Rhodes, Jewell Parker. Towers Falling. New York: Little Brown, 2016. Print.
Ten Year old Dèja has just moved into a homeless shelter with her family. Her father is ill and unemployed, leaving Dèja's mother to be the sole breadwinner. Dèja must care for her younger siblings while her mother works at night. The family's move into the shelter also means starting out at a new school, and though Brookville Collective Elementary is welcoming and nurturing, Dèja is tenuous and guarded. Classmates Sabeen and Ben become Dèja's new friends. When their teacher begins a study of the events of Sept. 11th, Dèja is forced to answer some difficult questions for her assignment and for herself. What is a family? What is home? What are the relationships in our lives that change us? Dèja considers these topics while also navigating her family's hardships and the usual struggles of everyday life at school. She also begins to appreciate the value of understanding history and its relevance to her own day-to-day life.
Told from Dèja's point of view the narrative is compelling, authentic and heartbreaking. In a constant state of hunger, Dèja notes with detail what her classmates have for lunch. As Dèja describes the conditions of the shelter and the chaotic environment, readers get a glimpse of what it is like to live in a shelter.
Much of the book is Dèja's processing of her learning with questions, observations, and poignant emotion. As she works through the project with Sabeen and Ben (each facing unique challenges of their own), they tackle difficult topics together through conversations, misunderstandings, and kindness. Dèja is reconciling what she is learning about September 11th, while also coming to understand the effects of the horrific events of this day on her own father, and ultimately her entire family's well-being.
Included in the book are some appropriately placed illustrations by Andrea Vandergrift. In an Author's Note, Rhodes writes of her research for the book, which included visits to a school in Brooklyn.
For teachers considering how to address Sept. 11th in their curriculum, Towers Falling is a must-read -- and will offer much to consider.
To read more about the work of Jewell Parker Rhodes, visit her children's fiction website here.
Great review! I read this book a couple of weeks ago, and I thought it was so well done. I really enjoyed the characters and their struggles with growing up and understanding 9/11. Such a good introduction to that horror in our history.
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