Heroes of 9/11

Ten True Tales

by Allan Zullo

The first responders on September 11, 2001 — firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, military officers and even many civilians — risked their lives to save people they didn't know. Every one of them is a hero. This book features ten gripping stories that reflect the countless breathtaking acts of heroism that occurred inside the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a hijacked plane. Among other amazing true accounts, you will read about the miraculous survival of the fire captain and his men who were buried alive when the north tower collapsed... the cop who dodged death twice to help save others... and the two navy officers who ran into a burning, crumbling section of the Pentagon to rescue a trapped worker.

(From Allan Zullo's website)

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, History, School, Short Stories, Middle Grade

181 pages, Paperback

First published July 10, 2010

About the author

Allan Zullo is an American non-fiction writer. He is the author or co-author of more than eighty paperbacks for adults and children.

A native of Rockford, Illinois, Zullo graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1969 with a degree in journalism. His books include The Baseball Hall of Shame and Baseball Confidential (both co-written with Bruce Nash), A Boomer's Guide to Grandparenting (co-written with his wife Kathryn), and the Haunted Kids series. Zullo has also written articles for The National Enquirer, The Christian Science Monitor, Ladies Home Journal, and The Palm Beach Post. His syndicated comic strip "The Ghost Story Club" ran in American newspapers from 1995 to 1998.

Zullo currently lives in Fairview, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Amanda Tero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, where do I begin? Zullo did an amazing job bringing 9/11 to life with his retellings of several surviving heroes of 9/11. It made me proud to be an American, even though my heart cried for all of the lives lost. Not only does Zullo explore men who helped during the Twin Towers, but there were also stories of a several men at the Pentagon, and the heartrending reports from the hijacked plane that crashed in the field.

This would be a great book for teens to read, to inform them of what happened during 9/11, but going beyond the tragedies to the way men and women reached out to each other.

The main disclaimer is that God's name was used in vain all throughout the book. I realize this is modern writing, secular, and as accurate as possible, but I didn't like that at all.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second “Ten True Tales” book by Allan Zullo that I’ve read. He is really a great writer, and you can tell he’s done meticulous research. Each book has a lot of information packed into less than 200 pages. The intended audience is middle-grade readers, but anyone who likes history would find this series fascinating. I would especially recommend them for middle-school and Y.A. teachers.

Memorable Quotes:
(Pg.51)-“On the way there, the truck drove past the various Port Authority police commands where officers stood outside and saluted in honor of the only K-9 to die at the World Trade Center.”
(Pg.120)-“Ironically, ground was broken for the construction of the Pentagon on September 11, 1941-exactly 60 years to the day before it was attacked.”
(Author’s Note)-“As paramedic Charles Sereika told me, “All the real heroes died that day. The rest of us just did what we could”.

Lest we forget...

[Becca Bindert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why did you pick this book?
The reason i decided to read this book is because i needed a nonfiction book to read. Also I really find history about 9/11 and books like that interesting to read.
What is the significance of the title?
My book is called Heroes of 9/11 and the significance of this title i would say is that it resembles and honors those fallen soldiers from the 9/11 attacks.
What is the purpose of this book?
I think that the purpose Allan Zullo wrote this book is for two reason the first to recognize all the fallen soldier and people who were unable to escape. Second to have the survivors of the horrific attack tell their story on what they heard and saw that day.
Who would the audience be? I think that the audience for this book could be anyone young or old who just likes to hear all the interesting facts about history.
3 facts
#1 One fact that i find very interesting is that even though the north twin tower was bombed into first then later after the south and the and the south tower still collapsed first. I thought that that fact was really interesting and very scary for the people in the south tower that went to help at that time
#2 Another fact was that 9/11 the most deaths occurred in the officers department from EMTS to firefighters to police officers. To me that just defines the Title of the book Heroes of 9/11.
#3 The last plane was scheduled to land somewhere near the Washington area but members on board heard about the attacks and then found out that there plane had been hijacked. They later teamed up and crashed the plane. I think that these people are very brave who knows where this plane would have went and how many people would have died.
What is the theme of the book?
I think the theme of the book that the author is trying to show people is that if you every have a chance to help someone because someday when you ar struggle and got through something they will return the favor back to you. Also i think this show how when our country is hurt we pull together and don't back down and become stronger as a whole.
What are three reading strategies that you used?
#1 First I previewed the book by reading the back of the book and the about the author, then asked my siblings what they thought of the book because they had read it.
#2 Next i visualized all the horrific details that this book describes about people jumping out of the building as their last hope and the twin towers collapsing on people.
#3 I predict that many peoples lives would have been taken throughout the course of the book and that many people would suffer the loss of love ones.
What did you think of the book?
I thought that the book was sad. Who in their right mind would do something like that out of anger its just sad. I also thought that it was very interesting in the history aspect.
They will always be remembered as heroes.

