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All We Have Left
A haunting and heart-wrenching story of two girls, two time periods, and the one event that changed their lives—and the world—forever.
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 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 is determined to show her parents that that they must respect her choices. She'll start by confronting her father at his office in downtown Manhattan, putting Alia 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 past and present, full of heartbreak and hope, two girls come of age in an instant, learning that both hate and love have the power to reverberate into the future and beyond.
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 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 is determined to show her parents that that they must respect her choices. She'll start by confronting her father at his office in downtown Manhattan, putting Alia 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 past and present, full of heartbreak and hope, two girls come of age in an instant, learning that both hate and love have the power to reverberate into the future and beyond.
Unknown Binding
First published August 9, 2016
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About the author
Wendy Mills
16 books142 followersWENDY MILLS was born on the edge of the water and has never left it. She now lives with her family on a small island off the southwest coast of Florida, where she spends her time writing, finding lost socks, and dodging hurricanes. Positively Beautiful is her first young adult novel.
www.wendymillsbooks.com
@WendyMillsBooks
www.wendymillsbooks.com
@WendyMillsBooks
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 792 reviews
December 2, 2017
It's really surprising how underrated this book is....I mean...why isn't anyone talking about it??
This book was such an emotional rollercoaster. Really really touching and thought provoking and shit I'm an emotional wreck right now....
This book was such an emotional rollercoaster. Really really touching and thought provoking and shit I'm an emotional wreck right now....
June 12, 2018
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book. Some parts were good, but other parts left me really questioning the author's choices. This is one of those books that's probably going to be viewed very differently by different generations. My reading experience--being old enough to remember September 11--is going to be very different from the reading experience of the target audience, many of whom had yet to be born when the events happened.
One of my clearest memories from that day--and that's mentioned in the book multiple times--is the clear blue of the sky that morning. I lived on the opposite side of the continent, but our weather that day was almost exactly the same. It brought an eerie closeness to the whole situation, and it almost felt like the same thing could happen here at any moment. My mom and I took a break from the horrors on a never-ending loop on TV (pretty much every station that day was covering the events) and went down to the beach, where we watched diverted plane after diverted plane come in from over the Pacific, making a wide curve to land in Vancouver. The sight alone was unnerving, after seeing the tilt of the planes that we'd watched crash into the towers hundreds of times already.
I think that there's probably a mild element of PTSD for those of us who were old enough to remember that day. Just reading certain passages of this book--people jumping from the towers, the towers falling--was enough to raise my heart rate uncomfortably. (There seems to have been some sort of social consensus not to keep showing the worst images of that day. Unfortunately, millions of people saw footage on September 11 that we'll never get out of our minds.) Of course, this book likely wouldn't have the same effect on a teenager who's only learned about the events after the fact. So... just a warning to the older folks who might be reading this: it may bring up some disturbing memories.
As for the story itself, it was a mixed bag. Much of it felt contrived. What I mean by that is that I could almost hear the author's mental processes as I was reading it. "Okay. So... this needs to happen. What can I do that will put the character in X position so that Y will happen?" This led to a lot of the plot points feeling unnatural. I wanted everything to flow more organically, rather than be shoehorned into place.
The characters didn't help in this respect. To begin with, both main characters are rather bland. I just couldn't connect with them, or feel much about them. Being potentially doomed isn't really a character trait. Also a problem was the fact that Jesse (a girl... which I didn't figure out until I went back and read the synopsis; I don't know why her name uses the male spelling) and Alia, though from very different backgrounds, sounded pretty much the same. I could tell which POV I was in, because the setting was so different, but if the two of them had been in the same room, I wouldn't have been able to tell them apart. Another problem was when the narration would lapse into this poetic sort of voice that didn't really fit with how teenagers talk. It might've worked better in a third-person POV to get around that problem.
I really didn't like Alia. She was kind of all over the place. Maybe the author was trying to paint her as a confused, unsure teenager, but she just came across as inconsistent to me. In one of her first scenes, she's refusing to take off her hijab to use it as a breathing mask when she's trapped in the smoke-filled, burning tower. But then we find out that she only started wearing the hijab that day! I just couldn't see how this stubborn and newfound adherence to her culture was more important than staying alive, and it rang a bit false for me. The other reason I really didn't like her was
Jesse's father was also a terrible character, and not just because he was a horrible person. His character arc was handled really badly. Yes, he's meant to be a sort of grief-twisted monster. He basically destroyed his family, blaming his son for something that the kid really couldn't have done much about. Then the father turned into a raging anti-Muslim bigot, and eventually disowned Jesse, too, when she made friends with a Muslim boy. All of this wouldn't be so bad... if not for how it was resolved. The last part of the book had so much telling, and hardly any showing. We're told that things are explained to Jesse's father, and he There are huge swaths of dialogue that act like info-dumps. A lot of this is crammed into the last few pages, as if the author was getting tired and just wanted to wrap things up.
I can't really say I hated this book, because I didn't. My curiosity and the question of what was going to happen were enough to pull me through the story and keep reading. The story wasn't terrible, but it could've been handled differently. The characters were probably the weakest part for me, and unfortunately, if I don't care about--or like--the characters, I'm going to have a hard time caring about the story.
But, like I said, someone without all the memory baggage of that day might see this book in a completely different way. It's just that, when you're old enough to remember 9/11, you bring a lot of your own stuff to the reading, and expectations are likely to be high. The book better be damn good. For me, it didn't quite get there.
Quotable moment:
One of my clearest memories from that day--and that's mentioned in the book multiple times--is the clear blue of the sky that morning. I lived on the opposite side of the continent, but our weather that day was almost exactly the same. It brought an eerie closeness to the whole situation, and it almost felt like the same thing could happen here at any moment. My mom and I took a break from the horrors on a never-ending loop on TV (pretty much every station that day was covering the events) and went down to the beach, where we watched diverted plane after diverted plane come in from over the Pacific, making a wide curve to land in Vancouver. The sight alone was unnerving, after seeing the tilt of the planes that we'd watched crash into the towers hundreds of times already.
I think that there's probably a mild element of PTSD for those of us who were old enough to remember that day. Just reading certain passages of this book--people jumping from the towers, the towers falling--was enough to raise my heart rate uncomfortably. (There seems to have been some sort of social consensus not to keep showing the worst images of that day. Unfortunately, millions of people saw footage on September 11 that we'll never get out of our minds.) Of course, this book likely wouldn't have the same effect on a teenager who's only learned about the events after the fact. So... just a warning to the older folks who might be reading this: it may bring up some disturbing memories.
As for the story itself, it was a mixed bag. Much of it felt contrived. What I mean by that is that I could almost hear the author's mental processes as I was reading it. "Okay. So... this needs to happen. What can I do that will put the character in X position so that Y will happen?" This led to a lot of the plot points feeling unnatural. I wanted everything to flow more organically, rather than be shoehorned into place.
