Wendy Mills

A haunting and heart-wrenching story of two girls, two time periods, and the one event that changed their lives--and the world--forever.

All We Have Left

Interweaving stories from past and present, All We Have Left brings one of the most important days in our recent history--September 11th--to life, showing that love and hope will always triumph. Now: Sixteen-year-old Jesse is used to living with the echoes of the past. Her older brother died in the September 11th attacks, and her dad since has filled their home with anger and grief. When Jesse gets caught up with the wrong crowd, one momentary hate-fueled decision turns her life upside down. The only way to make amends is to face the past, starting Jesse on a journey that will reveal the truth about how her brother died. Then: In 2001, sixteen-year-old Alia is proud to be Muslim . . . it's being a teenager that she finds difficult. After being grounded for a stupid mistake, Alia decides to confront her father at his Manhattan office, putting her in danger she never could have imagined. When the planes collide into the Twin Towers, Alia is trapped inside one of the buildings. In the final hours, she meets a boy who will change everything for her as the flames rage around them . . . A Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2016 selection

Sven Test

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

I cannot begin to express how this story impacted me, helped me learn, opened my eyes, and made me feel so much. There were moments when I felt I was inside the tower and picture everything in my head. I tried to stop reading this book so I could do my normal life stuff, but this story gripped me so hard and it begged me to keep reading. This was more than I imagined it would be. I knew it would be emotional, but not like this.

A lot of the events that Wendy Mills included in the story are actual events that happened on September 11, 2001. While reading, you know they have to be real. There's no way it could be faked with the rawness of the situations. I even thought the author had been there for the events to be so detailed, but she actually did lots of research and was able to include the tragedies that a few people went through on that day.

"I think bravery is trusting yourself enough to know you can hold on for that one more minute."

One aspect I wasn't expecting of the story was the Muslim side. Let me tell you, I loved that the author added so much of this in the story. She talks about the hatred towards Muslims back in 2001 and in 2016, and the sad truth is that sometimes we judge all of them for just a bunch that committed a crime. We shouldn't judge any of them at all and this story taught me that.

I was happy to see that Ramadan was in this story! I actually learned about this around a month ago, thanks to a friend from Instagram who explained everything to me. To see it in the story and know that everything mentioned was exactly how it's done in real life, filled me with joy because there's truth behind it all. The author didn't just include it for the sake of writing a story. She did her thorough research and it shows because I felt the conviction of the author through her writing.

There are so many life lessons throughout the story, with Alia's life and Jesse's life. I wasn't a fan of Jesse at the beginning. She was ignorant, blaming every Muslim for what had been done to her family, making reckless decisions. Along the way, she's able to see that not all Muslims are mean, that a lot of them are just like her. When the realization happens, you see her slowly develop into a better person.

"When you see a mountain, you either want to go around them, climb over them [...] But the one thing you never can do is ignore them."

All We Have Left conveys a powerful message about acceptance, understanding, and most of all, love and unity. My review will never make this book justice. You have to go in blind and experience everything that this story will make you feel.

I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

Tracie McMurray

Wow! One of my reluctant readers at school told me this was the only book that she read every single word. It was beautiful.

emily allen

Tomorrow is 9/11, and my heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by this single, horrible date in history.

I am 15 years old. I was born almost 2 years after the collapse of the Twin Towers. I, personally, have no connection to them.

But I'm an American - of course I know about the atrocities of 9/11, and the racism that continued to prevail long after. Of course I know how this single event shook an entire nation - no, the entire world - to its very core. But to me, it's a date. As distant and blank in my mind as the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I know it happened, and I know it's consequences still ripple through society. But I'm born in a post-9/11 generation, one that has been raised on these tales of horror. It's terrible for me to say, but I've grown immune to them. They're so commonplace that I'm  used  to hearing about terrorist attacks. And it is awful.

But this book. Reading this book gave me the biggest slam of perspective that I have ever experienced. 

At first, I found both characters annoying. Jesse was racist and I saw her as that, and only that, not a 3-dimensional character. Alia was bitter that she was caught with a joint and was going to ditch school to complain to her dad. I don't know, I found her a little bit...irrational.

But now I understand why.

They are two kids. They both made mistakes. Neither are perfect, and neither are evil, either. They're just people. And they got affected by 9/11. They got touched, down to their very soul, even though they're both kids. The horror didn't skip over either of them because of their age, their normalcy. They were affected, just like everyone else.

Don't get me wrong. Reading Jesse's character development was interesting and happy, ultimately. She was a racist, and she corrected herself. She became friends with the people she hated. She learned not to generalize or marginalize. It was beautiful. And...mundane. I didn't really care about her, to be honest. I read to get to Alia. Although I understand the importance of her character, and I advise anyone who reads this to read her parts with an open mind. She really is a great read, I was just bothered by her - but the story wouldn't've been the same without her.

Okay. Alia's turn.

At first, I thought she was annoying. Melodramatic, if you will. But as we started reading her perspective as the planes crashed? As the towers fell? The pure, heartbreaking terror that consumed everything she did while she continued to be a hero? It was one of the most emotion-packed things I've ever read. And trust me, I've read a lot.

