jprisk724's review against another edition
5.0
Such a moving story. I loved the two time periods and how the lives of the characters intertwine. Some of it was hard to read...remembering this day and everything that happened. Great book for middle school/high school students.
kricketa's review
4.0
alternates between the perspective of a teenage muslim girl in the world trade center on september 11, 2001 and a teenage girl whose brother died in the towers, fifteen years later.
this was a good, story-driven book that touches on the issues faced by muslims in the US without being preachy (yay!). i felt moved along by the plot rather than the writing itself, and it took me about a third of the book to actually get sucked in, but i would definitely recommend this to teens.
this was a good, story-driven book that touches on the issues faced by muslims in the US without being preachy (yay!). i felt moved along by the plot rather than the writing itself, and it took me about a third of the book to actually get sucked in, but i would definitely recommend this to teens.
eelsmac's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
rossakamcfreakyd's review against another edition
5.0
I don't even know what to say about this book. I devoured it. It left me choked up and breathless. It was beautiful.
nuttybuddy10's review against another edition
didn’t like the writing style. it seemed like middle school dialogue even though one of the main characters was a junior in hs.
emilyroseallen's review against another edition
5.0
Tomorrow is 9/11, and my heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by this single, horrible date in history.
I am 15 years old. I was born almost 2 years after the collapse of the Twin Towers. I, personally, have no connection to them.
But I'm an American - of course I know about the atrocities of 9/11, and the racism that continued to prevail long after. Of course I know how this single event shook an entire nation - no, the entire world - to its very core. But to me, it's a date. As distant and blank in my mind as the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I know it happened, and I know it's consequences still ripple through society. But I'm born in a post-9/11 generation, one that has been raised on these tales of horror. It's terrible for me to say, but I've grown immune to them. They're so commonplace that I'm used to hearing about terrorist attacks. And it is awful.
But this book. Reading this book gave me the biggest slam of perspective that I have ever experienced.
At first, I found both characters annoying. Jesse was racist and I saw her as that, and only that, not a 3-dimensional character. Alia was bitter that she was caught with a joint and was going to ditch school to complain to her dad. I don't know, I found her a little bit...irrational.
But now I understand why.
They are two kids. They both made mistakes. Neither are perfect, and neither are evil, either. They're just people. And they got affected by 9/11. They got touched, down to their very soul, even though they're both kids. The horror didn't skip over either of them because of their age, their normalcy. They were affected, just like everyone else.
Don't get me wrong. Reading Jesse's character development was interesting and happy, ultimately. She was a racist, and she corrected herself. She became friends with the people she hated. She learned not to generalize or marginalize. It was beautiful. And...mundane. I didn't really care about her, to be honest. I read to get to Alia. Although I understand the importance of her character, and I advise anyone who reads this to read her parts with an open mind. She really is a great read, I was just bothered by her - but the story wouldn't've been the same without her.
Okay. Alia's turn.
At first, I thought she was annoying. Melodramatic, if you will. But as we started reading her perspective as the planes crashed? As the towers fell? The pure, heartbreaking terror that consumed everything she did while she continued to be a hero? It was one of the most emotion-packed things I've ever read. And trust me, I've read a lot.
I was scared. My heart was beating at a million miles an hour as I read her scenes. We're similar in age, so the thoughts, the fear, and the excitement that crashed through her mind was something I could relate to. Her love for her father was, too. Because of that, when the towers fell and she had to work through her horror to help others, to save people's lives, and watch as people ended their own, I felt like it was me in her place. It was heart-wrenching.
The connection between Alia and Jesse, and the bond formed between Alia and Jesse's brother - that was one of the most intricate and unique things I'd ever read. They were all connected, even though most of them had never met. With just hours together, Alia and Jesse's brother had a tight relationship that can only be formed through trauma. And it was fantastic to read.
Never before have I understood the full scope of 9/11. I've always known about the day, and its significance, but reading this book through someone who had lost a brother to the attack, and who had actually experienced it, made it so, so powerful. I can truly process the pure fear that struck the nation that day, because for the first time I understand why it was so abominable, and why we haven't been able to take a breath since.
This book will shape the way you view the world, and that's really all I have to say.
I am 15 years old. I was born almost 2 years after the collapse of the Twin Towers. I, personally, have no connection to them.