The characters didn't help in this respect. To begin with, both main characters are rather bland. I just couldn't connect with them, or feel much about them. Being potentially doomed isn't really a character trait. Also a problem was the fact that Jesse (a girl... which I didn't figure out until I went back and read the synopsis; I don't know why her name uses the male spelling) and Alia, though from very different backgrounds, sounded pretty much the same. I could tell which POV I was in, because the setting was so different, but if the two of them had been in the same room, I wouldn't have been able to tell them apart. Another problem was when the narration would lapse into this poetic sort of voice that didn't really fit with how teenagers talk. It might've worked better in a third-person POV to get around that problem.
I really didn't like Alia. She was kind of all over the place. Maybe the author was trying to paint her as a confused, unsure teenager, but she just came across as inconsistent to me. In one of her first scenes, she's refusing to take off her hijab to use it as a breathing mask when she's trapped in the smoke-filled, burning tower. But then we find out that she only started wearing the hijab that day! I just couldn't see how this stubborn and newfound adherence to her culture was more important than staying alive, and it rang a bit false for me. The other reason I really didn't like her was
Jesse's father was also a terrible character, and not just because he was a horrible person. His character arc was handled really badly. Yes, he's meant to be a sort of grief-twisted monster. He basically destroyed his family, blaming his son for something that the kid really couldn't have done much about. Then the father turned into a raging anti-Muslim bigot, and eventually disowned Jesse, too, when she made friends with a Muslim boy. All of this wouldn't be so bad... if not for how it was resolved. The last part of the book had so much telling, and hardly any showing. We're told that things are explained to Jesse's father, and he There are huge swaths of dialogue that act like info-dumps. A lot of this is crammed into the last few pages, as if the author was getting tired and just wanted to wrap things up.
I can't really say I hated this book, because I didn't. My curiosity and the question of what was going to happen were enough to pull me through the story and keep reading. The story wasn't terrible, but it could've been handled differently. The characters were probably the weakest part for me, and unfortunately, if I don't care about--or like--the characters, I'm going to have a hard time caring about the story.
But, like I said, someone without all the memory baggage of that day might see this book in a completely different way. It's just that, when you're old enough to remember 9/11, you bring a lot of your own stuff to the reading, and expectations are likely to be high. The book better be damn good. For me, it didn't quite get there.
Quotable moment:
There’s a bitterness in his voice I’ve never heard before, and I know that somehow he understands what it’s like to feel anger that makes you feel powerful and powerless all at the same time.
July 21, 2016
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
This book is a must read, basically. It's incredibly thought provoking, and deals with a lot of difficult issues. Frankly, this is one hell of a brave book to write, and I think Wendy Mills handled it beautifully and with a great amount of respect and reverence.
This isn't an easy book to read, because while the characters are fictional, the events very much are not. They're real, they're haunting, and this book does not sugarcoat them at all. Nor does it sugarcoat the present, and the hatred that Muslims experience because of their religion on a regular basis. I loved Alia as a character more than Jesse, but Jesse's story was powerful and needs to be told. You won't like Jesse, especially at first. You won't like her family, you won't like a lot of her actions. If you're anything like me, this book will make you sad and angry- and that is a very good thing. We should be sad, and we should be angry, and I think this book does a phenomenal job of explaining why.
Jesse's brother Travis was my age. We were a month apart in age- he even was ahead a grade in school like me. There was a passage in this book that hit home, something I have asked myself many times:
And the book talks about this. Why it actually is important. This book is basically full of fabulous lessons across the board, all intertwined in an incredibly moving story about how the past and present collide; how these two young women, across religion, ethnicity, and time are ultimately connected. It even debunks myths about Islam as a religion, which I think is incredibly important.
Indeed, Jesse. Indeed.
Bottom Line: I'm not saying any more about this because I think you need to read it for yourself. Whether you have memories of that day like I do, or whether you're a bit too young, you need to read this. All We Have Left reminds us why now, more than ever, we need love and acceptance in place of intolerance and hate.
*Copy provided by publisher for review
**Quotes taken from uncorrected proof, subject to change.
This book is a must read, basically. It's incredibly thought provoking, and deals with a lot of difficult issues. Frankly, this is one hell of a brave book to write, and I think Wendy Mills handled it beautifully and with a great amount of respect and reverence.
This isn't an easy book to read, because while the characters are fictional, the events very much are not. They're real, they're haunting, and this book does not sugarcoat them at all. Nor does it sugarcoat the present, and the hatred that Muslims experience because of their religion on a regular basis. I loved Alia as a character more than Jesse, but Jesse's story was powerful and needs to be told. You won't like Jesse, especially at first. You won't like her family, you won't like a lot of her actions. If you're anything like me, this book will make you sad and angry- and that is a very good thing. We should be sad, and we should be angry, and I think this book does a phenomenal job of explaining why.
Jesse's brother Travis was my age. We were a month apart in age- he even was ahead a grade in school like me. There was a passage in this book that hit home, something I have asked myself many times:
"I wonder why it's so important that people recount their own story whenever the subject of 9/11 comes up. I want to yell 'What does it matter where you were? People were dying, my brother was dying, and you were home safe in bed!'"
And the book talks about this. Why it actually is important. This book is basically full of fabulous lessons across the board, all intertwined in an incredibly moving story about how the past and present collide; how these two young women, across religion, ethnicity, and time are ultimately connected. It even debunks myths about Islam as a religion, which I think is incredibly important.
"Close to three thousand people died in pain and terror while the world watched in horror. I thought about what it must have been like that day, to be watching on TV as the towers fell. How could you bear to watch?
How could you bear not to?"
Indeed, Jesse. Indeed.
Bottom Line: I'm not saying any more about this because I think you need to read it for yourself. Whether you have memories of that day like I do, or whether you're a bit too young, you need to read this. All We Have Left reminds us why now, more than ever, we need love and acceptance in place of intolerance and hate.
*Copy provided by publisher for review
**Quotes taken from uncorrected proof, subject to change.
March 25, 2017
All We have left is told in two female voices, one in 2001 and the other present day, but somewhere in this story you will find the voice of someone you know. Possibly yourself.
I was first drawn into the lives of the two main characters, and their individual journeys as teenagers navigating their particular worlds, dealing with issues of bigotry, family tragedy, and romance.
At the half way point, as I went through my day, I found myself constantly wanting to pick up the book, and return to theses unique, engaging characters.
At two-thirds in, I couldn’t go to sleep.
By telling the intimate story of these two girls and their intersecting lives, Wendy Mills tell a universal story of our shared history. There are no good guys good and bad guys. There are human beings, flawed, and brave, frightened, and courageous, angry, and forgiving, wounded, and transcendent.
I was first drawn into the lives of the two main characters, and their individual journeys as teenagers navigating their particular worlds, dealing with issues of bigotry, family tragedy, and romance.
At the half way point, as I went through my day, I found myself constantly wanting to pick up the book, and return to theses unique, engaging characters.
At two-thirds in, I couldn’t go to sleep.
