Thank you to NetGalley and Etch, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt press for the ARC of In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers written and illustrated by Don Brown. In this thoughtful but informative non-fiction graphic novel, Brown jumps into the retelling of 9/11 with both known and (probably) little known facts. Personally, I learned of several new things that I didn't know about this historically tragic event in our country's history. Brown handles the matters tastefully, but doesn't shy away from the horrors that so many victims experienced that day and in the years to come. I will be buying a copy for our high school library.

I love Don Brown's ability to tell historical events accurately and poignantly. Having lived through the tragedies 9/11, I went into this book hesitantly. I appreciated the simplicity of the story. The narrative linked pieces of that time together in a way to make the story that much more powerful. Many of these pieces were things that I had not thought about before, like the pets that were left behind in evacuated apartments, or at boarding facilities. These tiny, tragic reminders truly depict the scale of 9/11.

Don Brown has a habit of taking on very difficult topics and creating graphic novels that do an excellent job of explaining the facts but that also pack an emotional punch. As an adult who remembers 9/11 personally, this particular volume was very difficult to read, but it was certainly beautifully done. I would be very interested to hear the perspective of a younger person who didn't live through that day. Five stars.

While I liked the artwork and I think this graphic novel could be a good introduction to the events of 9/11 for a young person who isn't well acquainted, it did feel a bit shallow and detached. Since it's geared toward teens, it might have been better to have a teen main character to be more relatable to the age group. I do think graphic novels are popular and a great way to introduce reluctant readers to important topics such as this, but this one rang a bit hollow and unfortunately isn't that memorable.

This is a powerful graphic novel of what happened not only the day of 9/11, but a period of time afterwards as well. It covers some of the political and social repercussions as well as details of some of the people that are associated with this day for a variety of reasons. It was a one sitting read and there could have definitely been more detail and content, but this is a good overall view for students who know of this event, but not details of what actually happened. The book even covers things like the grounding of planes and having all the extra people in Gander, Newfoundland and how the president wanted to fly back to DC and was vetoed. There are a couple of pages in the back with more background information and an extensive bibliography that could be used by students looking for more information as well. The illustrations seems the capture the feel of this as well. Something I'll be recommending for sure.

This graphic novel tells the story of 9/11 in a way I didn't know despite living through this time. It was great to learn more about our heroes, the timeline and people throughout this tragic event. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more.

Don Brown’s nonfiction graphic depiction of the events of 9/11 and their aftermath brought tears to my eyes. This all too familiar story that has been embedded in American’s lives is brought to life again through his story telling and artwork. Brown focuses not on the WHY it happened, but how America responded. Brown shows how America united together and how racism also followed. He showed the start of the military attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq following the 9/11 attacks. He shows and mentions those lives that were saved during the initial rescue attempts. He shows information that wasn’t mentioned much during the news coverage, like what happened to the travelers coming to America from other countries. He shows the good that comes out of a major disaster and the helping spirit of many Americans.
It does get a bit jumpy going back and forth, between scenes, but it is still an emotional piece of work that is worthy of sitting on my library book shelf.

Thank you NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for the digital advance reading copy of this book.

I liked this graphic novel, although that feels weird to say about a graphic novel depicting such a horrible time in American history. I find a lot of kids today prefer to read graphic novels and this book could be used to educate them on the events surrounding the 9/11 attacks.

Thank you Netgalley for my free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

For the most part I liked this graphic novel. It was illustrated nicely, and it gave a good overall account of what happened. But I wish there was more. For everyone that died, and everyone that worked when that awful thing happened, this graphic novel should have been so much more. It felt lacking, like it barely scratched the surface. There was so much more that could have been said.

What astonished me reading this graphic novel was how little I knew about the days and weeks following these horrendous terrorist attacks in September 2001. The level of research is staggering and the illustrations displayed the chilling reality of those in New York. Having visited the site of Tower 1 and the memorial in 2012, reading this made me very reflective and thankful for those heroes who tried to save others, often losing their own life in the process.
This graphic novel provides a clear chronology and for teenagers and above would be a good read to learn more about these tragic events, which changed the world forever.

This will be a great addition to our school libraries for our students who weren't alive to experience 9/11 themselves. I did find Brown's narrative pieces a little clunky at times and the ending seemed rather abrupt leaving more recent updates for the afterward, but overall I think teens will find this accessible and will be seeking out books like this every September.

