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Windows On The World
An undocumented immigrant father has been bussing tables at the famous Windows on the World restaurant to support his family in Mexico. Then, tragedy strikes. His family hears no word for weeks. Refusing to give up hope, they send young Fernando on a quixotic mission across the border to find his father and bring him home. Along the way, Fernando experiences a warm embrace from fellow immigrants and a cold shoulder from The City That Never Sleeps. Told with empathy and nuance, this emotionally resonant story reflects on how the pains of our recent past have shaped the character of America.
240 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2020
3 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Robert Mailer Anderson
6 books7 followersRobert Mailer Anderson is an American novelist.
In 2007 he co-wrote, produced, and appeared in "Pig Hunt," a punkabilly horror film set in Northern California.
In 2007 he co-wrote, produced, and appeared in "Pig Hunt," a punkabilly horror film set in Northern California.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 31, 2020
So, this is a novelization of a movie, screenplay also by Robert Mailer Anderson, who happens to be white. I usually don't read these, but hadn't known about it, then wondered who he is and what the process was, as this focuses on non-white immigration/racism. Was just curious, initially. I started to wonder about the book as I saw faces I recognized, such as Edward James Olmos as the father. So I confirmed this was a novelization, eh, early on.
The executive producer for the film is Edward James Olmos and Michael Olmos directs it; those endorsements are obviously on the plus side. There are dozens of people in the film selling the book on the film website; that gives me pause, for some reason. Probably shouldn't be an issue.The film has already won multiple awards and that's a plus; I thus do want to see it.
The story is about a guy, Balthazar, who leaves Mexico to work in New York City as a dishwasher at Windows On the World of the WTC, which of course collapsed. He worked there to send money home to his family in Mexico. His son Fernando goes to Manhattan to see if he can find his father and connects to a Muslim woman there. And he becomes a window washer (see title, which is obviously about multiple perspectives, especially migrant ones, to help us see what it is really like to want to be desperate to provide for your family, to survive economically. Racism abounds, post 9/11, as we will recall, especially against Muslims, though the anti-immigrant fervor in general began to escalate quickly then, and this story gives you a feeling for that period for immigrants.
The story is pretty straightforward, well-drawn, with clear tributes by illustrator Jon Sacks to the work of Daniel Clowes and Adrian Tomine (who are amazing, among the best artists ever, but who, I'll note, do no social justice work themselves) in his style. The production by Fantagraphics is as usual excellent. I think this can be a useful meditation on 9/11, immigration, racism, economic inequality. And issues of representation. I think it's a good and useful story to tell regardless who is telling it, finally. Glad Olmos got behind Anderson's work.
PS As I take this review to press I see a review of this book by Rod Brown, which I wish I had read before I began to dig into all this, which will make me want to dig into it a bit more myself, maybe. Read that review if you are interested in this book, certainly.
The executive producer for the film is Edward James Olmos and Michael Olmos directs it; those endorsements are obviously on the plus side. There are dozens of people in the film selling the book on the film website; that gives me pause, for some reason. Probably shouldn't be an issue.The film has already won multiple awards and that's a plus; I thus do want to see it.
The story is about a guy, Balthazar, who leaves Mexico to work in New York City as a dishwasher at Windows On the World of the WTC, which of course collapsed. He worked there to send money home to his family in Mexico. His son Fernando goes to Manhattan to see if he can find his father and connects to a Muslim woman there. And he becomes a window washer (see title, which is obviously about multiple perspectives, especially migrant ones, to help us see what it is really like to want to be desperate to provide for your family, to survive economically. Racism abounds, post 9/11, as we will recall, especially against Muslims, though the anti-immigrant fervor in general began to escalate quickly then, and this story gives you a feeling for that period for immigrants.
The story is pretty straightforward, well-drawn, with clear tributes by illustrator Jon Sacks to the work of Daniel Clowes and Adrian Tomine (who are amazing, among the best artists ever, but who, I'll note, do no social justice work themselves) in his style. The production by Fantagraphics is as usual excellent. I think this can be a useful meditation on 9/11, immigration, racism, economic inequality. And issues of representation. I think it's a good and useful story to tell regardless who is telling it, finally. Glad Olmos got behind Anderson's work.
PS As I take this review to press I see a review of this book by Rod Brown, which I wish I had read before I began to dig into all this, which will make me want to dig into it a bit more myself, maybe. Read that review if you are interested in this book, certainly.
August 31, 2020
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, a young man named Fernando Reynoso from Mazatlan, Mexico, goes to New York City to seek information about his missing father, an undocumented immigrant who worked in the Windows of the World restaurant atop the World Trade Center. As Fernando pays to have himself smuggled across the border, I started to flash back to American Dirt and the controversy surrounding that regarding authentic voices as I am unsure that any of the creators of this graphic novel are actually Hispanic. I tried to verify with a few Google searches, but found nothing conclusive, just that Robert Mailer Anderson seems to be married to a Silicon Valley heiress and is quite well off now despite a childhood spent in poverty.