By telling the intimate story of these two girls and their intersecting lives, Wendy Mills tell a universal story of our shared history. There are no good guys good and bad guys. There are human beings, flawed, and brave, frightened, and courageous, angry, and forgiving, wounded, and transcendent.
August 16, 2016
Wow, you guys, this book.
I haven’t really heard anyone talk about this book or even mentioned it. It is a new release and it is a fictional account about the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Following two point of views in two periods of time, this book illustrates the experiences the victims of those attacks had based on many real life accounts from real life victims, which Wendy Mills used to create her own - fictional - characters.
One part of the book is set 15 years after the attacks. We follow Jesse, whose brother Travis died in the World Trade Center. Her father is a massive Muslim hater, and she has very similar beliefs in the beginning, that is, until she actively tries to find out why her brother was there that day and what exactly happened to him.
The other point of view is Alia, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl, who is in the World Trade Center at the very moment of the attacks, becoming herself a victim.
This book made me feel so many things. It gives what feels like an extremely realistic account of what the victims might have felt about it (as much as I as a non-American, non-Muslim person who knows absolutely no one who was directly affected by the attacks can judge that). All the Islamophobia that followed the attacks was very present through Jesse’s narrative, obviously, but so upsetting to read about, especially with Alia’s side of the story. I think the only way the story could have been more powerful would have been had it been written by a Muslim author who could actually say what it is like to live as a Muslim in New York post-9/11, but I think Wendy Mills tackled the topic pretty sensitively for a white author who cannot know what it’s like. She stays pretty clear of talking about what things are actually like for a Muslim person except from the obvious, so while the story could have benefitted from those experiences, I think it’s good that she didn’t just assume things. Reading the Author’s Note, it also becomes obvious that she researched quite a lot for this book and the outcome is, as I said, very authentic and heartbreaking. If you can handle the kind of content (there are relatively graphic descriptions of people trying very hard to get out of a building that is about to collapse), I would definitely recommend checking this book out.
I haven’t really heard anyone talk about this book or even mentioned it. It is a new release and it is a fictional account about the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Following two point of views in two periods of time, this book illustrates the experiences the victims of those attacks had based on many real life accounts from real life victims, which Wendy Mills used to create her own - fictional - characters.
One part of the book is set 15 years after the attacks. We follow Jesse, whose brother Travis died in the World Trade Center. Her father is a massive Muslim hater, and she has very similar beliefs in the beginning, that is, until she actively tries to find out why her brother was there that day and what exactly happened to him.
The other point of view is Alia, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl, who is in the World Trade Center at the very moment of the attacks, becoming herself a victim.
This book made me feel so many things. It gives what feels like an extremely realistic account of what the victims might have felt about it (as much as I as a non-American, non-Muslim person who knows absolutely no one who was directly affected by the attacks can judge that). All the Islamophobia that followed the attacks was very present through Jesse’s narrative, obviously, but so upsetting to read about, especially with Alia’s side of the story. I think the only way the story could have been more powerful would have been had it been written by a Muslim author who could actually say what it is like to live as a Muslim in New York post-9/11, but I think Wendy Mills tackled the topic pretty sensitively for a white author who cannot know what it’s like. She stays pretty clear of talking about what things are actually like for a Muslim person except from the obvious, so while the story could have benefitted from those experiences, I think it’s good that she didn’t just assume things. Reading the Author’s Note, it also becomes obvious that she researched quite a lot for this book and the outcome is, as I said, very authentic and heartbreaking. If you can handle the kind of content (there are relatively graphic descriptions of people trying very hard to get out of a building that is about to collapse), I would definitely recommend checking this book out.
June 19, 2017
I'm conflicted in my rating of this one. I want to give it five stars, but if I'm being honest I think that has more to do with my emotional reaction to the story rather than the novel being five-star worthy. I'm glad I waited a few more days before reviewing so I could think because when everything is taken into consideration, it's definitely more of a three star.
The story is incredibly emotional and I was in tears at the end. How could I not be knowing the experiences of Travis and Alia are based on real stories? Knowing how many people suffered and lost their lives in the attack? It seems, from the little I know, that Mills did her research well which I appreciate a lot.
I wasn't a huge fan of the writing, though. It was hard to get into in the beginning and the secondary characters felt so flat - I really wanted to know more about them and feel we could have gotten so much! I was also way more invested in Jesse's story that I wish this had only been her story and we could find out what happened to Alia and Travis through her some way. Then we could get more involved with Jesse's story because I feel like the dual perspective let us only barely scratch the surface.
It was also a bit slow in the beginning and it wasn't until the last 25% or so that I felt like I couldn't put the book down.
I wanted to like this so much more than I did and it's a very emotional and at times touching story. But once I set aside my emotions, there are things the writing and plot lack that I can't get past.
The story is incredibly emotional and I was in tears at the end. How could I not be knowing the experiences of Travis and Alia are based on real stories? Knowing how many people suffered and lost their lives in the attack? It seems, from the little I know, that Mills did her research well which I appreciate a lot.
I wasn't a huge fan of the writing, though. It was hard to get into in the beginning and the secondary characters felt so flat - I really wanted to know more about them and feel we could have gotten so much! I was also way more invested in Jesse's story that I wish this had only been her story and we could find out what happened to Alia and Travis through her some way. Then we could get more involved with Jesse's story because I feel like the dual perspective let us only barely scratch the surface.
It was also a bit slow in the beginning and it wasn't until the last 25% or so that I felt like I couldn't put the book down.
I wanted to like this so much more than I did and it's a very emotional and at times touching story. But once I set aside my emotions, there are things the writing and plot lack that I can't get past.
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August 10, 2016
This review was originally published on [a cup of tea and an armful of books], where I post other reviews, interviews, and thoughts on books!
All We Have Left is a story about two girls affected by one of the most infamous moments in US history, the attacks of September 11th. Although they don’t know it, that day left its mark on them in ways that will bring them together 15 years later. Alia and Jesse’s stories are woven together through past and present, before and after. All We Have Left brings up the questions that many dealt with in the aftermath of 9/11: whether they were there, like Alia; someone who lost a loved one, like Jesse; or one of the many who just remember. What do you do when the world has changed and you can’t understand why? What do you do when your family has been fractured out of your control?
Although September 11th happened 15 years ago, the setting is very contemporary. All We Have Left is divided into the two periods, the now and then. The “then” is very vivid, even before it gets into the events of that day. I felt that it was the strongest of the two settings, even though I thought that the characters were weaker. The “now” is up to date with what’s going on in the world, especially in relation to racism, terror, and the way that they’re sometimes horrifically connected. The characters in the “now” setting were initially very bland and typical of a young adult high school setting. I was glad that it switched between the two.
