Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story

Whew. I finished this book an hour ago and I'm still crying a little.

Let me see if I can stop this weeping and tell you about the story.

Four kids with four separate lives in four different locations. It's a countdown format: September 9th, September 10th, and then, September 11th. The story shifts from person to person, with ordinary days for each child, leading up to the terrible day. Each child has his own problems—a new school, loss of a father, a terrible dad, issues over being Muslim—but none of these has any connection with 9/11, and each child's story is distinctive and compelling on its own. And then the terrible day comes, and each child suffers from the effects of the 9/11 in his own way. To close, the author brings all four children together a year later and they finally come together in a moving way.

I can't say enough about this book. It's emotionally moving and thoughtful and brilliantly written. Wonderful.

And now I really, really must stop crying.