This was a very rough read. The artwork stands true to representing the pain, suffering, and hope after the tragedy, but I felt myself squirming at some of the details included. I feel that is the point— especially when currently educating middle schoolers who don’t understand the significance of 9/11— but other points of saying terms like “dead people” didn’t seem to ring smoothly with this graphic novel.

There are many facts provided in this text that might be unknown, yet again some more “PC” context besides the nonfiction terminology might be appropriate, especially if this novel ends up targeting the 13 and up crowd. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers is typical of Brown's other graphic novels: dark in tone and color, but always truthful. Brown's book is a great addition to the body of work on September 11, the graphic format making it accessible to a broader range of readers. Extensive bibliography and notes at the close of the book are helpful for readers wanting more information.

Don Brown excels at creating graphic nonfiction that introduces pivotal events in U.S. history to young readers. His previous titles explore the 1918 flu pandemic, the Dust Bowl, Hurricane Katrina, and more. Now, with the twenty-year mark approaching, In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers captures the tragedy, heroism, and aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania. Panels depicting the day of the attacks feature chalky, muted tones that represent the ash covering “Ground Zero” and the smoky hallways of the Pentagon. Bright orange flames also appear throughout. Expository text accompanies the artwork, along with first-person speech bubbles from eyewitnesses, first responders, George W. Bush, soldiers, and survivors. As the subtitle suggests, the author’s timeline incorporates the months and years after 9/11, including the grim victim recovery efforts, the massive clean-up, and the invasion of Afghanistan. Highly controversial topics, such as “enhanced interrogation” of suspected terrorists, are also briefly mentioned.
Don Brown's books leave readers wanting to know more, which is a good thing; they are introductory overviews of events that will hopefully lead readers to further, more comprehensive sources.

It took me three days to read this, not because the text was too dense or difficult, but because I became overwhelmed and would start weeping. Thankfully, I didn't lose any family members that day, but I remember the exact moment I learned about the tragedy with sharp clarity.

As a K-8 librarian for 9 years, I saw many students reference 9/11, but it was clear that they didn't really understand the full impact. How could they? Many of them were born about 10 years after it happened. This title, along with Don Brown's other book about 9/11 (America is Under Attack), are great references for students trying to understand the impact and significance of this terror attack. Don Brown is a wonderful writer and, though he doesn't shy away from the true horrors of the events he writes about, he is sensitive to his audience and makes the details accessible.
While Brown's other book focuses more on the timeline and details of the attack, In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers showcases multiple perspectives, and also mentions the precipitous increase in anti-Muslim racism that followed.

This graphic novel does a wonderful job recreating the timeline of 9/11. I felt anger and sadness while reading, but the author also conveys a beautiful sense of hope at the end of this book which is incredibly uplifting. And the washed-out colors of the drawings help portray the bleakness of this tragedy almost more than the words. In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers is a great way for young adults to learn about one of the greatest tragedies in American history.

A really powerful graphic novel about 9/11 and its continuing aftereffects on the country. For young people, the book's intended audience, it'll be an important text to help them understand this event that has shaped history, one that happened before they were born. Don Brown does a spectacular job taking specific moments in history and crafting a book both straightforward and comprehensive.

I received a copy of this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. This book is a great graphic novel about the day the towers fell on 9/11.

Thanks so much for this arc! You'll hear it mentioned (as well as a nod to his backlist) on the next episode of Hey YA, airing December 9 on all your usual podcatchers. I also reviewed it on my goodreads.

Wow, although in cartoon media it's still powerful with some unknown facts in there backed up at the end of the book. Great book for those not around at the time and want to learn about how that day panned out. I didn't realise that the sniffer dogs sould fall unconscious due to the toxic gases it would inhale whilst sniffing for humans. Canines and indeed animals in general were also affected this day in New York city. Animals at home or in kennels etc never saw their humans again and were waiting patiently at home for them to return. That fact just blew my mind! But of course not to take away the limelight of those 2753 people who died that day ( only half that figure were physically found!!) And to think, all this time later the same figure is approaching of the rescuers who have passed away due to complications caused from inhaling those toxic fumes that day.

It certainly makes you think, child, young person or older who read this book.