September 11, 2001 Review

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: This dramatized narrative follows a young French woman as she recounts the events surrounding the September 11 attacks and how they affected her life.

 

My Thoughts: Pacing and Writing (5/5) – I thought the book succeeded in seamlessly switching from portraying the tragic melee as it was occurring, explaining the facts concerning it, and the personal perspective. In some way, it felt like reading a historical fiction account meshed with a documentary which gives the message a more visceral punch. It also helps that the author Baptiste Bouthier is a journalist which can be attributed to the graphic novel’s matter-of-fact writing style. My favorite scene might be the one where two men working in the World Trade Center are escaping the building as it was collapsing due to jarringly serene demeanor towards the whole predicament as they’re casually chatting about their lives which felt like a partial sign of resignation of hope.

Themes and Characters (5/5) – The main French subject Juliette served both as a perfect stand-in for the Millennial generation and second-hand witnesses. The former was old enough to recall the events but too young to grasp the full scope of the incident. Meanwhile, the latter lacks the perspective of the full impact due to being too distant from the crime scene. This point is hammered in a scene where some high-school-aged schoolchildren display a flippant, ignorant attitude towards 9/11 which almost seems like déjà vu as terrorist attacks throughout Europe become rampant as the 2000s and 2010s pass. Being a Gen Zer who didn’t know about 9/11 until the age of 10, that feeling of distance to a relatively recent incident hit harder since it serves as a reminder of how important historic preservation is.

Art (5/5) – The color tones and line art were on the lighter, softer side which, while mitigating the graphic horror throughout the intense scenes, did shin in depicting expressive characters.

 

Final Thoughts: September 11 is an important work of historical literature that I would highly recommend to younger readers including middle grade and high school students whose entire lives were in a post-9/11 world.

 

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with my first advance ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.