Both Alia and Jesse grew on me as I continued to read. At first, I only liked Alia. There was tension in her family and changes that she was going through against the backdrop of a historical event. In contrast, Jesse came off as a whining brat. She had a hard time growing up with the shadow of the death of her brother hanging over her and her family, but I didn’t feel that it was portrayed very well at first. Part of this was due to the fact that the book began slowly. It only allowed Jesse’s storyline to be the cliched high school one. Eventually as the story continued I found myself eager to see what would happen next with her. I ended up being interested in what Jesse did because she was a character who was alive during this event, but too young to remember. I liked that the author used her as an example of the many people who were young during this time. There’s a definite disconnect from not being conscious of the event at the time. Jesse is interesting because although she was too young, she does have that anger and sadness from losing a loved one. I liked that both sides were inside of her character.
Something that I thought Wendy Mills did well was her presentation of Islam in the book. I’m not sure how correct it is because I only know as much as I’ve learned in the few religion classes I’ve taken. I really liked how Adam and Alia looked at the world around them. Adam especially, because he had to deal with people treating him differently due to prejudice after September 11th. Even though there was this prejudice against them, they both looked at the world in a clear way. I really enjoyed that he was able to teach Jesse (and hopefully the reader) about how he saw the world.
All We Have Left, although written in a dual narrative, is primarily about Jesse’s growth. Because her brother died when she was really young, she’s not really known life any differently. I liked that Wendy Mills charted how she came out under the shadow of that and the way that it had fractured her family. We as readers know that Alia and Jesse’s brother are connected, but it takes a long time for Jesse to discover that. The mystery of why her brother was in the Towers is something that has so haunted her family that it was interesting to read as Jesse went about solving it. Another thing that I appreciated was the fact that Mills didn’t let the little romance that was in the book cheapen the more important aspects of it. I would have felt very annoyed and cheated had this book changed tact.
The hardest part about reviewing this book is trying to understand how much of it was I genuinely liked it and how much of it is the emotional connection I had to the characters and my past. It’s hard to read and review a book when it makes you emotional. I’m not sure if I’m emotional because of the book or because it’s about an event that was a shocking part of my childhood. I feel like it masked issues I had with the book, which is why I’ve taken so long to get my thoughts together on it. While it was a good book and I thought that the characters, both main and supporting, were written well, I do think that I was blinded a bit by my own personal memories of that day.
What was good about this book is that the ending leaves Jesse and the reader with hope that she will find peace. Through Jesse, hopefully the reader has found a little bit of peace as well. Although the world is oftentimes full of horrible things, people will always stand up to help and support the others around them. I found the ending very emotionally touching. I recommend this book for readers who like dual narratives and who maybe want to discover a little bit about how the world around them still needs to change for the better.
3.5 stars.
I received a copy of All We Have Left from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All We Have Left will be available on August 9th, 2016.
*Quotes come from an advance reading copy and may be different in the final release.
People were living their lives, doing everyday things, when suddenly the planes hit, and time ripped into two pages titled ‘Before 9/11’ and ‘After.’ With their clumsy stories, they are saying: ‘We all felt it. We remember where we were when the world changed.’
But what about those of us who could not remember that day? I’ve seen the footage, watched the big, clumsy planes crash into the towers like some sort of low-budget action film. Which is worse? To know that things used to be different, or to have never known that more innocent day at all?*
All We Have Left is a story about two girls affected by one of the most infamous moments in US history, the attacks of September 11th. Although they don’t know it, that day left its mark on them in ways that will bring them together 15 years later. Alia and Jesse’s stories are woven together through past and present, before and after. All We Have Left brings up the questions that many dealt with in the aftermath of 9/11: whether they were there, like Alia; someone who lost a loved one, like Jesse; or one of the many who just remember. What do you do when the world has changed and you can’t understand why? What do you do when your family has been fractured out of your control?
Although September 11th happened 15 years ago, the setting is very contemporary. All We Have Left is divided into the two periods, the now and then. The “then” is very vivid, even before it gets into the events of that day. I felt that it was the strongest of the two settings, even though I thought that the characters were weaker. The “now” is up to date with what’s going on in the world, especially in relation to racism, terror, and the way that they’re sometimes horrifically connected. The characters in the “now” setting were initially very bland and typical of a young adult high school setting. I was glad that it switched between the two.
Both Alia and Jesse grew on me as I continued to read. At first, I only liked Alia. There was tension in her family and changes that she was going through against the backdrop of a historical event. In contrast, Jesse came off as a whining brat. She had a hard time growing up with the shadow of the death of her brother hanging over her and her family, but I didn’t feel that it was portrayed very well at first. Part of this was due to the fact that the book began slowly. It only allowed Jesse’s storyline to be the cliched high school one. Eventually as the story continued I found myself eager to see what would happen next with her. I ended up being interested in what Jesse did because she was a character who was alive during this event, but too young to remember. I liked that the author used her as an example of the many people who were young during this time. There’s a definite disconnect from not being conscious of the event at the time. Jesse is interesting because although she was too young, she does have that anger and sadness from losing a loved one. I liked that both sides were inside of her character.
Something that I thought Wendy Mills did well was her presentation of Islam in the book. I’m not sure how correct it is because I only know as much as I’ve learned in the few religion classes I’ve taken. I really liked how Adam and Alia looked at the world around them. Adam especially, because he had to deal with people treating him differently due to prejudice after September 11th. Even though there was this prejudice against them, they both looked at the world in a clear way. I really enjoyed that he was able to teach Jesse (and hopefully the reader) about how he saw the world.
All We Have Left, although written in a dual narrative, is primarily about Jesse’s growth. Because her brother died when she was really young, she’s not really known life any differently. I liked that Wendy Mills charted how she came out under the shadow of that and the way that it had fractured her family. We as readers know that Alia and Jesse’s brother are connected, but it takes a long time for Jesse to discover that. The mystery of why her brother was in the Towers is something that has so haunted her family that it was interesting to read as Jesse went about solving it. Another thing that I appreciated was the fact that Mills didn’t let the little romance that was in the book cheapen the more important aspects of it. I would have felt very annoyed and cheated had this book changed tact.
The hardest part about reviewing this book is trying to understand how much of it was I genuinely liked it and how much of it is the emotional connection I had to the characters and my past. It’s hard to read and review a book when it makes you emotional. I’m not sure if I’m emotional because of the book or because it’s about an event that was a shocking part of my childhood. I feel like it masked issues I had with the book, which is why I’ve taken so long to get my thoughts together on it. While it was a good book and I thought that the characters, both main and supporting, were written well, I do think that I was blinded a bit by my own personal memories of that day.
What was good about this book is that the ending leaves Jesse and the reader with hope that she will find peace. Through Jesse, hopefully the reader has found a little bit of peace as well. Although the world is oftentimes full of horrible things, people will always stand up to help and support the others around them. I found the ending very emotionally touching. I recommend this book for readers who like dual narratives and who maybe want to discover a little bit about how the world around them still needs to change for the better.
3.5 stars.
I received a copy of All We Have Left from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All We Have Left will be available on August 9th, 2016.
*Quotes come from an advance reading copy and may be different in the final release.
