Above Hallowed Ground: A photographic record of September 11, 2001 by photographers of the New York Police Department

For young people who were not born yet or may have been newly born, and for older readers who want to remember or enrich their memory, Above Hallowed Ground is a serviceable pictorial which begins with crisp NYPD photographs of September 11th, 2001 and ends with the site of Ground Zero, cleared in April, 2002.  This coffee-table sized volume is punctuated by images of details and memorials and well-captioned throughout.  An introduction paints the event in the most dramatic of terms and leaves the full-color images to tell the rest of the story.  A useful text to visit during a national day of remembrance. For additional topical texts reviewed in this blog, readers may want to view The 9/11 Report and One Nation --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon

The takeover of four flights on the morning of September 11th is recounted with a minute-by-minute graphic timeline, forcing the reader to remember the terror and confusion of that morning as the events unfolded or, in the case of many of our students, to experience them for the first time. From the rise of Usama bin Ladin through to the changes in US anti-terrorist policies post-9/11, the 9/11 Commission's official report provides a detailed account of the structure of US intelligence and security authorities as well as its recommendations for the future of anti-terrorism. Sections would be best used to answer such questions as : What happened on 9/11? Who planned the attacks? And, what is being done to prevent future attacks?

Jacobson, Sid and Ernie Colon. The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation. New York: Hill and Wang, 2006.

Guest Post: With Their Eyes Edited by Annie Thoms

Just four blocks from Ground Zero, Stuyvesant High School students witnessed the horrors of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. With Their Eyes presents a collection of twenty-three stories of that day, told by members of the diverse Stuyvesant community including students, teachers and other school personnel. The work was performed in February of 2002, as a two-act play by ten Stuyvesant students and was received with resounding praise from audience members. The heartfelt stories and beautifully arranged poetry leave lasting reminders of what that day's effect has been on each and everyone of us. The illustrations, the Chronology of Events, the photos and stories are compelling and honest and serve as a wonderful springboard for engaging students to relate their own stories of 9/11. I have often used this book with Passages’ students, reading and discussing the Chronology of Events and a selection of essays and poems. After that, students begin drafting and then discussing personal recollections of the days events; ie. how old were they, what grade, what school, what borough they were in. Did they know anyone directly/indirectly involved and how were they involved? A wonderful creative writing tool to use in conjunction with honoring and memorializing the heroes and victims of 9/11. --Mary Lou DeLigio

With Their Eyes: September 11th: the view from a high school at Ground Zero. Ed. Annie Thoms. New York: HarperCollins, 2002.