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We visited the New York State Museum in Albany before my presentation--an incredible time!        I even met another author, and she signed her book for me!! I can't wait to read it.  Thank you Guilderland High for another wonderful visit!
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I'm honored that ALL WE HAVE LEFT is mentioned alongside Jonathon Safran Foer's masterpiece, EXTREMELY LOUD & INCEREDIBLY CLOSE, with an added shout out to Gae Polisner's wonderful book, THE MEMORY OF THINGS!  I had a wonderful time at Guilderland High School talking about ALL WE HAVE LEFT, 9/11, and writing. We even wrote a story!       It's so hard to believe twenty years have passed. The primary emotion we associate with 9/11 is grief and anger, but when I decided to write ALL WE HAVE LEFT, I knew I wanted to shine a light on the incredible bravery and strength of the people trapped in the towers, as well as the families dealing with the loss of their loved ones. I thought it was important to remember that on one the darkest days of human history that there were still these bright moments of light, of humanity. I wanted to write a story that showed how important that day was to our country, but also to show the strength of the human spirit in the face of tragedy.   Never forget.  As a family, we've always spent a lot of time on the boat and at the beach, but this summer especially so due to the pandemic. Here are some of my favorite pictures from this summer.           If you’d asked me two months ago if I thought the absolute highlight of my every day would be to step out at dusk and listen to my neighbors howl, I would have laughed in your face.
The size and speed of the changes in the past several months is breathtaking. We’ve learned very quickly that the world can change overnight. It took a pandemic to make me realize that normally my life is crammed full of activity, every inch of my day filled with projects, phone calls, the inevitable running of a sports mom, and the usual chaos of keeping up with a busy household. When I first faced the prospect of a lockdown, I thought: “Well, this won’t be so bad.” I work from home, I reasoned. This won’t be so different. Instead, I found myself completely unmoored. It wasn’t that just that I couldn’t run to the grocery store whenever I wanted—and when I did I went feeling as if I were going into battle—or had to forgo lunch dates, and scheduled medical procedures. It was that every moment of every day was filled with the awful grayness of the unknown. How was I supposed to go about my normal day when people I loved were in danger and the prospect of a worldwide recession, or even a depression, was a very real prospect? People I knew were getting sick; people I knew were losing everything they had worked their whole lives to build. Life as we knew it had changed, practically overnight. I’ve never felt so alone, so un-tethered from other people. The most ironic thing about this pandemic is that it separates us, just when we need people the most. We’re all scared; we’re all grieving for lost love ones, and lost opportunities. We’re grieving for a defunct future that looks completely different than it did just a few short months ago. We need to be together right now, sharing our strength, and instead we are standing six feet apart. I’ve come to realize, however, that we are coming together. While I may not have seen my friends and extended family for weeks, I’ve talked to them far more than I did in the past. How are you doing? I’m scared too. We’ll get through this. People are helping out elderly neighbors, bringing them groceries, checking to make sure they are all right. Kids are leaving chalk messages on the sidewalks; people are singing in the streets. In my neighborhood, people step out on the porch every night and howl together against the darkness of the night. Despite a disease that is driving us apart, we are coming together. I remember the strong sense of community and unity in the aftermath of 9/11. We felt like we were stronger together than apart. It wasn’t me and them in those precious days and weeks, it was we and us. As this pandemic continues tearing apart the fabric of our lives at dizzying speed, I think we have a choice. We have an opportunity to make something good out of this, to make changes that will last even after the pandemic wears itself out. In a society fraught with division, and a disease intent on clawing these schisms even wider, we can succumb to the siren call of us-against-them, or we can fight to repair what is broke. A national disaster is wreaking havoc on us as a nation; it is a shared burden, a threat that is bigger than all of us individually, but not bigger than all of us together. We can’t let this rip us apart, just when we need each other the most. The world will return to normal. On that day, I’m looking to stepping outside at dusk and listening to my neighbors still howling together in unison.  