Ground Zero -- The story of 9/11

    I recently reread the book Ground Zero by Alan Gratz. It was definitely one of the most unique books I’ve ever read, and perfect for today’s date: September 11th. Hopefully that gives you a bit of foreshadowing. Most of Alan Gratz’s books tell the tale of two or more different people living in different time periods. In the end, their lives intertwine into one big story which really makes you think about the flow of our world, and how tiny decisions can impact the future tremendously. 


    The story begins with 9 year old Brandon. He keeps getting trouble in school mainly because he gets involved in fights. His father, Leo, is a kitchen manager at the World Trade Center at Windows to the World, a restaurant at the very top. When Brandon decides to visit the underground mall, he takes the elevator but it suddenly stops working after he hears a loud crash. Thus begins his mission to make it out alive.


    He discovers he’s on the 89th floor, and nearly falls to his death due to a broken door if it weren’t for a man named Richard. After a few failed attempts to escape, the second plane hits the towers. He calls his Dad, who in a heartbreaking moment, tells him that he won’t make it. His Dad urges him to get out of there and to survive. Brandon and Richard make it to a safer area but they see many people dead or wounded. Brandon grabs a Tasmanian devil stuffed animal and keeps it as a memory of this traumatic event.


    The second story involved in this book takes place in Afghanistan many years later with the main character being Reshima, an 11 year old girl. I won’t go into detail about the plot of this, mainly due to spoilers, but I highly recommend this book and I think it’s totally worth it. Ground Zero has values of cooperation in survival, and forgiveness. Go read it!


DJ

Comments

  1. AnthonySeptember 14, 2023 at 7:54 AM

    Really cool review DJ, I would totally love to read this book!! Sounds like a really captivating read.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LindenSeptember 17, 2023 at 12:55 PM

    Nice summary/review DJ, as a big Alan Gratz fan I think I would definitely like this book.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ian MSeptember 17, 2023 at 1:16 PM

    Hey DJ, I've heard a bit about this book before, but I have never heard it was written across different time periods. That sounds like a super interesting concept so I think I'm going to check this book out. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Y_Jemina_FSeptember 17, 2023 at 6:55 PM

    DJ, your review is really great, I really appreciate the lack of spoilers and everything. I'm not sure if I will ever read this book, it seems it would leave me sobbing uncontrollably, but I'll keep your review in mind! Can't wait to read your next blog

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lucas BraunSeptember 28, 2023 at 7:06 PM

    I think that would be a good book to read along with the 9/11 podcast that is going out. I also liked how you kept away from the spoilers, which makes me wonder about the ending of the book.

    ReplyDelete
  6. KarennaDecember 18, 2023 at 3:43 PM

    Hi DJ, I've read a couple of Alan Gratz books for classes before, but I've never read this one. It seems really interesting, I'll have to check it out!

    ReplyDelete

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