This year is the 20th anniversary of September 11th. Award-winning author and illustrator Don Brown's graphic novel takes readers into the moments directly after, the attack, and follows the ramifications of that day, still felt in 2021. Don Brown helps put readers into the middle of that day, with quotes from survivors and family members, to help contextualize the events September 11th and its effect on global history and politics. It's respectful, never melodramatic, thought-provoking, and a strong tribute to the people that we lost, and those we left behind. Artwork is bleak, rendered in shades of brown and grey, with periodic red-orange flames, illustrating the Ground Zero landscape. Back matter includes source notes, statistics, citations, and an afterword. An important addition to your nonfiction collections.

A powerful - if too short - look back at the events of 9/11/01 and the domino effect they had on the future (the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, hate crimes against Muslims, etc.). The art was incredible in that it took me right back to watching those scenes play out in the 24/7 news cycle and what it felt like in the minutes, days and years after 9/11 changed our country. As we approach the 20th anniversary of the attacks, and as we watch the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years, it seems important to revisit the people, places and feelings of the moments that started it all.

This is such a poignant graphic novel. The art style is beautiful and draws readers in. This would be a great addition to classroom libraries looking to add more nonfiction and realistic historical fiction into their collections!

Subtitle: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months and Years After the 9/11 Attacks

I was provided with an advance copy of this graphic novel by the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a graphic novel paying homage to the heroes of 9/11 – first responders who put themselves in danger to help others on that day, and those who went through the wreckage afterward looking for survivors.

This book was very effective in driving home the self-sacrifice of those at the World Trade Center and Pentagon on the day of the attacks and understated and sometimes unappreciated heroism of those who took part in the clean up phase afterward.

I appreciated that it didn’t fall into the knee-jerk flag-waving exercise that some books of this nature fall into. I was also very interested to find no mention of the man who was Mayor of New York City at the time of the attacks. In light of recent developments in Afghanistan, there were very pertinent comments about the war there and the futility of the war in Iraq as well.

I gave In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers four stars. It was a quick but thought-provoking read.

I first want to thank Netgalley for a free E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel follows the aftermath that follows the 9/11/2001 attacks in New York City, Washington D.C., and Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania. Like most Americans who were alive on 9/11, I have a powerful emotional connection to that day as a whole. Although only in kindergarten on the day of the attacks, I have profound memories of images seen on the TV and the days after school being told what happened.

I did enjoy that this book did bring up many topics that are often overlooked regarding the days after the 9/11 attacks, such as what the rescue efforts were like all the way to the end, military response, the rise in attacks against Muslim Americans, and the various speeches that President George W. Bush gave. Overall, I like how this book was written as it would talk about the sadder things and give moments of hope after which I think is important in a book market for younger readers.

Overall, I thought this book was beautiful to look at and did an excellent job of sticking to the facts of 9/11 and the days after. I think this could be a good book to help explain to a young adult audience the realities of 9/11.

Though not targeted to my age group, I found In the Shadow Of the Fallen Towers to be educational and illuminating. From my perspective, the 9/11 attacks were known about but not widely taught, perhaps due to my upbringing in the UK rather than the US. Thus, I feel that this graphic novel is incredibly accessible and important in order to spread awareness of both the lives lost and the political aftermath - particularly for its target younger audience.
I will say that thé format was slightly flawed, particularly when reading on a phone / ipad, and that some of the speech and art was also hard to follow and engage with. Aside from that, I’d vouch for the Importance of this book in education about the atrocities of 9/11.

A rough read for obvious emotional reasons. I think it makes for a decent gateway for unfamiliar audiences. I feel that the style of artwork lends to the roughness, to the raw. That its unclean and imperfect work is a reflection of the After. It touches on multiple parties involved in the aftermath from the firefighters to the dogs, from civilians to journalists. As we draw nearer to the 20th anniversary of September 11th, 2001, that's the resonation I drew from this.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

I highly recommend this book.

This graphic does a great job of really expressing what happened after 9/11. We know that it had to be cleaned up, but it’s hard to really know what that entailed unless we were there.

This book is very real, and I believe it’s important that everyone learning about the attacks on 9/11 read this.

This is a very poignant comic and it made me cry. It felt very realistic compared to that day.. I think it will be a great red for kids.

For those who lived through it, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 will forever be a chilling memory. Twenty years after the attacks, the repercussions are still tangible, and a new generation of adults is preparing to enter the world with no active memory of this historic occurrence. This graphic novel breaks down the events of September 11 into riveting detail, using words and poignant imagery to instill some of the profound emotions of the attack into contemporary young adult readers.

Word bubbles and narrative blocks tell the story of the attacks from the moment the first tower is struck, beginning with the observations of filmmaker and survivor Jules Naudet. From there, names and quotes are included, enhancing the historic references made in the book. Statistics and details bring realities of the event into sharp focus, especially as those who were not directly involved in the clean-up efforts may not realize the magnitude of the damage incurred.