[Brandon Bastar]

Personal Response
I liked the book Heroes of 9/11 . It had very detailed information about how every person felt throughout each story. It had great detail about all of the thoughts and emotions running through everybody’s minds.

Plot
The book, Heroes of 9/11 , by Allan Zullo was very interesting. It gave great detail through each of the stories about how everybody reacted to the attack. In each story, there was a different perspective about how people saw the planes hit the building. Other stories mainly focused on how people reacted to it and what they did to survive while all the debris was falling off the building. Each story explained all of the thoughts and questions running through people’s heads. Everybody thought it was an accident when the first plane hit, but when the second plane hit, everyone knew it was a terrorist attack. One story that came from a bystanding citizen. He said that when he saw the second plane hit the tower he knew everyone there was thinking the same thing he was, how could he survive this. There was falling debris everywhere and people scattering all across the streets. He knew that he needed to find a safe building and get as many people in there as possible. Once he had several people in a room with him he blocked off the air gap under the door so no dust or debris could get in.

Characterization
There was not a main character in this book. It was based off bystanding citizens’ and firefighters’ stories and how they saw and reacted to the attack of 9/11. Each story had great details about what everybody was thinking and all the emotions that ran through their heads. One story came from a fire department that just arrived to the scene. Seconds after, they started to run towards the building they heard loud rumbles from the ground. It turned out to be bodies hitting the concrete. At that point the top of the building was so bad, people took their own lives, because they knew there was no way to escape.

Setting
This book took place on September 11, 2001 in New York City at the world trade center. There were 2,996 people killed because of the terrorist group al qaeda. New York City is a very big city, there are millions of people who travel through there each day. The terrorists aimed for the world trade center because their main goal was to kill as many people as possible, and there were thousands of people just in the two buildings.

Recommendations
I would recommend this book for someone who is looking to hear about all of the thoughts and emotions that everyone had when the attacks of 9/11 happened. I would recommend this for boys and girls ages eight and up, because there is information about people dying that younger kids should not hear.

[704John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is quite sad. It deals with terror attacks which can be very emotional for people, so I don't recommend this to someone who might be scared by reading this book. For the other people, I say this is a great book. It talks about all the people who in some cases sacrificed their lives to protect others. This gives me hope and faith in our country and shows me that there are good people in our world.

[Gavriil Gavriiloglou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book Heroes of 9/11 by Allan Zullo shows us how brave first responders were and even civilians to probably go back inside a tower they almost died in to save others lives. I recommend this book to people who like nonfiction.

[Trevor Solis]

Good

[Kayleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is so hard for me to review because of the subject matter. I was barely alive when this actually happened but I've always been really interested in learning and reading about 9/11 and the survivors or hearing people's stories from that day. I'm glad I got to read this book and appreciate their stories but I almost wish I was able to take them in, in a different format. I think the writing style of this book just wasn't for me. The stories were interesting and I'm so glad they got told but the way the author wrote it was a little boring at times. I also wish we would have gotten more of the what happened after that day sections at the end of each person's story. Truly I am so glad I read this and think that it's so important to tell these stories I just don't think that this was a way that worked for me entirely.

[Ashley Case · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very simply written and straight forward, filled with heroism and courage that every American should know about.

[Sheriden Haase · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal- The book Heroes of 9/11 was a great book. I liked this book because of the stories ten individuals had shared who were actually in the 9/11 attacks. In my mind, Heroes are not people with capes, they are people who run into danger without thinking twice. This book was a must read because it blew me away.