September 9, 2022
ALL WE HAVE LEFT was utterly BEAUTIFUL and HEARTBREAKING at the same time. A novel that pulled you in and learned from it. Two girls with two lives and one event that changed them and the world forever. Sixteen-year-old Jesse is used to living with the echoes of the past. After her brother died in the September 11 attacks, her dad is filled with anger and grief at home. When Jesse get mixed in with the wrong crowd, one thoughtless decision turn her life upside down. The only way to make amends is to face the past and is on a journey that could reveal the truth about her brother’s death on that fateful day. Filled with important topics, romance, understanding the Muslim community, and a day on September 11 that we must never forget! A important book to you MUST READ!
September 2, 2016
Review originally posted on Mostly YA Lit:
Hi guys, today I have nice, light-hearted reviews for you, perfect for sum--I'm just kidding. And I probably shouldn't kid about this. Today I'm reviewing All We Have Left by Wendy Mills and 738 Days by Stacey Kade. These are two very different books about trauma and that deal with grief in different situations and circumstances. They're not super easy to read, but they're both pretty good and portray trauma with honesty and compassion. Read on for my thoughts.
Two Books About Trauma and Its Aftermath
A moving portrayal of the before and after of 9/11 and how it affects two teens and their families. Alia is a Muslim teen trying to break free of her parents’ wishes. She ends up at her father’s workplace in the Twin Towers on Sept 11, 2001. Jesse McLaurin is a teenager who lost her brother in the 9/11 tragedy. Jesse's family is now broken and silent about the event. Alternating narratives tell how the past informs the present, and how grief and memory merge and linger.
Warning to readers: this is a slow read at the beginning. It took almost 35% before the action really built. And it’s somber, as befits the topic. But the thing is, even though this isn’t an easy read, I think it’s one worth reading, for a few reasons:
1) I've never read a book that tries to portray what happened on 9/11 to people who were in the Towers. I felt this was done accurately, honestly, and respectfully for a teen audience.
2) The portrayal of grief, trauma, and a family still broken by what happened that day was really well done as well, showing the after effects of 9/11, even 15 years later.
3) This book tackles racial issues, hatred, prejudice, and grief in a way that is really compassionate and comprehensible.
If I have qualms, they are that I just didn’t fully connect with either Alia or Jesse. I think the concept of the book overcame the actual characterization of them. That said, I’m glad I read All We Have Left. It showed such a variety of perspectives on grief and trauma, and how to articulate and move past them. It definitely made me think about how we’ve changed as people and as a world after 9/11 .
Teachers, this is one for the school library and the classroom, and it’s a great one to spark discussion.
738 Days is a very, very good new adult romance book that deals with trauma. I just want to be clear about that because there are some sexy and dark scenes in this book, and I want people to know what they’re getting into. This is not a young adult novel. It's a novel about a girl who is struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder after being horrifically kidnapped, raped, and locked in a room for, yes, 738 days when she was 16.
Fast-forwards to a year after she escapes. It’s...not good. Amanda is terrified to leave the house, her family is either overly protective or ignoring the problem and nothing is getting better.
Enter Chase Henry, the washed-up TV star whose poster was on the wall of the room where Amanda was locked up. He represented hope for her then. Now, his publicist wants him to go meet Amanda to convince her to help him improve his image.
With this somewhat implausible premise, we’re launched into a story about trust, respect, honesty, and courage. What really sings in this novel are the characterizations of Amanda and Chase - both so different on the outside than they are in private. Kade peels back the layers of Amanda and Chase so carefully that even though it's sorta insta-love, you believe in this relationship. Their sense of humour is the same. They’re both dry wits, with a lot to offer, but unable to get past themselves. Amanda and Chase are both battling demons, internal and external; it’s amazing to see how their support for one another changes and shapes them.
The only thing I didn’t love about this novel was the last quarter, which brought more intrigue suspense than I expected - and honestly, not in a good way. Even though I enjoyed the story all the way through, I couldn’t help wishing that this long book had four acts instead of five.
Nonetheless, this is a very good new adult romance that deserves your attention. If you’re okay with some explicit scenes and language, and you’re ready to deal with some really emotional characters, this one is for you.
Have you read All We Have Left or 738 Days? Are you okay with really heavy reads? What books about trauma have you read recently that you think I should read? Hit the comments and let me know!
Hi guys, today I have nice, light-hearted reviews for you, perfect for sum--I'm just kidding. And I probably shouldn't kid about this. Today I'm reviewing All We Have Left by Wendy Mills and 738 Days by Stacey Kade. These are two very different books about trauma and that deal with grief in different situations and circumstances. They're not super easy to read, but they're both pretty good and portray trauma with honesty and compassion. Read on for my thoughts.Two Books About Trauma and Its Aftermath
A moving portrayal of the before and after of 9/11 and how it affects two teens and their families. Alia is a Muslim teen trying to break free of her parents’ wishes. She ends up at her father’s workplace in the Twin Towers on Sept 11, 2001. Jesse McLaurin is a teenager who lost her brother in the 9/11 tragedy. Jesse's family is now broken and silent about the event. Alternating narratives tell how the past informs the present, and how grief and memory merge and linger.
Warning to readers: this is a slow read at the beginning. It took almost 35% before the action really built. And it’s somber, as befits the topic. But the thing is, even though this isn’t an easy read, I think it’s one worth reading, for a few reasons:
1) I've never read a book that tries to portray what happened on 9/11 to people who were in the Towers. I felt this was done accurately, honestly, and respectfully for a teen audience.
2) The portrayal of grief, trauma, and a family still broken by what happened that day was really well done as well, showing the after effects of 9/11, even 15 years later.
3) This book tackles racial issues, hatred, prejudice, and grief in a way that is really compassionate and comprehensible.
If I have qualms, they are that I just didn’t fully connect with either Alia or Jesse. I think the concept of the book overcame the actual characterization of them. That said, I’m glad I read All We Have Left. It showed such a variety of perspectives on grief and trauma, and how to articulate and move past them. It definitely made me think about how we’ve changed as people and as a world after 9/11 .
Teachers, this is one for the school library and the classroom, and it’s a great one to spark discussion.
738 Days is a very, very good new adult romance book that deals with trauma. I just want to be clear about that because there are some sexy and dark scenes in this book, and I want people to know what they’re getting into. This is not a young adult novel. It's a novel about a girl who is struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder after being horrifically kidnapped, raped, and locked in a room for, yes, 738 days when she was 16.
Fast-forwards to a year after she escapes. It’s...not good. Amanda is terrified to leave the house, her family is either overly protective or ignoring the problem and nothing is getting better.
Enter Chase Henry, the washed-up TV star whose poster was on the wall of the room where Amanda was locked up. He represented hope for her then. Now, his publicist wants him to go meet Amanda to convince her to help him improve his image.