Bleak and compelling illustrations depict the world after the towers fell, both in the United States and across the ocean as the US military began exerting efforts in Afghanistan. Shades of browns, blues, and grays are punctuated only occasionally by the red of fire, forming a backdrop that is at once muted and dynamic. The devotion and determination of the people brave enough to attempt to rescue those involved in the attack are visible on their faces and in their body language, telling a richer story than that described by the words alone. A variety of angles, sizes, and emphasis are used in the images, and each one is carefully placed to impact the reader emotionally throughout the book.

Thoroughly researched and carefully presented, this historical account of the September 11 attacks is accessible to a wide range of readers. As might be expected, the narrative is complex and intense at times, accurately reflecting the events that took place after the attacks occurred. An afterword chronicles more details about the events of September 11 and their aftermath, and statistics are listed to emphasize the gravity of the attacks that continue to affect survivors to this day. This is a critical and well-executed inclusion to history collections for young adult readers.

Sobering whether you recall where you were on 9/11 or whether you hadn’t been born yet. Many vignettes of that day and the days afterwards are told and shown in black, white and gray drawings. It covers more, much more, than the sites where the planes crashed, such as Guantanamo and Afghanistan.

I learned some things from this graphic non-fiction book. Our lives and our country changed that day. This book is highly recommended for junior high age and up.

Thanks to Netgalley.

This was a well crafted collection of events surrounding 9/11. It was clear that the emphasis was on personal examples and an effort to make immersive. The art was simple but effective and neither stole the show or took away from the story. The illustrated portion of the story seemed to be handled in a respectful and unbiased format. My biggest critique was the text at the end felt much more politicized and shifted the tone of the whole book. I think this took away from the experience for the book in my opinion.

Nonfiction books like these, especially on topics like these, are a little hard to rate. I also think I did myself a slight disservice by reading this back to back with a French graphic novel about 9/11 which I think was done a slightly better. But this one is still good nonetheless. It presents the story in a matter-of-fact timeline way. I like that it included ramifications about Islamophobia directly following 9/11. There is an extensive list of facts and sources at the end of the book, and I liked reading through all of the statistics. The art style (especially the coloring) is really nice and is a fitting palette for the topic. This book is especially important right now in real time as Afghanistan is suffering in direct parallel from the events of this day nearly 2 decades later.

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers is a graphic novel that covers the events surrounding September 11, 2001 and the aftermath. This book was incredibly informative and I appreciated that it included information related to islamophobia and the lasting impact that working on Ground Zero caused to the first responders. It would be a great addition for teachers to use to teach about September 11th for a variety of grades and age ranges.

The only complaint I have about the book is that since it covered so much content, it seemed a bit jumpy in parts and switched from one topic to another rather abruptly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clarion Books, Etch/Clarion Books for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers is a graphic novel about September 11. It is a quick read and has a lot of good, probably unknown, facts about September 11 and the stories surrounding it. It talks about firefighters, people in government leadership, troops in Afghanistan, and more. It jumped around and that made it hard to follow at times. Some people were mentioned in one frame and never mentioned again. Overall, a good book about September 11 for middle school kids.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.

E ARC provided by Netgalley

In his America is Under Attack (2011), Brown covered the attacks of 9/11. This addresses some of that day, following the stories of people who escaped the towers or who were involved as first responders. There is also a lot of information about the clean up that I haven't read about since it was covered in the newspapers. The information is presented in a fast paced way that covers a lot of different viewpoints, using Brown's inimitable art style. I know that my teachers like to use America is Under Attack with students who might be more sensitive, since the illustrations offer a layer of distance that photographs do not. There is an informative list of statistics about the people who died at the end.

This is certainly a good book to use for addressing this topic with students on this twentieth anniversary of the event.

I am sure this is a wonderful book, but it’s just too hard for me to read in electronic format! Guessing about the stars, really like this author’s work!

This graphic novel starts out a little bit like news, but as you read through it, you see the destruction that happened on 9/11, the trauma that so many suffered, and the hard work and goodwill to help survivors. There are also a few snippets about how American military reacted in Afghanistan. This is recommended for grades 7+ (ages 12 and up), and this is due to a few mentions of interrogating and torturing Taliban (eg. waterboarding ). I would definitely recommend this for teens.

A very moving story of 9/11 told in a graphic novel form. Our current generation does not know/did not live through 9/11 and the impact it had on our nation. I think a graphic novel is a great way to teach and encourage students to learn more about 9/11.

This is an important book. I'm glad Don Brown chose to create a graphic book about 9/11 -- he makes it accessible for younger readers, while still being honest about the hardship and grief. But it is just as good for adults by offering a way to remember and learn about such a heavy time in a simpler form of narration. Even though I was in my 20s during 9/11, I still learned new things about what happened and who all were affected.