Plot- The plot of this book consist of ten people who risked their lives to save the helpless civilians who were trapped in the burning building. On September 11, 2001, a terrorist group called Al Queda flew two United Airline airplanes into the World Trade Centers. These terrorists planned the attacks for months and were suicide bombers. Their plan worked, bringing both the South and North Twin Towers down to the ground. The ten individuals in this book risked their lives to save civilians. The first story was about firefighters who arrived at ground zero and rushed into the tower to save people. While in the buildings, they heard rumbling and were told to evacuate the building. As they were leaving, they found a heavy set man who they carried out. Another hero was Captain John Jonas, who was trapped with his team in the North Tower when it collapsed. The people who were trapped on the fifth floor during the collapsing of the tower surprisingly survived. Thirteen people survived who were in the building when it collapsed.

Characterization- There are ten individuals mentioned throughout this book. These men and women risked their lives to save another person who they had never seen before. A lieutenant named Ross was trying to get to the building when something struck the concrete just three feet in front of him. He soon realized that it was a person. People were leaping from their deaths so they wouldn't be burned. Captain John Jonas was helping an injured woman down the stair when the building started to collapse.

Setting- The setting of this book took place in New York City. The two buildings that collapsed were call the north and south Twin Towers. Firefighters and police officers from different states raced to help civilians. The terrorist attacks happened on September 11, 2001 at about nine o'clock in the morning.

Thematic- Two of the men were together during the falling of the north tower. They both were helping a girl who had been injured. They both put their bodies over the girl to protect her. Some of the firefighters were killed because they would not leave their crew in the buildings. The theme of honor by never leaving a man behind was huge in this book.

Recommendation- I recommend this book to women and men ages 16-35 years old who want to learn about the sacrifices that men and women had to make during the terrorist attacks. I think there was a lot of good information that adults should tune into. I give this book a five star rating because of the detail and the individual stories.

[American Mensa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heroes of 9/11
by Allan Zullo
Review by Cole P. age 12 Permian Basin


A true story of bravery

Heroes of 9/11 is a short non-fiction collection of 10 heroes from the attacks on 9/11. From firefighters at the World Trade Centers to the brave passengers on United Flight 93, this book keeps account of the bravery and hard work these people had while saving tons of peoples’ lives.
Firefighters, police, EMTs, and just plain civilians go into the burning buildings and help people escape. Getting trapped in the rubble having to wait long hard hours was just one of the many challenges these brave people had to face.
Being only 181 pages this book is an easy read. The stories are not connected together, so you can read this book in any order you want. Whether you just want to know more about 9/11 or are related to some of the many great people who sacrificed their lives to save the lives of others, this is a great read that described exactly what happened to 10 of the hundreds of heroes.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s hard to describe this book in just words. It told the story of many survivors of 9/11 that fought hard to keep their lives from terrorists. What is the best thing, is that they refused to let idiots from ruining their lives. Since my dad was in the twin towers on that fateful day and luckily escaped, this is a book to remember.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my third book by Allan Zullo. All of them so far have been excellent. I went into this book knowing only the basics about 9/11. When and where the planes crashed, and a rudimentary understanding of what it was like inside the World Trade Center Towers. This book includes not only information about what went down at the World Trade Center, but also the Pentagon and Flight 93. This book makes me feel like I know all there is to know. Incredibly thorough in all the details.

Zullo begins with a brief synopsis of the full disaster, then zeroes in on the World Trade Center. I really appreciated the map because it helped me visualize where all the buildings were. The first six stories of heroism occur at the World Trade Center. All of the stories are incredible, but the one I found most unbelievable and inspiring was the story of the uncollapsed part of stairwell B in the north tower. I had never heard of this. After firefighters in the north tower heard that the south tower had collapsed, they knew they had to get out. They were rapidly making their way down when they came upon a woman who refused to move. Her legs physically had given out. She convinced her coworkers to go on without her, but she could not convince several firefighters. They would not leave her. They worked to get her down, but it was slow going. Then suddenly they heard the sound of the floors above them crashing down like a stack of pancakes. They waited to be crushed, but miraculously that part of stairwell B was spared. After 4 hours they were rescued. They later learned that had their descent not been slowed down by the woman they had to carry, they would have been crushed in the tower lobby. That is flat out incredible.

