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melbsreads 's review for:
Ground Zero
by Alan Gratz
Trigger warnings: 9/11, terrorism, death, death of a loved one, explosions, fire, blood, serious physical injury, American imperialism, gun violence, Islamophobia.
I've enjoyed all of Alan Gratz's books that I've read (which is almost all of them, I think, at this point), and I was really curious to see how he was going to handle 9/11. I really appreciated that he didn't romanticise America's involvement in Afghanistan, discussing both their role in bringing the Taliban to power in the first place AND their continued occupation of Afghanistan almost a decade after the death of bin Laden.
Brandon's story, trapped inside the North Tower, is well handled and heartbreaking. It definitely paints a clear picture of the events of that day for kids and teenagers who weren't alive to see it first hand.
I did guess one particular plot twist very early into the book, but it didn't diminish my reading experience at all. I'll be very interested to see what Alan Gratz writes next, because this foray into modern history was great.
I've enjoyed all of Alan Gratz's books that I've read (which is almost all of them, I think, at this point), and I was really curious to see how he was going to handle 9/11. I really appreciated that he didn't romanticise America's involvement in Afghanistan, discussing both their role in bringing the Taliban to power in the first place AND their continued occupation of Afghanistan almost a decade after the death of bin Laden.
Brandon's story, trapped inside the North Tower, is well handled and heartbreaking. It definitely paints a clear picture of the events of that day for kids and teenagers who weren't alive to see it first hand.
I did guess one particular plot twist very early into the book, but it didn't diminish my reading experience at all. I'll be very interested to see what Alan Gratz writes next, because this foray into modern history was great.