Setting that aside, I next found myself distracted by several of the drawn characters seeming to be based on real life actors like Luis Guzman and Edward James Olmos. Only after finishing did I notice the "Now a major motion picture" blurb on the cover. (It's true! I just grab books off the shelf and start reading without looking closely at the front or back covers for fear of spoilers.) But in searching the book's creators, I found out that this graphic novel is actually an adaptation of the screenplay for the film instead of being the source of the film. So apparently it was drawn using the images of the people they intended to cast. (Guzman's part seems to be played by a younger guy in the trailer, a castmate of Olmos' on Mayans M.C.) The movie was scheduled to be released during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, but has since ended up on a Spanish language streaming service called VIX. Okay.
At this point I feel like I spent more time researching the book afterward than I did reading it.
And how did I actually like it? Well, it was kind of blah, with its slow pacing and cliched writing: our hero ends up in NYC meeting some stock colorful characters and a young woman for a perfunctory romance. Eventually, he discovers some secrets about his father that change everything, and I have to wonder if one of those secrets might be upsetting to people who .
I may watch the movie sometime, now that I know it exists, just to see if Olmos can give the slight story some heft. But I'm worried because Fernando is played by Ryan Guzman, who I watch on CBS' 9-1-1, where I find his acting to be quite wooden.
Setting that aside, I next found myself distracted by several of the drawn characters seeming to be based on real life actors like Luis Guzman and Edward James Olmos. Only after finishing did I notice the "Now a major motion picture" blurb on the cover. (It's true! I just grab books off the shelf and start reading without looking closely at the front or back covers for fear of spoilers.) But in searching the book's creators, I found out that this graphic novel is actually an adaptation of the screenplay for the film instead of being the source of the film. So apparently it was drawn using the images of the people they intended to cast. (Guzman's part seems to be played by a younger guy in the trailer, a castmate of Olmos' on Mayans M.C.) The movie was scheduled to be released during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, but has since ended up on a Spanish language streaming service called VIX. Okay.
At this point I feel like I spent more time researching the book afterward than I did reading it.
And how did I actually like it? Well, it was kind of blah, with its slow pacing and cliched writing: our hero ends up in NYC meeting some stock colorful characters and a young woman for a perfunctory romance. Eventually, he discovers some secrets about his father that change everything, and I have to wonder if one of those secrets might be upsetting to people who .
I may watch the movie sometime, now that I know it exists, just to see if Olmos can give the slight story some heft. But I'm worried because Fernando is played by Ryan Guzman, who I watch on CBS' 9-1-1, where I find his acting to be quite wooden.
August 12, 2020
This is an intelligent, thought-provoking graphic novel about a Mexican citizen who enters the U.S. to search for his father, who was working at the Windows on the World restaurant at the World Trade Center on 9/11.
The book succinctly captures the sights and attitudes of a harrowing and surreal time. This is one of those graphic novels I'd recommend to people who aren't really sure if they like graphic novels, as it shows off what the medium can do.
The book succinctly captures the sights and attitudes of a harrowing and surreal time. This is one of those graphic novels I'd recommend to people who aren't really sure if they like graphic novels, as it shows off what the medium can do.
March 4, 2020
A very heavy, multi-layered look at tragedy and the cycle of poverty.
September 5, 2020
it's a good story, i'm just a little concerned that the authors are white
February 5, 2021
"The world is full of willing people... some willing to work, the rest willing to let them." — Lou
This is a graphic novel I picked up from the library on impulse. I didn't know anything about it other than blurb the blurb basically does it justice. It is a fairly simple story but it is told well and I am glad I read it. Windows on the World is a story with heart and a message. It's a look into another world, the experiences of others. It is a beautiful story in a way a son trying to find his father in the aftermath of 9/11, a journey to a country through dangerous paths. There is diversity in the characters and Fernando's relationships with them. Lou and Albert are endearing in their own ways. I didn't know what to make of Lia, she was supposed to be likeable but something I don't know. The art is all black and white while the shading and detail are minimal the lighting wat not there is a lot of black a white but somehow that works. The time jumps are shown in a way that is at least okay. I quite liked the way Spanish and English were differentiated it's simple but effective. All the character are distinct in their illustration as it should be.
This is an adaptation of Robert Mailer Anderson and Zak Anderson's screenplay for the film of the same name directed by Michael D. Olmos, starring Ryan Guzman as Fernando. After watching the trailer I will say it looks reasonably well adapted. Quite a few of the lines are taken directly and Jon Sack's art reflects the film. I can't tell how widely it was released and the impact covid had on the ability for people to see it but it's out there. But that this is the adaptation, not the film is really not made clear.