The next three stories are about heroes caught inside the Pentagon. Rather than get out as fast as they could, they ran toward the disaster, battling against intense heat, toxic fumes, and darkness to rescue people, knowing the building could collapse at any moment. And finally we have the story of what happened on flight 93. A group of men, who knew the fate of their hijacked plane, decided to fight back. In a valiant effort, they tried to force their way into the cockpit, but the hijackers sent the plane into a death spiral before they could get control. Their sacrifice prevented a worse disaster in Washington, D.C.

This is fantastic narrative nonfiction. I seriously shred a few tears reading this. It makes me proud to be an American and proud of all first responders who would rather die in action than leave a comrade behind. We need more books like this.

[Alex Minow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would rate the book “Heroes of 9/11” by Allan Zullo 5 stars out of 5. This story was about a sequence of events that happened on 9/11. All these miniature stories inside this book shows of the horrifying events that people faced on 9/11. When the captain of the fire department Jay Jonas from New York here's the ringing of the emergency radio, he does not know what he's about to Indore. He never expected anything this great, it was one of the most destructive things in history. When the firefighters arrived at the burning World Trade Center, they must build up all of the courage inside of them to face this atrocity. During the same day a jetliner right outside Washington DC was being taken over by Terrorists. The Terrorists pilot the plane straight into the Pentagon crashing into the Pentagon. Colonel Philip has to find a way to save all the lives. From the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to terrorist hijacking planes, all these stories of true American heroes on the day that changed America as we know it. 9/11. The target audience for the story is for people who like to hear about true events in real life stories. People who enjoy those characteristics of novels will love this book because all the stories inside this book are true and did happen. I recommend this book to my peers because it was a great quick read and it kept me in formed about the tragic day of 9/11. I like this book because sometimes I felt like I was right there in the moment experiencing some of these tragic things. This book is a tearjerker, but at the same time it is hard to put down.

[Deborah Prachaseri · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandson was reading this book for school and wanted me to read along with him over Thanksgiving break. All though each chapter is one person’s perspective or story, it is interesting how intertwined people in huge cities were. Particularly, those who worked in many capacities at the World Trade Center or the various agencies sending in first responders.

Having myself the day at work etched in my memory far from any of the sites on 9/11, I thought I’d seen so many accounts on hours of tv year after year, documentaries and movies that there may be nothing new to learn.

However, I particularly realized I did not know the stories of the pentagon or the layout well or hear as much about what occurred there at all.

Regardless of the person or place, the writing style was very engaging and you were 100% emotionally pulled in and invested in each story.

It both saddens me to know another generation has to learn these stories as much as I am bolstered by the fact we still care enough to remember this history and the heroes of that day. Bring the tissue.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author did a fantastic job communicating the intensity of the situation and the emotions of these surviving heroes of 9/11. I like that he shared little random details that made these heroes real people like you and I who chose to do the noble thing. One such detail was a police detective who thought to use the bathroom before responding to the call, because he knew he wouldn't have another chance for quite some time.

There were a lot of details to keep straight. I loved the thoroughness, but might lose teenagers. Such details included the various men and their ranks as well as details regarding streets, etc. (however, he did provide maps, so that helped immensely).

I loved that he covered stories from both the twin towers and the Pentagon, and had a chapter at the end piecing together the details of flight 93.

I appreciated that he wasn't afraid to mention faith and prayer when that was something important to the protagonist.

Two issues with the book. A couple chapters in the middle were a little "slower." Most people he interviewed, when aware of the enormity of the situation, responded, either internally or externally, with "my God..." Zullo recorded that, multiple times, in his book. I have very mixed feelings. On the one hand, he is accurately reporting the high emotion of the day. On the other hand, he is writing a book for young people, who hear that enough every day without having to read it in a book. I wish he had found another accurate way to portray those responses.

