Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 is a narrative, chronological history of the events of September 11th, 2001, based on accounts from victims and survivors. It begins with passengers and pilots departing for their journeys (including the hijackers), all pieced together from eyewitness accounts and evidence recovered after the disaster, through the end of the day and beyond. The timeline shifts from the planes to the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, but stays chronological throughout. This is not an easy read — the emotion and horror has diminished little over 18 years, and some of the memories can be difficult to relive through the narration. Zuckoff does an admirable job of including the emotion reported to him without embellishing it or putting words into victims’ mouths – when he is making an assumption, he makes that clear. Fall and Rise is the most complete, fully witness-based account of 9/11 that I have read, and I strongly recommend it for any adult or high school student looking to learn about the events of September 11th from those who lived it. Find this item in our catalog here.
(Reviewed by Rachel)