Remembering 9/11: A reflective reading list for all ages

It’s hard for me to remember that the attacks of September 11, 2001 were so long ago, there are now adults who were born after that day. The tragedy and the changes it wrought are so ingrained for me, I have to make a conscious effort to think of it as an historical event for a lot of people, the same way the generation before me probably had to remind themselves I didn’t see the moon landing.

Much has been written about September 11—the events of that day, what led up to that moment, and how the world changed after. Below are 11 books on the Libby app, fiction and nonfiction, for kids, teens, and adults, to help us all remember and learn more about that monumental day.

Before

What Were the Twin Towers? by Jim O'Connor

One of the most popular series for children, the What Were/Who Was books are great for diving into the most important information on a topic. In this book, O’Connor goes back to the foundation of New York, then New Amsterdam, a vital trading port for the Dutch settlers. He then moves forward to when the idea of building skyscrapers in Lower Manhattan first arose, the politics behind getting land for building, the construction, and the occupation of the Towers. Then comes the first terrorist attack in 1993, and then 9/11. But O’Connor doesn’t stop there, including the new construction and museum. Great illustrations are included throughout.

The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright
🎧 Audiobook

In this Pulitzer-prize winning book, Wright digs into the roots of al-Qaeda, starting with Sayyid Qutb, an influential Egyptian member of the Muslin Brotherhood, whose visit to America in the late 1940s had an unexpected impact on history. From there, Wright meticulously and compellingly shows how influences on growing radical sentiment in some parts of the Muslim world culminated in bin Laden’s decision to target America. Coupled with this are the intelligence mistakes made by the U.S. that allowed al-Qaeda’s unique and deadly attack to succeed as much as it did.

Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 by Steve Coll
🎧 Audiobook

Another book that digs into how al-Qaeda managed 9/11 is Coll’s examination specifically of the CIA. This book opens in 1979 with an attack on the U.S. embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, not long after Iranians took 49 Americans hostage in Tehran. The relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan, particularly the covert relations fostered by the CIA, would prove hugely influential in the coming decade when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, where America’s primary goal was stopping the Soviets. The resulting struggle for the government of Afghanistan, though, led in directions that few predicted. This excellent book provides some of the best, and most readable, explanations for how the world reached 9/11.

The Day

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede
🎧 Audiobook

Built to serve the joint air resources of Canada, Britain, and America in WWII, the airport in Gander, Newfoundland is unique. It’s the first major airport for planes coming from Europe to North America. And because it was built for large military planes, its runway capacity is enormous. This made Gander, a small town of around 10,000 people, the perfect place for planes to land on September 11 when U.S. airspace closed. Over 6,500 passengers found themselves stranded in Gander for the better part of a week, but the Newfies cared for their visitors in a way none of them would soon forget.

Flight 93: The Story, the Aftermath, and the Legacy of American Courage on 9/11 by Tom McMillan

Not every plane reached its target on September 11. Due to delays at Newark Airport, United Flight 93 had not yet been hijacked when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. United 93 passengers reached those in the outside world and discovered the tragedy unfolding in New York and Washington, DC. Using the accounts of those who spoke to passengers, listening to messages left by those aboard the plane, and the cockpit voice recorder and black box information, McMillan constructs a vivid picture of those aboard Flight 93 before it crashed in Shanksville, PA, tragically killing all on board, but no one on the ground.

The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner
🎧 Audiobook

On September 11, sixteen-year-old Kyle sees the planes hit the World Trade Center from his high-school window. After, he makes the long walk home across the Brooklyn Bridge, where he finds a girl in need of help—she’s covered in dust, wearing wings, and can’t remember her own name. He takes her to his family’s apartment to clean up, and a bond is formed. Kyle’s perspective of these events is realistic and visceral, while the girl’s thoughts are expressed in poetry, showing the different ways they experience and think about tragedy, even while coming together to work through this trauma.

I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001 by Lauren Tarshis
🎧 Audiobook
📕 Graphic Novel

When Logan wakes up on September 11, all he can think about is finding his Uncle Bennie. Logan needs his uncle to convince his parents that Logan’s doctor is wrong, and he shouldn’t have to quit football. But Uncle Bennie and Logan’s dad are both New York City firemen, and pretty quickly, football is the least important thing in Logan’s life. This story is a moving read, whether you pick the novel, audiobook, or graphic novel.

Ordinary Heroes: A Memoir of 9/11 by Joseph Pfeifer
🎧 Audiobook

Here is the emotional memoir by the first fire chief on the scene of the Twin Towers on September 11. Pfeifer recounts helping coordinate the response at the World Trade Center from the North Tower, including sending his brother’s firefighting company up one of the Tower’s stairways, from which those men would not return. He also writes about the recovery effort at Ground Zero in the days and months following, and his role in rebuilding the FDNY. The immediacy of Pfeifer’s account cannot be matched.

After

In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years after the 9/11 Attacks by Don Brown

This YA graphic novel opens with Chief Pfeifer and one of the documentarians who was making a film at his firehouse as they respond to planes striking the Twin Towers on September 11. But then the focus shifts to the Pentagon, Shanksville, PA, and President Bush learning about the attacks in a Florida schoolroom. Next, Brown checks in on how people around the world managed, like those who landed in Gander and others who headed for New York to help. The second half of the graphic novel deals with the days following—digging through rubble and the President’s speech at Ground Zero, the American military response, the attempts to identify remains, and more.

Falling Man by Don DeLillo
🎧 Audiobook

Keith finds himself dazed, covered in dust, and carrying a briefcase that isn’t his. A driver asks if he needs a ride somewhere, and without thinking, Keith gives the address of his ex-wife. Keith has escaped his office in the World Trade Center the morning of September 11, and his decision to recuperate with his former wife and their son will have a lasting impact on all of them—as well as the owner of the mysterious briefcase. Meanwhile, flashback chapters show the lives of the hijackers as they inevitably spiral toward tragedy. The writing is both poetic and visceral, and the John Slattery audiobook narration is excellent.

The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States by 9/11 Commission

I’m pretty sure no government report has ever been so widely read. It literally became a bestseller. I mean, I can still remember devouring it myself. More has come to light since its publication, but this official report still contains an extraordinary amount of information about that fateful day. And I doubt any other commission report has ever been so genuinely readable. It’s still worth a look today for those who want to piece together one of the most significant days in the 21st century.

*Title availability may vary.