It's hard to believe that eighteen years have passed since that terrible Tuesday morning when planes began flying into buildings, and it felt like the world would never be the same. Three years after ALL WE HAVE LEFT came out, the question I get the most often is: "Why did you want to write about 9/11?" I decided to write this book when my oldest son began asking questions about 9/11. He was only eight or nine at the time, and it hit me that he was not even alive in 2001, and that he did not have first-hand knowledge of that awful day. He didn’t experience how it felt like everything changed in 102 tragic minutes, and how we as a country came together, if only for a short time. It seemed important to me to he, and other children like him, should know. I decided to write a story that showed how important that day was to our country, but also to show the strength of the human spirit in the face of tragedy. I believe fiction is an excellent way to teach history. It focuses on individuals living their best lives in the face of world-changing events. The trick, of course, is to stay true to history while still allowing the reader to experience an event as truthfully as possible. It seems to me that fiction has the ability to slip past the brain and go straight to the heart. As hard as it is to believe for those of us who remember that day so viscerally, 9/11 has become a historical event, and teaching children our shared history is one of the best gifts we can give them. In the end, I wanted to write a story about healing and compassion, and respecting people as individuals. I don’t think there is ever a time when we shouldn’t be talking about that. On this eighteenth anniversary of 9/11, I would like to suggest a few fiction books for our kids to help them understand the importance of that day to our country. There are undoubtedly other great books about the subject, but these I have personally read and can recommend. The beauty of these books are that they look at the subject from many different perspectives, serving to complement one another to give a multi-faceted view of that day. In no particular order... (Descriptions are courtesy of Goodreads) Middle Grade Books  Nine, Ten by Nora Raleigh Baskin From the critically acclaimed author of Anything But Typical comes a touching look at the days leading up to the tragic events of September 11, 2001 and how that day impacted the lives of four middle schoolers. Ask anyone: September 11, 2001, was serene and lovely, a perfect day — until a plane struck the World Trade Center. But right now it is a few days earlier, and four kFrom the critically acclaimed author of Anything But Typical comes a touching look at the days leading up to the tragic events of September 11, 2001 and how that day impacted the lives of four middle schoolers. Ask anyone: September 11, 2001, was serene and lovely, a perfect day — until a plane struck the World Trade Center. But right now it is a few days earlier, and four kids in different parts of the country are going about their lives. Sergio, who lives in Brooklyn, is struggling to come to terms with the absentee father he hates and the grandmother he loves. Will’s father is gone, too, killed in a car accident that has left the family reeling. Nadira has never before felt uncomfortable about being Muslim, but at her new school she’s getting funny looks because of the head scarf she wears. Amy is starting a new school in a new city and missing her mom, who has to fly to New York on business. These four don’t know one another, but their lives are about to intersect in ways they never could have imagined. Award-winning author Nora Raleigh Baskin weaves together their stories into an unforgettable novel about that seemingly perfect September day — the day our world changed forever.  Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes From award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes, a powerful novel set fifteen years after the 9/11 attacks. When her fifth-grade teacher hints that a series of lessons about home and community will culminate with one big answer about two tall towers once visible outside their classroom window, Deja can't help but feel confused. She sets off on a journey of discovery, with new friends Ben and Sabeen by her side. But just as she gets closer to answering big questions about who she is, what America means, and how communities can grow (and heal), she uncovers new questions, too. Like, why does Pop get so angry when she brings up anything about the towers? Award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes tells a powerful story about young people who weren't alive to witness this defining moment in history, but begin to realize how much it colors their every day.  Eleven by Tom Rogers Alex Douglas always wanted to be a hero. But nothing heroic ever happened to Alex. Nothing, that is, until his eleventh birthday. When Alex rescues a stray dog as a birthday gift to himself, he doesn't think his life can get much better. Radar, his new dog, pretty much feels the same way. But this day has bigger things in store for both of them. This is a story about bullies and heroes. About tragedy and hope. About enemies with two legs and friends with four, and pesky little sisters and cranky old men, and an unexpected lesson in kindness delivered with a slice of pizza. This is "Eleven": the journey of a boy turning eleven on 9/11.  