I wanna wake up in a city that doesn't sleep
And find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap
These little town blues, are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it in old New York
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York, New York — New York, New York, Frank Sinatra (there is context)
A representative gif:
June 11, 2021
The story here is really well done. It's based on a movie, from my limited understanding. I've never seen the movie, so had nothing to compare it to in my mind. My biggest issue is the artwork. I don't mind black and white coloring, but the text choice between English and Spanish was too close for me. Some of the line work is really heavy, making the pictures super saturated and hard to look at. I had a hard time distinguishing differences in some characters. But, honestly, this is hard to read - especially if you were a tween during 9/11 and it impacted so much of how you view people and the world. It's still so hard, coming up on 20 years later, to think about how many people died that day. And this story raises the important issue of the fact that there were also people that died that day we will never know about - because they were undocumented, and so the were just shadows and didn't officially exist. My heart hurts for everyone who continues to be impacted by 9/11, and I continue to pray for those who choose to risk everything to provide a better life for their families.
November 24, 2020
Windows of the World- I did not think there was much new ground when it came to examining the immediate aftermath of 9/11 but this find some as a son tries to find his father who was working in the towers as an undocumented worker.
Considering the chaos of that time this task seems near impossible but in reality while that is what drives the narrative it is not necessarily the essence of this story. What we see is an exploration beyond that to the soul of who the country became and how this shaped ourselves as a nation.
How the US can be this monolith looking out to the rest of the world ignorant to the complications of others. How empathy can help seal wound but is too often overpowered by resdial anger. This shows you can better understand your own culture by seeing it through the eyes of an outsider.
Considering the chaos of that time this task seems near impossible but in reality while that is what drives the narrative it is not necessarily the essence of this story. What we see is an exploration beyond that to the soul of who the country became and how this shaped ourselves as a nation.
How the US can be this monolith looking out to the rest of the world ignorant to the complications of others. How empathy can help seal wound but is too often overpowered by resdial anger. This shows you can better understand your own culture by seeing it through the eyes of an outsider.
November 29, 2020
It took me less than a day to read this graphic novel. Not that it was short or shallow, but the story flowed well and I needed to read it to the end.
The story centres on a Mexican family whose father may or may not have been caught up in the World Trade Centre attacks. The main character Fernando travels to New York in search - alive or dead - of his father. The experiences of travelling there, of surviving in, and hunting for his father in New York, are the substance of the story. Along the way we have a window into the attitudes of the period, bith about immigrants, the fallout after the attack, and how things were (and probably still are) in the USA when it comes to exploiting illegal immigrants.
The story was well paced, the Art by Jon Sack reminded me of that by the Hernandez Bros, solid and grounding the reader in settings and characters.
A good read.
The story centres on a Mexican family whose father may or may not have been caught up in the World Trade Centre attacks. The main character Fernando travels to New York in search - alive or dead - of his father. The experiences of travelling there, of surviving in, and hunting for his father in New York, are the substance of the story. Along the way we have a window into the attitudes of the period, bith about immigrants, the fallout after the attack, and how things were (and probably still are) in the USA when it comes to exploiting illegal immigrants.
The story was well paced, the Art by Jon Sack reminded me of that by the Hernandez Bros, solid and grounding the reader in settings and characters.
A good read.
May 21, 2022
This is a compelling story of Fernando, a young Mexican man whose father, Balthazar - an illegal immigrant working in the Twin Towers - vanishes during 9/11. Driven to discover if his father is alive or not, Fernando undertakes a personally epic journey from Mexico to NYC, and endured everything the city has to dish out while searching for any hint of his father’s whereabouts. An unsentimental look at the life of undocumented immigrants, and how America kind of hates you until all of the sudden, it kind of hates you less.
August 11, 2020
This was a touching story. It was also sad and disappointing and comforting and uncomfortable ... all within pages and you felt that way more than once in this book. I just wanted to hug some of the characters and was really frustrated with a few of them. But, it was also affirming of the human spirit and the love of family. It made me want to learn more about undocumented families and the 9/11 attacks ...
January 12, 2023
Windows on the World is a quite ordinary but very enjoyable graphic novel that manages, in its final third, to find a spark and pull at the heart strings. Both the narrative and the artwork are competent, workmanlike. We follow the story of a young man's search for his father. The family, in Mexico, has last seen him on television, running from the falling towers of the 9/11 attacks. It's a haunting beginning, understated in its trauma. Lacking the necessary funds the father had sent back home, the son travels to New York to earn money for the family and to look for his missing father. On his search, he meets almost exclusively helpful, friendly people but they are also mostly immigrants like himself. The book evokes a sense of isolation for its protagonist, a sense of being lost in the big city, but he is a young man with plenty of confidence and charisma and he forges the connections he needs to make it in America. Fernando gains employment as a window cleaner and hunts for clues as to his father's whereabouts. Nothing happens of note, until the final quarter of the book when, after assuming his father had died, a last chance clue leads him to a reunion and a resolution.
