades of brown and gray, re-creating the bleak smoke- and dust-filled landscape of ground zero. Sudden bursts of violent red flames perfectly symbolize the devastating shock of the disaster and the urgent fight for survival. Extensive source notes, statistics, and citations as well as a poignant afterword make this graphic nonfiction title an important, powerful book for teen and adult readers alike. A deeply moving account of the immediate aftermath and lasting effects of the largest terrorist attack on United States soil. (bibliography) (Graphic nonfiction. 14-adult) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
