SPOILER-FREE
REVIEW
Title: We All Fall Down
Series: We All Fall Down, #1
Author: Eric Walters
Genre: Young-Adult, Historical-Fiction
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Pages: 192
Release Date: March 7, 2006
Rating: ★★★★★
A novel from one of the country’s most prolific and popular YA authors, this book, set in
New York City on September 11th, shows us how the experiences of that day profoundly
changed one teen’s life and relationships.
Today is September 10, 2001, and Will, a grade nine student, is spending the day at his father’s
workplace tomorrow. As part of a school assignment, all the students in his class will be going
to their parents tomorrow, but Will isn’t excited about it–he’d rather sleep in and do nothing
with his friends. His father doesn’t even have an exciting job like his best friend James’s father
who is a fireman. Will’s dad works for an international trading company and has to wake up
early every morning to commute to his office on the eighty-fifth floor in the south building of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. Will doesn’t see his father very often because of the hours he puts in at the office. He doubts that his dad will bother making time for him tomorrow even when they are supposed to be spending the day together.
In this fast-paced and dramatic new novel by bestselling author Eric Walters, Will discovers a new side of his father during an event that continues to affect the world. As Will’s new teacher says, tomorrow “might be an experience that changes your entire life.”
(Source: Goodreads)
"This wasn't just any place. We were in New York City. In the heart of New York City, the center of the country... heck, the center of the universe. And here we were just a short subway ride away from the very heart of the heart... where my father's office was... the World Trade Center."
(Page 46, iBooks)
I've always been interested in learning about the events that occured on 9/11, so when I discovered this book and realized it was made for young-adults and was a historical fiction, I put it on the top of my to-read list. This was my first Eric Walter's book, and it definitely won't be my last. Walter's obviously did some extensive research to learn about the buildings, weather, etc on that dreadful day.
Everything about this book was great, from the writing, characters, outcome, etc. I was surprised to learn some facts about that day, and enjoyed reading about the events from a young person's perspective, especially someone who was inside the building (yes, i'm aware these characters dont actually exist in real life).
I'd recommend this book to anyone who would like a quick read on a kid's perspective from the day, or for anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
Why I rated this book five stars:
I decided to give this book five stars after finding myself so intrigued with the story, and how invested I became in the characters. I also loved the fact that Walters is from Canada, yet took the time to write about an American tragedy, and spoke so kindly about us. He reminds me of why I love the Canadians so much.
"What happened in New York and Washington and Pennsylvania were attacks against the United States of America. But they were more than that. They were atrocities against all good-thinking people, of all countries, of all faiths. This book is my way, my small way, of helping me, and others, to come to grips with this evil and to emphasize that, as Gandhi said, in the end, good always triumphs."
-Eric Walters
Will Fuller:
"I suddenly felt a pang of guilt. I'd almost blown off the whole day by saying that I was feeling sick and just staying in bed."
(Page 40, iBooks)
Will is your typical year nine high school student who enjoys staring at the new mystery girl's cleavage in class, sleeping in, being in his band, and spending as little time with his parents as possible (his father makes this easy by working long hours). Tomorrow, as part of his high school's special work assignment, Will will have to wake up early to join his father at his workplace, which he really isn't looking forward to. What's supposed to be a normal, boring day at the office is definitely not what Will experiences. Why? Tomorrow is September 11, 2001, and his father works in the South Twin Tower. As his teacher said before dismissing class, tomorrow "might be an experience that changes your entire life."
________________________
John Fuller:
"...but the only reason I made that decision was because of you. If it had been just me, I might have gone
with everybody else up to the roof and waited it out," my father said. "But because I had you with me
I could'nt risk that. I had to take the chance to try to get down."
(Page 208, iBooks)
John is Will's dad, and works on the 85th floor of the south tower, above the collision point. John has always been hard-working, rarely ever at home, and even when he is, his mind is elsewhere. He's the fire warden for his entire level at work, and would do anything to protect those he cares about (and even those he has never met before).
________________________
Ting
"Mudder," Ting Said, and touched her hand to her chest.
"Oh, these are your daughters?"
She smiled broadly and nodded. "Daughters. Mei-zhen," she said, pointing to the one of the girls,
"and Ming-zhu," she said as she pointed to the other.
"You have two beautiful girls," my father said. "They'll be very happy to see their mother tonight."
(Page 189, iBooks)
Ting was inside the south tower when it was attacked, and got knocked out and injured pretty badly. While John and Will are descending the stairs, Ting calls out for help, except she doesn't know how to speak English. She is the mother of two young girls, and is fighting to stay alive to see them again.
________________________
James Bennett:
James is Will's best friend, and fellow bandmate. James' father is a fireman, so tomorrow he will be at the firestation as part of his work assignment.
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Mr. Bennett (James' father):
Mr. Bennett is James' father, and is a firefighter in New York City. During Will, John, and Ting's descent down the stairs, they run into him and assure that they will get James home safely that night since he will most likely be at the building for 24 hours taking care of the fire and injured.
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