One Year Later

" Who made this mess, Mommy?" My two-year-old repeated this question over and over as we pushed open the door to the apartment we were renting during our one-year sojourn in Rome; apparently we'd been robbed. I struggled to figure out what to say, what to think, what to do, but essentially I was at a loss. When my fourth grader came home after school, his immediate reaction was: "Did they leave anything that could hurt us? Will they come back?"

On a personal level, the experience in Italy served as a dress rehearsal for the improvisation that parents, teachers, and caring adults around the world were called upon to participate in as the events of September 11 unfolded. There was no script to help us respond to a tragedy of this scale, or to answer children's questions: "Is it going to happen again? Am I going to die?"

Naomi Shihab Nye, the wise and gifted poet, happened to be visiting a school in Oklahoma during the attack.

A student apologized for his query, but asked if she would write about it. She replied, "It would not be my choice of topic… but as writers, we are always exploring what happens, what comes next, turning it over, finding words to sit in like chairs, even in terrible scenery, so maybe I will have to write about it; maybe we all will. Because words shape the things that we live, whether beautiful or sorrowful, and help us connect to one another…."

Her experience appears in an anthology entitled 911: The Book of Help , edited by Michael Cart, Marc Aronson, and Marianne Carus. Each author responds to the subject in a distinct manner; this provocative and intelligent assembly begs to be used by a live audience. In a teacher's guide, Pat Scales's discussion questions and ideas for artistic expression are high- lighted, focusing attention and enhancing illumination. Donna Gaffney and Mary Ann Cernak of the Traumatic Loss Institute have prepared a separate resource for parents and mental-health professionals. Organized by the recurring themes in 911, each section contains author quotes, related physiological and/or psychological information, and a list of the pieces that tie into the theme. Ideas for sharing the book are appended. The act of naming and describing natural human reactions (not to mention the chance to discuss them in the context of the authors' responses) will certainly help young people come to grips with their emotions, learn that they are not alone, and discover tools to help them move forward. (See www.911bookforteens.com.)

As we mark the one-year anniversary of the attack, it is clear that the words have started to flow. Another collection of personal reflections takes the form of a graphic novel, a genre uniquely suited to exploring both the heroic and the darker side of existence. 9–11: Artists Respond, Volume One (Dark Horse, 2002) by Will Eisner, et al., presents a wide range of styles and perspectives. Color mingles with black and white. A full-page, single-image, wordless story follows heavily narrated, multi-paneled tales. Treatments range from political and ironic to spiritual and patriotic; among the most powerful are the panels with no words. A second volume is now available.

Fascinating for its process as well as its product is English teacher Annie Thoms' s compilation with their eyes: September 11th—The View from a High School at Ground Zero (HarperCollins, 2002). Aware of the journalistic roots of the play concerning the LA riots, created and performed by Anna Deavere Smith, Thoms enlisted students at Stuyvesant High School to borrow her technique. Ten young people interviewed a cross section of students, faculty, and staff—eyewitnesses to the horror—and the accounts were turned into monologues.

In a foreword by Smith, the playwright comments on the merging of journalism and drama: "My generation has created a world where we are rewarded for talk.… Very little in our society celebrates listening. That these students… were required… to listen to this talk… is already an advance" [in making the world more habitable]. In creating the play, they were "compelled, then, to empathize with these individuals, to put themselves in another person's words…." This is sure to spark interest among ambitious drama coaches.

The media, naturally, played a monumental role in shaping our awareness and comprehension of each development surrounding the attacks. Leading the list of "news" titles attempting to put the past year in perspective is A Nation Challenged: A Visual History of 9/11 and Its Aftermath: Young Reader's Edition (see review, p. 248), edited by Mitchel Levitas. The lucid text and powerful photographs are all taken from the Pulitzer-prize winning section of the New York Times that carried the same name. It is responsible editing at its very best, appropriate even for children in the elementary grades.

Time magazine reporter Mitch Frank poses the questions what, who, how, and why in order to convey information in Understanding September 11th (see review, p. 244). This is an in-depth exploration of terrorism and Islam, including the roots and results of their intersection, the key players, and the motivational writings. The author writes convincingly (if not always objectively) about why Americans should care about the Middle East and how America has changed since the disaster.

