America is Under Attack: A review

Brown, Don. 2011. America is under Attack: September 11, 2001: The day the towers fell. New York: Roaring Brook Press.

It's difficult to believe that the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is almost upon us, and there are now legions of schoolchildren across our country that have no recollection of that day.  With his customary exactitude, employing direct quotes when appropriate, and featuring a bibliography, source notes, and author's notes, Don Brown has made this horrific day in American history accessible to children of elementary school age.

The writing is simple and factual, without embellishment and is accompanied by Brown's pen and watercolor illustrations which are sufficiently vague to mask the absolute horror of the day (faces are often obscured and the terrorists are not depicted), yet with enough detail and gravity to convey the mood of determination despite desperation.

Several stories of individual exploits or heroism are woven into the narrative.  Most striking is the story of survivor Chris Young.  Early in the book, we read that

in the North Tower, another elevator sat stalled and locked closed at the lobby.  It had come to a halt when the plane struck.  Chris Young, its lone occupant, knew nothing of the catastrophe around him.  Firefighters going up couldn't hear his shouts and marched past him, unaware of his predicament.

Near the story's conclusion, the reader is confronted with an eerie, two-page spread in shades of yellowed grays.  A man in a suit is dwarfed by an enormous space littered with debris,

In the North Tower lobby, the doors of a stalled elevator opened. The collapse of the South Tower had cut the power to the elevator's door locks.  From the car emerged Chris Young, the trapped passenger who'd been overlooked by rescue workers.  Earlier he had boarded the elevator from a polished, modern lobby.  Now he shuffled through clouds of dust, over rubble and debris. 

Alone.

The use of the word "overlooked," is somewhat unfortunate in this case, as it implies negligence, however, the story of Chris Young completely captures the surreal nature of September 11, 2011.

America is Under Attack is Volume Four in the Actual Times series, which feature the events of a particular day and cover art mimicking a newspaper masthead.

Like Brown's earlier book on the Titanic, All Station Distress! or Let it Begin Here!, which retells the start of the American Revolution, Don Brown has once again made history readable and accessible to children in the elementary school grades.

For teen readers seeking information on the September 11, attacks, I highly recommend The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon (Hill and Wang, 2006), with a foreword by 9/11 Commission Chair, Thomas H. Keane.

For young listeners, Carmen Agra Deedy's, 14 Cows for America (Peachtree 2009), is the best book I have seen on the topic.

Today's Nonfiction Monday roundup is at Playing by the Book. Be sure to stop by.

14 Cows for America

Deedy, Carmen Agra. 2009. 14 Cows for America. Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez. Atlanta: Peachtree. (In collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah)

On September 11, 2001, Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, a college student from the Massai tribe in Kenya, was in New York City, studying to become a doctor. The following spring, he returned to his small village,

“He has brought with him one story. It has burned a hole in his heart,”

This is his story. It is not a story of the terroristic attacks upon the United States, but rather, a story of the compassion of the Massai people for the victims. The Massai, former warriors, now proud and peaceful cattle herders, believe that “the cow is life.” “Without the herd, the tribe might starve.”

After the tribal members and elders contemplate fires that can melt iron, buildings that can touch the sky, and three thousand lost souls, they respond with a gift for the U.S. Ambassador - the gift of life, fourteen cows for America.

The endpapers list Thomas Gonzalez’s medium as “pastel, colored pencil, and airbrush on 100% rag archival paper.” Its effect is stunning. The majesty of Kenya and the pride of the Massai people are evident in the rich, colorful illustrations.

A “Note from Kimeli Nayiyomah” follows, offering the story in greater detail for older readers. He notes that, in the gift of the Massai to America, “a connection between the two cultures had been made. We felt we had taken some of America’s pain into our Massai hearts.”

14 Cows for America is a touching story of compassion. The combination of Carmen Agra Deedy’s simple yet powerful words, the vibrant illustrations of Thomas Gonzalez, and the moving story of Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, is a book that defies superlatives.

The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation

A very comprehensive, yet comprehensible version of The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. The graphic novel format makes this important document accessible to a wider section of the American public by crystallizing the facts and pairing them with realistic drawings that accurately depict the somber and serious subject matter and convey the mood of key figures. A foreward by 9/11 Commission Chair, Thomas H. Kean, commends this version for its "close adherence to the findings, recommendations, spirit, and tone of the original commission report."

I highly recommend The 9/11 Report: A graphic adaptation by Sid Jacobsen.