[Heidi Morrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic compilation of 10 true stories from survivors of the terrorist's attacks on 9/11. Some of the stories I knew about, but others I did not. This review comes 2 days prior to the 24th Anniversary. I would highly recommend this book for all Americans. I would highly recommend this book for all Americans. Before you begin reading this book, you might want a box of tissues close by. As you share with your children, let them know where you were on that day that "woke up a sleeping giant". (Didn't we learn anything from WWII?) I would encourage you to instill in those same children the American Patriotic spirit that holds our country together. Teach them our Pledge and to sing and honor our National Anthem. Plant flags on your own property. Be proud of your US Citizenship, and Vote for those who cherish and will uphold our American freedoms we hold dear. Remember those who have paid the ultimate price for those freedoms. Never Forget.

[Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like books that have true stories about people who worked together on one of the Worst days in American history? Anyone who likes books that tell real accounts of what people did on 9/11. On september 11, four planes were hijacked by terrorists and 3 of the 4 hit some of Americas most important landmarks. One thing that I learned from this book was that the twin towers were 110 stories tall, and that there were 7 WTC (World Trade Center) buildings in total. This book was written by Allen Zullo, who has written many books about historical situations such as WWII. A part that I found interesting was that there was a true story about flight 93, with actual recordings and messages that were made by the people on board that helps explain how they were able to make such a heroic acheivement.

[Antonio Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

These ten true tales are inspiring ones and go to just show how determined and fearless our soilders have been to avenge this country. This short 251 pages long book is short but enough 1st person accounts to make you be amazed by the courage of these soilder's. The setting is right after 9/11 and the U.S. has declared war on the Taliban and Al-Quaeda , being responsible for the deaths of all those innocent people lost in 9/11. These soilder's though aren't here to recieve a simple apology. but are there to avenge the fallen and bring peace to the world without terrorists. And these stories are of the people who risked their lives for this country, their bravery, courage, and strength.

[Sara Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story, which includes ten different accounts from 9/11. The first part of the book is very deep and hard to read, looking at how many lives were effected that day and all the damage that was done. It has some very interesting and amazing stories. I did enjoy that one of the stories was told a couple of times, but from different peoples perspectives. At first, I was hoping for a different story since it was the first couple like that, but I really did like it. Overall, I would recommend this book but be careful about the audience when reading all the facts at the beginning.

[Laylah]

I read the book called Heroes of 9/11 by Allan Zullo. Its about the first responders on September11th.The book talks about the firefighters,policeman,paramedics,medical technicions and military officers stories on September 11th. It talks about what they experienced during that day.It also tells us what the civilians had to go through.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten stories of hero survivors are told in this book. Six are from the World Trade Center, three from the Pentagon, and one from Flight 93. While this book is written for kids, it doesn’t sugar coat the chaos and death and destruction of that day. I highly recommend Heroes of 9/11 to middle grade kids.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

the date you completed reading the book: 11-9-20
a star rating: 5
the date: 11-14-20
the genre: informative chapter book
appropriate grade range: 2-5
a written book review:
A great resource to help teach children about 9/11 and the people who acted as heroes that day by risking and giving up their lives to help others.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the quicker but more interesting books I've read in terms of nonfiction, but it was worth my time. The way the author brings out the stories of these individuals is very satisfactory and makes it a book you can't put down. No spoilers

[Sarah Muang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book because it tells me more information of 9/11 i even found out who
hijacked the planes.I also love this book because they took there time to go
to people and talk about what they saw.I also love this book because they make
people want to read this book.

[Kari Allsup · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great piece of nonfiction for young readers. I think it especially valuable, since all of my students were born after 2001, they often don’t know anything about 9/11. I’m thinking of using sections of this book in a nonfiction unit.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read much and watched a number of videos about 9/11. The stories in this book are breathtaking detailed accounts of the minute by minute survival and heroic actions from 9/11. The book is evokes sadness and suspense but leaves you inspired.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring stories from the tragedies of 9-11. Stories of people unexpectedly thrown into horrific circumstances but that acted at risk of their own lives to save others. Written in a way upper elementary students could read but also informative for adults.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of all the stories of all the people involved in 9/11 helping others, I would expect a portion of these to highlight women, but no. Ten true tales of men only.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is a fantastic book yet it is heart breaking and sad it made me cry so beware