Just a Drop of Water by Kerry O'Malley Cerra Ever since he was little, Jake Green has longed to be a soldier and a hero like his grandpa, who died serving his country. Right now, though, he just wants to outsmart—and outrun—the rival cross country team, the Palmetto Bugs. But then the tragedy of September 11 happens. It’s quickly discovered that one of the hijackers lived nearby, making Jake’s Florida town an FBI hot spot. Two days later, the tragedy becomes even more personal when Jake’s best friend, Sam Madina, is pummeled for being an Arab Muslim by their bully classmate, Bobby. According to Jake’s personal code of conduct, anyone who beats up your best friend is due for a butt kicking, and so Jake goes after Bobby. But soon after, Sam’s father is detained by the FBI and Jake’s mom doubts the innocence of Sam’s family, forcing Jake to choose between his best friend and his parents. When Jake finds out that Sam’s been keeping secrets, too, he doesn’t know who his allies are anymore. But the final blow comes when his grandpa’s real past is revealed to Jake. Suddenly, everything he ever knew to be true feels like one big lie. In the end, he must decide: either walk away from Sam and the revenge that Bobby has planned, or become the hero he’s always aspired to be. A gripping and intensely touching debut middle grade novel by Kerry O’Malley Cerra, Just a Drop of Water brings the events of September 11, which shook the world, into the lens of a young boy who is desperately trying to understand the ramifications of this life-altering event. Winner of a Florida Book Award, the Crystal Kite Award, and named to VOYAs Top Shelf Fiction for Middle Readers' 2014 list, Just a Drop of Water is a read for all age levels. Young Adult  Love Is the Higher Law by David Levithan First there is a Before, and then there is an After. . . . The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him. Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by. David Levithan has written a novel of loss and grief, but also one of hope and redemption as his characters slowly learn to move forward in their lives, despite being changed forever.  The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner On the morning of September 11, 2001, sixteen-year-old Kyle Donohue watches the first Twin Tower come down from the window of Stuyvesant High School. Moments later, terrified and fleeing home to safety across the Brooklyn Bridge, he stumbles across a girl perched in the shadows, covered in ash, and wearing a pair of costume wings. With his mother and sister in California, and unable to reach his father, a New York City detective likely on his way to the disaster, Kyle makes the split-second decision to bring the girl home. What follows is their story, told in alternating points of view, as Kyle tries to unravel the mystery of the girl so he can return her to her family. But what if the girl has forgotten everything, even her own name? And what if the more Kyle gets to know her, the less he wants her to go home?  All We Have Left by Wendy Mills A haunting and heart-wrenching story of two girls, two time periods, and the one event that changed their lives—and the world—forever. Now: Sixteen-year-old Jesse is used to living with the echoes of the past. Her older brother died in the September 11th attacks, and her dad has filled their home with anger and grief. When Jesse gets caught up with the wrong crowd, one momentary hate-fueled decision turns her life upside down. The only way to make amends is to face the past, starting Jesse on a journey that will reveal the truth about how her brother died. Then: In 2001, sixteen-year-old Alia is proud to be Muslim... it's being a teenager that she finds difficult. After being grounded for a stupid mistake, Alia is determined to show her parents that that they must respect her choices. She'll start by confronting her father at his office in downtown Manhattan, putting Alia in danger she never could have imagined. When the planes collide into the Twin Towers Alia is trapped inside one of the buildings. In the final hours she meets a boy who will change everything for her as the flames rage around them... Interweaving stories past and present, full of heartbreak and hope, two girls come of age in an instant, learning that both hate and love have the power to reverberate into the future and beyond. I also wanted to mention TALKING TEXTS, because it's a great resource for educators who want to use a book club to explore the themes of hope and resilience expressed in these books. Chapter Ten utilizes many of the books I've mentioned to set up a sample book club for those interested in learning more about 9/11.  Talking Texts by Lesley Roessing Talking Texts is a guide for teachers to the steps and strategies of implementing text clubs in many forms-- fiction and nonfiction book clubs, textbook clubs, article clubs, and even poetry clubs--in the classroom. All strategies presented are applicable to any discipline so that text clubs can be employed across the curriculum in any grade level. On this solemn occasion, I hope that we all remember the way we felt that day. I want us to remember the tragedy in the hopes that it will never happen again, but more, I want us to remember the unity that brought us together to heal.
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