I was scared. My heart was beating at a million miles an hour as I read her scenes. We're similar in age, so the thoughts, the fear, and the excitement that crashed through her mind was something I could relate to. Her love for her father was, too. Because of that, when the towers fell and she had to work through her horror to help others, to save people's lives, and watch as people ended their own, I felt like it was  me  in her place. It was heart-wrenching.

The connection between Alia and Jesse, and the bond formed between Alia and Jesse's brother - that was one of the most intricate and unique things I'd ever read. They were all connected, even though most of them had never met. With just hours together, Alia and Jesse's brother had a tight relationship that can only be formed through trauma. And it was fantastic to read. 

Never before have I understood the full scope of 9/11. I've always known about the day, and its significance, but reading this book through someone who had lost a brother to the attack, and who had actually experienced it, made it so, so powerful. I can truly process the pure fear that struck the nation that day, because for the first time I understand why it was so abominable, and why we haven't been able to take a breath since.

This book will shape the way you view the world, and that's really all I have to say.

Faith

DNF. I'm sure it's not a bad book, but the two main voices were so similar i couldn't keep them apart.

Iween Suni

Such an important and big topic was tackled in this book - one that I've never read about before, and is done in such a delicate way. I can't say much for the Muslim representation in the book, though I am a Muslim, this is an American Muslim representation after all. And though I found it slightly difficult to emotionally connect with the characters, I think that the overall message and the fact that this book opens up an area of discussion that I've rarely come across, really made and shaped this book.

Jeni Enjaian

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would.
At first, I found it a bit strange to think of the 9/11 attacks as something that happened long enough ago for it to be used in flashbacks, as a part of history. As someone the same age as Alia during her narrated sections, I found myself struck by that historical enormity. (I also felt similar while visiting the 9/11 museum this past March with my students, none of whom were alive back then; it took place years before their birth.)
As the book progressed, the alternating narration wove the narrative closer together in a way I did not suppose possible when I first started reading the book.
I loved getting a peek into Alia's creative brain whenever she felt a flash of inspiration for her comic book superhero, Lia. The only thing I wished Mills had done more of was explore more of Alia's reasoning for wearing the headscarf. The narrative did not have enough space to explore this before the traumatic events of 9/11 began occurring in rapid succession, understandably shifting Alia's focus.
I definitely recommend this book, especially to the targeted generation, those without any personal knowledge of 9/11.

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

I cannot begin to express how this story impacted me, helped me learn, opened my eyes, and made me feel so much. There were moments when I felt I was inside the tower and picture everything in my head. I tried to stop reading this book so I could do my normal life stuff, but this story gripped me so hard and it begged me to keep reading. This was more than I imagined it would be. I knew it would be emotional, but not like this.

A lot of the events that Wendy Mills included in the story are actual events that happened on September 11, 2001. While reading, you know they have to be real. There's no way it could be faked with the rawness of the situations. I even thought the author had been there for the events to be so detailed, but she actually did lots of research and was able to include the tragedies that a few people went through on that day.

"I think bravery is trusting yourself enough to know you can hold on for that one more minute."

One aspect I wasn't expecting of the story was the Muslim side. Let me tell you, I loved that the author added so much of this in the story. She talks about the hatred towards Muslims back in 2001 and in 2016, and the sad truth is that sometimes we judge all of them for just a bunch that committed a crime. We shouldn't judge any of them at all and this story taught me that.

I was happy to see that Ramadan was in this story! I actually learned about this around a month ago, thanks to a friend from Instagram who explained everything to me. To see it in the story and know that everything mentioned was exactly how it's done in real life, filled me with joy because there's truth behind it all. The author didn't just include it for the sake of writing a story. She did her thorough research and it shows because I felt the conviction of the author through her writing.

There are so many life lessons throughout the story, with Alia's life and Jesse's life. I wasn't a fan of Jesse at the beginning. She was ignorant, blaming every Muslim for what had been done to her family, making reckless decisions. Along the way, she's able to see that not all Muslims are mean, that a lot of them are just like her. When the realization happens, you see her slowly develop into a better person.

"When you see a mountain, you either want to go around them, climb over them [...] But the one thing you never can do is ignore them."


  All We Have Left
 conveys a powerful message about acceptance, understanding, and most of all, love and unity. My review will never make this book justice. You have to go in blind and experience everything that this story will make you feel.

I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

Eva looijestein 

maddie

Yuki lim 

mack_n_cheese

Now: Sixteen-year-old Jesse is used to living with the echoes of the past. Her older brother died in the September 11th attacks, and her dad since has filled their home with anger and grief. When Jesse gets caught up with the wrong crowd, one momentary hate-fueled decision turns her life upside down. The only way to make amends is to face the past, starting Jesse on a journey that will reveal the truth about how her brother died. Then: In 2001, sixteen-year-old Alia is proud to be Muslim . . . it's being a teenager that she finds difficult. After being grounded for a stupid mistake, Alia decides to confront her father at his Manhattan office, putting her in danger she never could have imagined. When the planes collide into the Twin Towers, Alia is trapped inside one of the buildings. In the final hours, she meets a boy who will change everything for her as the flames rage around them . . . Interweaving stories from past and present, All We Have Left brings one of the most important days in our recent history to life, showing that love and hope will always triumph.