Several publishers have collected speeches, articles, and interviews. High school students will find fuel for debate in The Attack on America: September 11, 2001 (Greenhaven, 2002), edited by William Dudley. The opposing points of view on the interpretations and consequences of the day begin with George W. Bush's statement to Congress on September 20; it is followed by a translation of Osama bin Laden's taped remarks from al-Jazeera TV, aired on October 7. Similarly, William Bennett's exhortation on evil precedes an excerpt from Joel Bleifuss's counterargument "The Problem with Evil."

Tamara Roleff's America Under Attack: Primary Sources (see review, p. 251) pulls together perspectives as different as a civil engineer's account of his escape from the 72nd floor of the North Tower, statements from Tony Blair and Hosni Mubarak, and the infamous Jerry Falwell/Pat Robertson interview. Gail Stewart's America Under Attack: September 11, 2001 (see review, p. 251) tells much of the story from those involved in the action or witnesses. Sensitive readers may have difficulty with the graphic content.

Andrew Santella's September 11, 2001 (Children's, 2002) gives a less emotional presentation of the day's events for middle-grade students. Sidebars present facts about topics such as the Pentagon and Air Force One. The color photographs are less about the attack and more about relevant people or related subjects.

A useful update to the topic in general is Tricia Andryszewski's Terrorism in America (Millbrook, 2002). It puts 9/11 in a historical context, moving from the KKK to the militia movement and Al Qaeda. Andryszewski is adept at articulating the psychology of terrorism and the complexities of counterterrorism for children as young as 12.

There are a few picture-book treatments of 9/11. Child-development experts tell us that it is important to help young people feel secure and loved and, in the face of atrocity, to help them offer a meaningful contribution. Teacher Andrea Patel's On That Day (see review, p. 204) offers listeners concrete ideas. Employing highly textured tissue-paper collages against a field of white space, short sentences, and simple concepts, Patel comforts and encourages children. Ideas to improve things include being kind and sharing. It's simple, reassuring, and perfect for the preschool and primary-grade audience. Susan Roth's reworked title, It's Still a Dog's New York (National Geographic, 2001) is a sensitive treatment that helps children put words to feelings and gives them paths to hope.

A natural entrée to the topic for a young audience is, of course, through the events' heroes. Mary Pope Osborne's New York's Bravest (see review, p. 203) honors the New York firefighters in this tall tale about the real-life, 19th-century Mose Humphreys. Maira Kalman's Fireboat (see review, p. 214) relates the true story of the John J. Harvey, built in 1931 to fight fires on New York piers and called on last September. Lynne Jonell's Bravemole (see review, p. 194) takes the form of a fable. The combination of poetry and art offers another source of inspiration and balm. New to the scene is This Place I Know: Poems of Comfort (see review, p. 213), edited by Georgia Heard. These are pages to go back to. You'll want to frame them. A second worthy anthology is Jane Breskin Zalben's Let There Be Light: Poems and Prayers for Repairing the World (Dutton, 2002). An author's note relays the 16th-century, biblically based legend informing her choices. She pulls papers, styles, and sacred verses from near and far to create a contemplative mood in which to consider peace, presence, and character.

Rabbi Marc Gellman's latest book And God Cried, Too: A Kid's Book of Healing and Hope (HarperTrophy, 2002) uses dialogues between the Angel Gabriel and an angel-in-training to probe the difficult questions arising from 9/11 (or any time of loss and confusion). He concludes each entry with "Things to Think About," in which he speaks as himself. Jewish and Christian adults may find a springboard for scripts here. Gellman worked with Monsignor Thomas Hartman on Bad Stuff in the News: A Guide to Handling the Headlines (SeaStar, 2002). The chapter on terrorism focuses on 9/11. For those who want to cut to the chase (minus the angels), this is quite well done.

Parents who want in-depth guidance will appreciate Harvard psychologist Richard Bromfield's Living with the Boogeyman: Helping Your Child Cope with Fear, Terrorism, and Living in a World of Uncertainty (Prima, 2002). He offers common sense suggestions to parents of preschoolers through adolescents on listening and talking about terror, renewing trust, fostering resiliency, and sharing values.

As I seek to answer my children's questions, I contemplate the holes in our land and in our hearts. Let us seek together to understand and be slow to judge others.

Willing to rehearse our lines with those who speak other languages and wear different costumes. Be open to the comfort and wisdom found in the arts and history, in fiction and fact. As Naomi Shihab Nye penned into my copy of What Have You Lost? (Greenwillow, 1999): "The spaces will be filled again—and in many ways."