It happened a little over a year after I was born. I don’t know much about that day, or how it affected my family, I didn’t ask. What little I knew came from the media, so this is the first book I’m reading about it.

I wouldn’t be able to bring anything to the table, but I’m sharing this easy to understand graphic novel that shows the aftermath, the physical and non-physical effects of 9/11. There were mentions of this being somewhat of a propaganda from a 1 star Goodreads review that I’ve read, but whether that is true, I’m unsure. Though, take it with a grain of salt.

What I will be sharing is based of my own personal opinion, and it will only be a review of this book.

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September 11, 2001: The Day the World Changed Forever
by Baptiste Bouthier and Héloïse Chochois (illustrator)

get it here

BOOK SUMMARY

What do younger generations know about the terrible tragedy that shook America and the world on September 11, 2001? In this gripping documentary work by journalist Baptiste Bouthier and illustrator Heloïse Chochois, we first learn about the historic day from several inside perspectives. In the second half, the authors take stock of 9/11 in the days, weeks, and years that followed, from tramautized America to George W. Bush’s crusade against the “axis of evil.” A not-be-missed piece of graphic non-fiction, published 20 years after the events in question.

BOOK REVIEW

*A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What I know about the September 11 incident is limited. I’ve heard of it, know a little of what happened, but this is the first book that I’ve read about this day. It definitely helped me understand the severity of it, as it is more than about the thousands of people who lost their lives that day. There were also plenty of events that happened shortly after.

From the September 11 incident, it branched out into the Patriot Act, the NSA, terrorism and war. It showed me something new that I never knew about, which I’m very thankful for. Unfortunately, there was only a short part on Islamophobia and racism, which I wished they could’ve highlighted more of. Although, they covered a bit on the Guantanamo detention camp.

My favourite part was when Juliette’s mother asked “from what angle?”, in regard to Juliette telling her mother about the discussion her history class had regarding the incident. It was a brief moment, but that question was impactful.

It seems strange to comment about the illustrations when such a heavy and important matter is at hand, but it is great. I particularly liked the airport scenes, the one with the firefighters going up the stairs, and the one on the many U.S. intelligence. I liked how they fit multiple ideas into just one frame of a page.

It is sad to say not much has changed, but I’m still glad to have been able to learn about world history through this book.