With this somewhat implausible premise, we’re launched into a story about trust, respect, honesty, and courage. What really sings in this novel are the characterizations of Amanda and Chase - both so different on the outside than they are in private. Kade peels back the layers of Amanda and Chase so carefully that even though it's sorta insta-love, you believe in this relationship. Their sense of humour is the same. They’re both dry wits, with a lot to offer, but unable to get past themselves. Amanda and Chase are both battling demons, internal and external; it’s amazing to see how their support for one another changes and shapes them.
The only thing I didn’t love about this novel was the last quarter, which brought more intrigue suspense than I expected - and honestly, not in a good way. Even though I enjoyed the story all the way through, I couldn’t help wishing that this long book had four acts instead of five.
Nonetheless, this is a very good new adult romance that deserves your attention. If you’re okay with some explicit scenes and language, and you’re ready to deal with some really emotional characters, this one is for you.
Have you read All We Have Left or 738 Days? Are you okay with really heavy reads? What books about trauma have you read recently that you think I should read? Hit the comments and let me know!
May 19, 2017
This book is SO powerful and necessary, especially now. It shines a light on how hatred and violence can become a vicious cycle, passed from one generation to the next, and how it's up to the generation it is being passed down to to break the cycle once and for all.
I completed LOVED this book. I loved the alternation between the past and the present. I actually skipped back and forth in the book myself. It didn't feel like it had to be read linearly in order to appreciate it. The flow of the book was great.
The message of understanding and acceptance, rather than hatred and anger, was so necessary. This book pulls no punches when discussing racism and how ugly it is. The characters are all people you could meet on the street, with realistic flaws and parts you can see reflected in yourself. This book is REAL.
It's also sad. It deals with 9-11 and the fallout one family had with the loss of a loved one, as well as how their inability to deal with it reverberated out into their community. The characters grow, with secondary characters that are strong and loveable. Well, not all of them. But they all helped in the development of the main character. She LEARNED, which I loved.
This is a must read book, especially for middle grade and higher. 5 stars, recommended for all. I think it would be a good "one school, one book" book. So beautifully well written, with heart and love. This is a keeper, but one I will be passing on for others to read. It's that good and important.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
I completed LOVED this book. I loved the alternation between the past and the present. I actually skipped back and forth in the book myself. It didn't feel like it had to be read linearly in order to appreciate it. The flow of the book was great.
The message of understanding and acceptance, rather than hatred and anger, was so necessary. This book pulls no punches when discussing racism and how ugly it is. The characters are all people you could meet on the street, with realistic flaws and parts you can see reflected in yourself. This book is REAL.
It's also sad. It deals with 9-11 and the fallout one family had with the loss of a loved one, as well as how their inability to deal with it reverberated out into their community. The characters grow, with secondary characters that are strong and loveable. Well, not all of them. But they all helped in the development of the main character. She LEARNED, which I loved.
This is a must read book, especially for middle grade and higher. 5 stars, recommended for all. I think it would be a good "one school, one book" book. So beautifully well written, with heart and love. This is a keeper, but one I will be passing on for others to read. It's that good and important.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
August 24, 2016
I was so incredibly touched by this beautiful story of 9/11. It was told in two perspectives from during the attacks and after. The story reflects events of that day and events that have shaped our lives from that day forward. This was without doubt one of the best fictional accounts of 9/11 that I have ever read and I have read almost everything there is out there. I was so impressed with this book and the beautiful writing of the author that I conducted a short interview with her and did a special review of this on my youtube channel. Please check it out to hear more thoughts from the author and my thoughts on this story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW8mo...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW8mo...
January 2, 2019
This book. This book. This book.
If there is any book you need to have on your "To Be Read" list, make it this one.
This book broke my heart. This book made me smile. This book made me want to hug my loved ones so tightly, and never let go. This book made me believe again. Believe in love, believe in humanity, believe in the idea that someone, somewhere, out there...gets it.
Wendy Mills gets it. She just gets it.
I think it is very brave of her to venture into writing a book like this that is extremely thought-provoking and deals with many controversial and difficult issues. She handles it really well though, and with the utmost respect to all sides and parties involved. Not to mention that her prose is beautiful. She succeeds in being poignant, witty, creative, and honest all at once, displaying a writing skill that leaves you green with envy.
Every interaction, every moment, every emotion, every action was on point. The struggles, emotionally, physically and most importantly, spiritually, were incredibly relatable. As a teenager, as a mother, as a female, as a Muslim, as an Arab, Mills was able to tap into every aspect in ways that no other author, especially a White American (and I say this with so much respect for her), was able to. I have never before read a book about a Muslim girl, her struggles and 9/11 that was so honest and true to our experiences as Muslim girls. It is honest and raw, and many people might find that unacceptable, or might have an issue with how some experiences were related, but all I have to say to that is: you can live in denial all you want, but those are real experiences that even Muslims (both guys and girls) go through and struggle with. No one is perfect, and this is your reality check.
All We Have Left tells the story of two coming-of-age girls, one in the present, the other in the past. It talks about their experiences with 9/11, one right in the midst of it, the other many years later and the affect it's had (and still has) on her family.
You always hear about the world being divided into before 9/11 and after 9/11, and this book portrays those two timelines perfectly. On one end of the spectrum you have Alia, who rushes to catch her dad at his office before going to school because she needs him to sign a slip of paper. Her father works at the World Trade Centre, and on that morning, when she gets in the elevator with a boy called Travis, the elevator stops working, and they get stuck inside for a while. What happens next is gut-wrenching, terrifying and will leave you sitting at the edge of your seats.
On the other end of the spectrum is Jesse, a sixteen-year-old troubled girl, who had lost her older brother almost fifteen years ago at the September 11 attacks, and although she barely remembers him, but his ghost and presence had continued to haunt her family. His death changed her parents, split her family apart, and had a direct effect to the person she grew up to be. So many details about her brother's death remain a mystery to her, the reason he was in the towers at the time of the attacks is unknown to her family, and they've always refused to speak to anyone publicly about it. Instead, her mother keeps herself busy with work and her father spends his time watching the news and raging at the Muslim terrorists. Jesse grew up in an extremely racist household. She grew up listening to her father bad mouthing every Muslim, and spouting so much hate towards them, wishing them dead or worse. She grew up grieving for a brother she never knew, she grew up with an identity that was thrown at her - the girl whose brother died tragically in 9/11 - and she grew up blaming all Muslims for the death of her 18 year old brother.
Not surprising then when Jesse gets involved with a bunch of graffiti artists who put out anti-Muslim messages around town. Except, with Jesse's bad luck, she ends up getting caught and having to do community service at a Muslim Peace Center. This experience makes her question everything she knew and thought of them and allows her to learn more about herself. It also brings up questions of her brother, and makes her curious to find out what really happened to him that day.
As she delves into the past, we get both stories told simultaneously, one from Alia's perspective and the other from Jesse's. As the past and the present gently collide and meet in the middle, we watch as the two girls' worlds interweave together so it all makes sense, and balances out perfectly, all while breaking our hearts.