But I'm an American - of course I know about the atrocities of 9/11, and the racism that continued to prevail long after. Of course I know how this single event shook an entire nation - no, the entire world - to its very core. But to me, it's a date. As distant and blank in my mind as the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I know it happened, and I know it's consequences still ripple through society. But I'm born in a post-9/11 generation, one that has been raised on these tales of horror. It's terrible for me to say, but I've grown immune to them. They're so commonplace that I'm used to hearing about terrorist attacks. And it is awful.
But this book. Reading this book gave me the biggest slam of perspective that I have ever experienced.
At first, I found both characters annoying. Jesse was racist and I saw her as that, and only that, not a 3-dimensional character. Alia was bitter that she was caught with a joint and was going to ditch school to complain to her dad. I don't know, I found her a little bit...irrational.
But now I understand why.
They are two kids. They both made mistakes. Neither are perfect, and neither are evil, either. They're just people. And they got affected by 9/11. They got touched, down to their very soul, even though they're both kids. The horror didn't skip over either of them because of their age, their normalcy. They were affected, just like everyone else.
Don't get me wrong. Reading Jesse's character development was interesting and happy, ultimately. She was a racist, and she corrected herself. She became friends with the people she hated. She learned not to generalize or marginalize. It was beautiful. And...mundane. I didn't really care about her, to be honest. I read to get to Alia. Although I understand the importance of her character, and I advise anyone who reads this to read her parts with an open mind. She really is a great read, I was just bothered by her - but the story wouldn't've been the same without her.
Okay. Alia's turn.
At first, I thought she was annoying. Melodramatic, if you will. But as we started reading her perspective as the planes crashed? As the towers fell? The pure, heartbreaking terror that consumed everything she did while she continued to be a hero? It was one of the most emotion-packed things I've ever read. And trust me, I've read a lot.
I was scared. My heart was beating at a million miles an hour as I read her scenes. We're similar in age, so the thoughts, the fear, and the excitement that crashed through her mind was something I could relate to. Her love for her father was, too. Because of that, when the towers fell and she had to work through her horror to help others, to save people's lives, and watch as people ended their own, I felt like it was me in her place. It was heart-wrenching.
The connection between Alia and Jesse, and the bond formed between Alia and Jesse's brother - that was one of the most intricate and unique things I'd ever read. They were all connected, even though most of them had never met. With just hours together, Alia and Jesse's brother had a tight relationship that can only be formed through trauma. And it was fantastic to read.
Never before have I understood the full scope of 9/11. I've always known about the day, and its significance, but reading this book through someone who had lost a brother to the attack, and who had actually experienced it, made it so, so powerful. I can truly process the pure fear that struck the nation that day, because for the first time I understand why it was so abominable, and why we haven't been able to take a breath since.
This book will shape the way you view the world, and that's really all I have to say.
shadowin's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This book was just......
I can’t fathom into words how much I actually enjoyed this book.
The author did an amazing job describing the very historic event that was and is 9/11. The characters, the religion, seeing the event from a different perspective. Perfect.
I am honestly speechless and still processing the story.
Highly recommend this book! You won’t regret it.
I can’t fathom into words how much I actually enjoyed this book.
The author did an amazing job describing the very historic event that was and is 9/11. The characters, the religion, seeing the event from a different perspective. Perfect.
I am honestly speechless and still processing the story.
Highly recommend this book! You won’t regret it.
blueyballoon's review
5.0
This book had a bigger impact on me than I expected. I'm always fascinated by the events that took place on September 11 and eager to learn more. I thought this book would be interesting to me. It exceeded my expectations.
This book not only deals with the 9/11 bombings, but also the concept of religion and how it effects our world. On 9/11, Americans of every religion were lost and we need to remember that. This book does a spectacular job of representing the diversity of America's religions.
Not only did this book have a heart-wrenching story, it also had a very powerful message. After leaving this book, I had to step back and think about what I read and how impactful this story is. The book was extremely inspiring and well written. I'll definitely be thinking about this book for a while.
This book not only deals with the 9/11 bombings, but also the concept of religion and how it effects our world. On 9/11, Americans of every religion were lost and we need to remember that. This book does a spectacular job of representing the diversity of America's religions.
Not only did this book have a heart-wrenching story, it also had a very powerful message. After leaving this book, I had to step back and think about what I read and how impactful this story is. The book was extremely inspiring and well written. I'll definitely be thinking about this book for a while.