The book perhaps lacks spark because it's based on a screenplay and there's no doubt the narrative fits into the 2 hour mould of a movie script. Still, Anderson has a firm focus on the themes of the story and really gives a realistic impression of Fernando's life. At the end you can sympathise with his father's wish for invisibility, opening the window on the complexity of trauma that 9/11 broke out. Again, you can really feel the son's division as well, not sure as to whether he wants to return home or whether he wants to establish a new life with the love he has found in New York. While the book wasn't very original, it was quite refreshing to experience the authenticity and simplicity of the story, without the need to resort to awful, heart-ripping climaxes. There is enough struggle in Fernando's story to fill a narrative, struggle that is laced with hurt, loss but also opportunity. It is also a realistic look at the chances of an immigrant looking for a new start. Fernando gets lucky, perhaps more so because of his forward, friendly and positive outlook. Anderson's book makes it clear that his optimistic future isn't the fate of everyone who makes the attempt to conquer New York. What's left is a optimistic togetherness, a community of experience, that dissolves the violence of 9/11. A feelgood movie competently crafted into a feel good graphic novel.
The book perhaps lacks spark because it's based on a screenplay and there's no doubt the narrative fits into the 2 hour mould of a movie script. Still, Anderson has a firm focus on the themes of the story and really gives a realistic impression of Fernando's life. At the end you can sympathise with his father's wish for invisibility, opening the window on the complexity of trauma that 9/11 broke out. Again, you can really feel the son's division as well, not sure as to whether he wants to return home or whether he wants to establish a new life with the love he has found in New York. While the book wasn't very original, it was quite refreshing to experience the authenticity and simplicity of the story, without the need to resort to awful, heart-ripping climaxes. There is enough struggle in Fernando's story to fill a narrative, struggle that is laced with hurt, loss but also opportunity. It is also a realistic look at the chances of an immigrant looking for a new start. Fernando gets lucky, perhaps more so because of his forward, friendly and positive outlook. Anderson's book makes it clear that his optimistic future isn't the fate of everyone who makes the attempt to conquer New York. What's left is a optimistic togetherness, a community of experience, that dissolves the violence of 9/11. A feelgood movie competently crafted into a feel good graphic novel.
November 25, 2020
My six-word memoir: Innocent boy grows up, becomes man
This is a very fast-paced graphic novel. It has beautiful illustrations. I don't want to tell much about the story. It touches your heart. And I have to read that unabridged Don Quixote now.
This is a very fast-paced graphic novel. It has beautiful illustrations. I don't want to tell much about the story. It touches your heart. And I have to read that unabridged Don Quixote now.
December 28, 2021
It's a good story, well-enough-drawn, with a corny ending.
#Mexican Immigration Experience #Wealth Disparity #Good Looks Get You Far #New York City #9/11 #Corny #Cliché if you will.
3.7 Stars
December 4, 2024
For no reason at all I thought this was based on a true story. When I finished and went to look for the facts online, I realized it was based on a screenplay for a movie. It’s a beautifully done graphic novel and a reminder that every tragedy is filled with individual people and families.
February 5, 2022
Sad truth, many more stories go untold because people aren’t documented. Cycles continue and humanity isn’t always kind.
November 1, 2022
Interesting and thought provoking but not sure how I feel about the fact that this was written by a white guy. Or about the fact that the movie came first.
April 22, 2024
3.5 stars
Powerful sad story about a young man searching for his father who may have died on 9/11.
Powerful sad story about a young man searching for his father who may have died on 9/11.
May 26, 2025
Enlightening look at the impact 9/11 made on families beyond the borders of the USA. It's simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming.
August 20, 2025
Great book. Loved it. 😊 Nice Story, good artwork.
really captured the mood of New York City well I thought.
really captured the mood of New York City well I thought.
May 14, 2020
Received this an as an ARC...A Graphic depiction of an immigrant from Mexico searching for his father after the 9/11 tragedy. This would be good read for juniors and seniors, it’s a little too mature for students younger. I liked how it was drawn in black and white, stressing the sadness and depression of that time period. There were times as I was reading the panels, that I got a little bit lost with the story. I would have to go back and re-read in order to understand what was going on. This disrupted the flow of the story. Otherwise a solid story of learning how to move on and realize what is important in life while trying to survive in a new country.
March 3, 2020
*Digital copy on Edelweiss+
Want to read
February 1, 2020Note: I accessed a digital review copy through Edelweiss.
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