At one point, I could feel myself breath heavy, like a weight was sitting on my chest, and I needed to thrash and scream to get it off me. It's that kind of book, with that kind of emotion.
I have so much respect for Mills, for how she handled the stories and events and for not sugarcoating any of it. I loved the character development of both girls. Jesse's character development spanned a longer period of time, whereas Alia's character development spanned the course of a few hours - and that alone, is an impressive feat. I also loved all the secondary characters and the role they played in the development of our protagonists.
This book is a keeper. It's a lesson. Its one for the teachers at schools. It's one for the parents at home.
This book is important.
If there is any book you need to have on your "To Be Read" list, make it this one.
This book broke my heart. This book made me smile. This book made me want to hug my loved ones so tightly, and never let go. This book made me believe again. Believe in love, believe in humanity, believe in the idea that someone, somewhere, out there...gets it.
Wendy Mills gets it. She just gets it.
I think it is very brave of her to venture into writing a book like this that is extremely thought-provoking and deals with many controversial and difficult issues. She handles it really well though, and with the utmost respect to all sides and parties involved. Not to mention that her prose is beautiful. She succeeds in being poignant, witty, creative, and honest all at once, displaying a writing skill that leaves you green with envy.
Every interaction, every moment, every emotion, every action was on point. The struggles, emotionally, physically and most importantly, spiritually, were incredibly relatable. As a teenager, as a mother, as a female, as a Muslim, as an Arab, Mills was able to tap into every aspect in ways that no other author, especially a White American (and I say this with so much respect for her), was able to. I have never before read a book about a Muslim girl, her struggles and 9/11 that was so honest and true to our experiences as Muslim girls. It is honest and raw, and many people might find that unacceptable, or might have an issue with how some experiences were related, but all I have to say to that is: you can live in denial all you want, but those are real experiences that even Muslims (both guys and girls) go through and struggle with. No one is perfect, and this is your reality check.
All We Have Left tells the story of two coming-of-age girls, one in the present, the other in the past. It talks about their experiences with 9/11, one right in the midst of it, the other many years later and the affect it's had (and still has) on her family.
You always hear about the world being divided into before 9/11 and after 9/11, and this book portrays those two timelines perfectly. On one end of the spectrum you have Alia, who rushes to catch her dad at his office before going to school because she needs him to sign a slip of paper. Her father works at the World Trade Centre, and on that morning, when she gets in the elevator with a boy called Travis, the elevator stops working, and they get stuck inside for a while. What happens next is gut-wrenching, terrifying and will leave you sitting at the edge of your seats.
On the other end of the spectrum is Jesse, a sixteen-year-old troubled girl, who had lost her older brother almost fifteen years ago at the September 11 attacks, and although she barely remembers him, but his ghost and presence had continued to haunt her family. His death changed her parents, split her family apart, and had a direct effect to the person she grew up to be. So many details about her brother's death remain a mystery to her, the reason he was in the towers at the time of the attacks is unknown to her family, and they've always refused to speak to anyone publicly about it. Instead, her mother keeps herself busy with work and her father spends his time watching the news and raging at the Muslim terrorists. Jesse grew up in an extremely racist household. She grew up listening to her father bad mouthing every Muslim, and spouting so much hate towards them, wishing them dead or worse. She grew up grieving for a brother she never knew, she grew up with an identity that was thrown at her - the girl whose brother died tragically in 9/11 - and she grew up blaming all Muslims for the death of her 18 year old brother.
Not surprising then when Jesse gets involved with a bunch of graffiti artists who put out anti-Muslim messages around town. Except, with Jesse's bad luck, she ends up getting caught and having to do community service at a Muslim Peace Center. This experience makes her question everything she knew and thought of them and allows her to learn more about herself. It also brings up questions of her brother, and makes her curious to find out what really happened to him that day.
As she delves into the past, we get both stories told simultaneously, one from Alia's perspective and the other from Jesse's. As the past and the present gently collide and meet in the middle, we watch as the two girls' worlds interweave together so it all makes sense, and balances out perfectly, all while breaking our hearts.
At one point, I could feel myself breath heavy, like a weight was sitting on my chest, and I needed to thrash and scream to get it off me. It's that kind of book, with that kind of emotion.
I have so much respect for Mills, for how she handled the stories and events and for not sugarcoating any of it. I loved the character development of both girls. Jesse's character development spanned a longer period of time, whereas Alia's character development spanned the course of a few hours - and that alone, is an impressive feat. I also loved all the secondary characters and the role they played in the development of our protagonists.
This book is a keeper. It's a lesson. Its one for the teachers at schools. It's one for the parents at home.
This book is important.
May 28, 2017
Sin palabras. Totalmente recomendado.
August 31, 2018
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fight for your life with a stranger you just met? All We Have Left by Wendy Mills is a novel told from the perspectives of two different teens living in different time periods, tied together by the 9/11 attacks. Jesse, who lost her brother in the September 11th attacks when she was young, must discover more about herself so she can learn from the past. She also has to overcome relationship problems to become the person she used to be. She learns more about the past, and thrives to solve the mystery surrounding her brother’s death. She says, “ Everything's so messed up with my family, and it has been for a long time. Now they’re getting a divorce or something, and somehow I feel like if I figure out what happened to Travis maybe it will help.” Alia, a young muslim girl, gets stuck in an elevator on the day of September 11th, 2001, and she must trust a boy she just met if she wants to make it out of the burning towers alive. Will Jesse discover the secret behind her brothers death, and will Alia make it out alive, or will they become one of the millions who lost their lives in this tragic event?
February 27, 2017
Good book! :D
August 6, 2016
I have several negative things to say about this book but please do not mistake how much I fell in love with these characters and their journey! Jesse has spent her life not knowing the story of how her older brother died, when she goes searching for answers she finds more than just a lost story in the process. When the story begins Jesse is getting mixed up in the wrong crowd and their is a love interest introduced but it all seemed very inconsequential and unnecessary to the story but as more of the pieces fall into place it starts to make sense. I recommend giving this book at least 100 pages because it really takes some time to get a feel for the story, But once you get over that hump it is so worth it!
Alia's and Travis' story naturally is so heart wrenching. Their experience of the 9/11 attack makes you feel like you are in the building feeling the heat of the flames and breathing in smoke. I have read quite a few documentaries and stories from survivors of the 9/11 attacks and I can tell that Wendy Mills did an extensive amount of research and made Alia's and Travis' experience authentic. There were so many heart stopping moments and I never truly knew how the story would end until the second to last chapter.
I loved how real the characters reactions, prejudices, and feeling were; Islamophobia is unfortunately a very real thing people experience and it was dealt with in just the right way while still being true to each character's personality. I have a love hate relationship with the dual perspectives in this novel only because they literally left me on the edge of a cliff at the end of every chapter but for most of the chapters this made my reading experience exciting and continuous. I cried a half dozen times and read this story in just two sittings. It was a huge roller coaster ride of feelings from, anger to hatred and depression and longing. In short this book was amazing and everyone needs to read it!
