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.

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.

The gritty art in the graphic novel does an excellent job of setting a "mood" for the reader, which helps recreate the surprise, fear, death, and incredible acts of bravery that 9/11 witnessed. It is important to remember that many young readers were not even born yet when 9/11 occurred. This could very likely be their first introduction to the that day in our history. The story does not conclude with the restored feelings of nationalism and hope that were seen following the event as the country came together to support each other. Rather, it I tells more than one side of the story including the continuous wars that followed. The tortured victims who were wrongly assumed to be part of the planning of the terrorist attacks. Also, it shares about the hate crimes against muslims following the event. Highly recommend.

This new Dan Brown book does not disappoint. Once again, Brown does a wonderful job of creating a factual, age-appropriate graphic novel that makes historic events accessible to readers of all ages. Students in K-12 schools today were not alive during the tragic events of September 11th which can make it difficult for them to grasp the severity of the day. Reading this book is an excellent starting place to learn about 9/11.

This graphic novel about the events immediately following the September 11th attacks brings history to life for students who were not alive to witness the tragedy. The pictures and descriptions conjure up mixed emotions for me as I was teaching a group of 8th graders at the time. This will be a great title to add to my historical graphic novel collection in my middle school library. I think the students will learn more bout this topic by reading this novel

This is a fantastic graphic novel representation of the events of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York on September 11th 2001.

Many of my pupils were born after this massively world changing event and, while my memories of it are clear, their knowledge may be limited.

I learned a lot from this graphic novel - for example, there is a list of statistics at the back which quantifies the human loss and provides demographic information. Also, throughout, there are personal stories about people who survived, were rescued, joined in on the rescue effort and so on. This personal outlook helps the reader to see the human side.

I also learned about some of the practices at Guantanamo Bay and the process that the America government underwent to try and hold someone accountable for the atrocity. I did find that it managed a certain element of balance as it mentions some of the torture/interrogation techniques, and the afterword highlights some of the problematic aspects regarding who was captured by American forces, and the ensuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. There is not a great amount of detail on this, but for a graphic novel aimed at young readers I think it does well to introduce a non biased account that young people can then go away and research. Research is aided by a handy bibliography at the end.

The art work is lovely, the colours chosen really reflect how many of us remember that day - greys, browns and muted tones with the only colour coming from the American flag.

This is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that is accompanied by well written and informative text.

Thank you to the publisher, Etch/HMH Books for Young Readers, and Netgalley for access to this eARC. I will be recommending it to my pupils when it is published, and I have already pre-ordered it for my library.

The book begins with the scared eyes of a cameraman, sketched with minimal colors. Without any set-up, author/illustrator Don Brown brings the reader right into the chaos and fear of 9/11 in his newest graphic novel, In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers. Throughout the book’s pages, Brown shares actual quotes from stories of survivors of one of the United States’ darkest days. The reader can see and feel the darkness through his sparse sketches and use of gray, sharing what it must have looked like at Ground Zero for those unfortunate enough to be there. The author expands beyond the Twin Towers to include scenes from the Pentagon, White House, and Shanksville, PA. Then he digs into the military’s response in Afghanistan and later Iraq. Offering a wide look at 9/11 and its repercussions, In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers shares a tragic part of our nation’s recent history in a way young readers have not seen it before.

I went into this text thinking it would be simply depressing and not provide any information I didn’t already know. However, I believe readers will learn new facts and be exposed to new stories and points of view upon reading this book. Brown presents a devastating look at 9/11, but I think it will be useful for the readers to see the politics and military strategy that emerged following the events. I felt the book could use a framing story to bring it together and introduce the events.

Don Brown's retelling of the 9/11 disaster, including the aftermath, is absolutely harrowing and a much-needed piece of historic novelization. The facts are laid bare, from the statistics about the attacks to the anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish actions following even years after. Brown's illustrating skills only add weight to the way this graphic novel is set up, ingeniously using color and shading to affect a grim situation. The acknowledgment of the US government lying to citizens about who was found to be a part of the al-Qaida network and the plans enacted on 9/11 is incredibly important, especially considering there is now a generation of people out there who did not live through the events. Mourning and reverence can occur simultaneously with revelation of the truth, and Don Brown excels at this.