The Twin Towers

The teens who form the audience for this book were toddlers on 9/11/01. They will need the background provided by this title to understand the onslaught of media coverage that is certain to happen this year, the 10th anniversary of the attacks. Abbott opens with a brief description of the hijacking of the first plane to hit the World Trade Center. Subsequent spreads describe the life of the towers, discussing such topics as their design and construction, but also the 1993 attack on the complex. Other chapters include “The Rise of Islamism,” “America Fights Back,” and “The Widening War,” which details the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. A chapter covering “The Attack” is matter of fact, providing unstinting facts and death tolls. Though such horrors as victims jumping to their deaths are mentioned, they are not shown; the large color photographs are nothing more than youngsters can see on TV, depicting the explosion as the plane hit the second tower, for example, and ground zero after the collapses of the buildings. A necessary and high-quality title.