Final Thoughts
I could not walk away from these characters without knowing how their story ended. This novel was perfectly written and definitely one of the best books I have read in 2016.
Alia's and Travis' story naturally is so heart wrenching. Their experience of the 9/11 attack makes you feel like you are in the building feeling the heat of the flames and breathing in smoke. I have read quite a few documentaries and stories from survivors of the 9/11 attacks and I can tell that Wendy Mills did an extensive amount of research and made Alia's and Travis' experience authentic. There were so many heart stopping moments and I never truly knew how the story would end until the second to last chapter.
I loved how real the characters reactions, prejudices, and feeling were; Islamophobia is unfortunately a very real thing people experience and it was dealt with in just the right way while still being true to each character's personality. I have a love hate relationship with the dual perspectives in this novel only because they literally left me on the edge of a cliff at the end of every chapter but for most of the chapters this made my reading experience exciting and continuous. I cried a half dozen times and read this story in just two sittings. It was a huge roller coaster ride of feelings from, anger to hatred and depression and longing. In short this book was amazing and everyone needs to read it!
Final Thoughts
I could not walk away from these characters without knowing how their story ended. This novel was perfectly written and definitely one of the best books I have read in 2016.
April 25, 2022
It took me a while to get into this as I couldn’t stand any of the characters. When it all started to come together at about 50%, it got pretty interesting, although I still can’t stand the Jesse POV and a lot of the parts of Travis’s. I realize that I have very little patience for reckless teenage heroics, so another audience is likely to love this book while I thought it was just good. Had some good messages and some real dysfunctional family issues. I was unhappy with a lot of the plot elements, but that’s just me being critical.
“ friends are sometimes the only thing keeping us from falling into the abyss. But you have to reach for them, and they have to be there on the side of the cliff reaching out to you, too.”
“When something terrible happens, all we have left is choice. You can fill that awful void inside you with anger, Or you can fill it with love for the ones that remain beside you.”
I think this will especially appeal to girls grades 8 to11. Readers will vicariously experience being inside the Twin Towers when they were attacked on 9/11, and understand some of the tragic aftermath for those indirectly affected. Bonus that you get to see the Muslim perspective, and my rural students in a non-diverse school will get to learn a little bit more about Islam and being a teen Muslim in practice.
“ friends are sometimes the only thing keeping us from falling into the abyss. But you have to reach for them, and they have to be there on the side of the cliff reaching out to you, too.”
“When something terrible happens, all we have left is choice. You can fill that awful void inside you with anger, Or you can fill it with love for the ones that remain beside you.”
I think this will especially appeal to girls grades 8 to11. Readers will vicariously experience being inside the Twin Towers when they were attacked on 9/11, and understand some of the tragic aftermath for those indirectly affected. Bonus that you get to see the Muslim perspective, and my rural students in a non-diverse school will get to learn a little bit more about Islam and being a teen Muslim in practice.
August 11, 2022
Maybe everybody’s story is important, because 9/11 didn’t just happen to the people who died, it happened to the entire country. People were living their lives, doing everyday things, when suddenly the planes hit, and time ripped into two pages titled “Before 9/11” and “After.” With their clumsy stories, they are saying: “We all felt it. We remember where we were when the world changed.”
— What a beautiful and moving story about 9/11 with voices that feel so authentic. It's a very relevant book with a powerful message that needs to be told: That at the end of it all, all we really have left is a choice: whether to drown in hatred or to spread love. And here's to hoping we'd all just choose the latter eventually...
October 10, 2024
As a YA book that talks about race relations and religion in a realistic way, I give it a five.
August 26, 2017
I was surprised by how moved I was by this book, and by then end I was racing through it to find out how it ended. The author does a great job of weaving together the stories of Jesse and Alia, and offers a hopeful ending after dragging you through both the horror of 9/11 and the ugly emotional and cultural aftermath of it. The relationship between Jesse and Adam was a bit too cheesy/on the nose for my tastes, but oh well.
PS I loved the Lia superhero. Where can I read that comic book??
PS I loved the Lia superhero. Where can I read that comic book??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2018
O MY GOSH! IM CRYING!!!!!!!!! not only bc its such a touching story but also bc it makes me sad that i cant keep reading it!!!!!!!!!!!
first of all, GO JESSE!!! NICK IS A JERK HEAD AND WAY TO GO PICKING UP SABEEN's SCARF!!!!!!!!!
and alia, WOW I CANT EVEN IMAGINE!!!!! WHAT A HARD CHILDHOOD!!!!!
definitely one of the BEST books ever.
I DARE YOU!!!!!!!!! READ IT AND YOU WILL NEVER FORGET IT!!!!!!!!!!
first of all, GO JESSE!!! NICK IS A JERK HEAD AND WAY TO GO PICKING UP SABEEN's SCARF!!!!!!!!!
and alia, WOW I CANT EVEN IMAGINE!!!!! WHAT A HARD CHILDHOOD!!!!!
definitely one of the BEST books ever.
I DARE YOU!!!!!!!!! READ IT AND YOU WILL NEVER FORGET IT!!!!!!!!!!
April 29, 2022
i forgot to update this when i started it but i actually enjoyed it more then i thought i would. It’s over two fictional POVs from 9/11 and i’ve read a few books over that but i liked this one. Almost teared up cause dang just thinking about it and how little we know. But i liked how the author connected both characters and how both their stories ended
April 19, 2018
The Character Alia in All We Have Left, shows the character strength bravery. She shows this because since she is a Muslim, she can get much negative feedback but she is very proud of her religion and wears her headscarf to school.
October 23, 2018
This story is about 9/11. The chapters go back and forth between the two characters. The two girls have different views from the experience. I liked Alia's chapters more because they were more intense. More action. The other's character's chapters were interesting but slower and a bit more drama.
May 23, 2017
3.5 stars
dnf
October 11, 2018I started it over a week ago...maybe even more. I put it down.
The narrator was great, that was not the problem.
I just could not get into it. I need my dnf powers back so...farewell book
The narrator was great, that was not the problem.
I just could not get into it. I need my dnf powers back so...farewell book
November 7, 2021
If you ever get the chance, please, please read this book.
March 28, 2022
really interesting to see the different point of views of 911. felt a bit rushed at the very end but still a great read
November 29, 2017
My absolute favorite book, I don't want to spoil it for anyone but when I realized she was with him! Oh my gosh, I practically fell out of my chair, it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I read them in a matter of days. I would 100% recommend this to a friend, but it tugs at the heart strings so have a box of tissues at hand when reading.
October 2, 2019
*3.5*
TW/CW: death of a sibling, drug use, alcoholism, pushy male, Islamophobia, death of a grandparent, death of a friend, suicide, strained parent-child relationships, grief, 9/11.
TW/CW: death of a sibling, drug use, alcoholism, pushy male, Islamophobia, death of a grandparent, death of a friend, suicide, strained parent-child relationships, grief, 9/11.
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