Sept. 11, 2001, is a day that remains in our minds and a crucial moment in our history. It is a day where we, as Americans, bond together to honor those who lost their lives, their loved ones, and for everyone to remember how we were impacted as a nation on this day. 

I believe in the old saying “Books live on forever.” The following books have multiple viewpoints of remembering this day, and are meant to help teach, understand and remember.

1. “14 Cow For America” by Carmen Agra Deedy,  is a nonfiction novel that helps teach elementary to middle school level children how to understand the big changes that occurred during this day, and its significance on a level that is more emotional than just learning its history. The story elaborates on compassion through the Maasai Warriors’ touching gift that is given to the United States following the 9/11 attack. This novel also includes illustrations as it is best used for a younger demographic. 
2. “Towers Falling” by Jewell Parker Rhodes, is a fiction novel set over a decade after the 9/11 attack, that focuses on how a classroom of students are being taught about the importance of this attack through a project about home. Deja, the female protagonist, is a fifth grader who is dealing with her parents being evicted over the summer, and having her entire family residing in a shelter. Deja is faced with the questions of what it means to be who she is along with the question of the importance of the two towers that used to exist outside her classroom window. In addition, “Towers Falling” will also address sensitive and/or triggering topics such as racism and prejudice. 
3. “The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11” by Garret M. Graff is an assemblage of tear-jerking and extraordinary retellings of survivors, survivor families, victim’s families and includes the stories of individuals who may not fall into previous categories, but that also felt the impact of the events of that day. Graff’s inclusion of these different viewpoints does an outstanding job in showcasing the impact of the 9/11 attack on a national level. 

The three books that I recommend are different in how they are told and who they may be told to, but the message remains the same. Enjoy reading and honor those we have lost, as well as those who remain.