with their eyes: September 11th: The View from a High School at Ground Zero – An Acclaimed Young Adult Play About Student Witnesses

by Annie Thoms, David Levithan (Foreword)

Commemorating twenty years, this deeply moving play, written by high school students who witnessed the tragedy unfold,  remembers September 11, 2001 . This edition features new cover art, an updated introduction from Annie Thoms, and a new foreword from New York Times bestselling author David Levithan. A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
“Profound.” — Booklist
“Moving.” — Publishers Weekly
“Rings with authenticity and resonates with power.” — School Library Journal Tuesday, September 11, started off like any other day at Stuyvesant High School, located only a few blocks away from the World Trade Center. The semester was just beginning, and the students, faculty, and staff were ready to start a new year. But within a few hours on that Tuesday morning, they would share an experience that would transform their lives—and the lives of all Americans. This powerful play, written by students of Stuyvesant High School based on their interviews with the school community, remembers those who were lost and those who were forced to witness this tragedy. Here, in their own words, are the firsthand stories of a day we will never forget. This collection helped shape the HBO documentary  In the Shadow of the Stuyvesant High on 9/11 . For dramatic rights, please visit

272 pages, Paperback

Published August 10, 2021

About the author

Annie Thoms received her MA in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is currently an English teacher and theatre advisor at Stuyvesant High School.

Reviews

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would be a great read based on the subject matter and premise of it being a collection of first-hand accounts. Unfortunately, this was not the case and the execution didn't work for me.

The book is actually a series of monologues from staff and students of Stuyvesant High School, that were then performed as plays by other actors. I was expecting actual interviews with those at the high school recounting what they saw, heard or experienced. It is in a way, but the effect just wasn't there. I also found the repetitions very annoying (people saying 'you know' and 'um' and 'I dunno' etc every sentence) and that distracted me from enjoying this book.

Another issue I had was the overall vibe I got from the book and author. Firstly, I was quite turned off at the introduction. Not only did it drag on, it also sounded self-important and like it wanted a pat on the back for being diverse and inclusive and thoughtful.

Secondly, I disliked how much focus was on the play and its impact instead of on the tragedy, its casualties and its effect on the country. I am aware that this is about centered on Stuyvesant High School and that was what I wanted to read about, not the play.

Nevertheless, I appreciate the insight from those who were actually at ground zero and the intention of the book, so 2⭐ for that.

[Hayden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely repetitive and felt very informal.

[Emma Gergus · Rating 4 out of 5]

“With Their Eyes” functions like a mosaic: distinct pieces, each with its own texture, color, and shape, symbolizing the uniqueness of each lived experience. Some pieces hit quickly; others linger more slowly. Some are heavy in the way grief can be heavy: quiet, internal, almost restrained; others are sharper, more immediate. As a collection, this play feels curated rather than compiled, and that intentionality is one of its greatest strengths.

My one hesitation is structural, and it’s worth naming because it shaped my reading experience. I understand the choice to mimic spoken word: the breath, the pause, the emphasis implied through spacing and lineation. In theory, that form fits a text like this as each piece is meant to sound like voices, not essays. In practice, however, I often found the line breaks and repetitive language to be more distracting than illuminating. At times, the segmentation felt off-putting: less like purposeful pacing and more like an interruption of thought. Instead of guiding my attention, it occasionally pulled me out of the emotional current of a lived experience.

Even with this frustration, the work stands out. “With Their Eyes” is impressively composed, thoughtfully curated, and emotionally honest without feeling performative. As an educator, this play serves as a reminder that young writers are capable of extraordinary literary empathy when we give them the space to do so.

[Ms. Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains interviews from people that help remind us the scope of 9/11. While it was a National story and incident, to so many people it was also just another day in their life. This book is great at adding in perspectives that make 9/11 seem even more human.

I plan on having my students read excerpts from this to help them wrap their head around what 9/11 is since all of them were born years after it occurred.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A play performed by the students of Stuyvesant high school which is located near the World Trade Center Towers on Sept 11,2001. The play is a variety of monologues and is not just about that day but about the aftermath of the New Yorkers that went to school in that area. I enjoyed this and it had me running to Google Earth to see the locations referenced in this play.

[Kaycee McKee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I hadn't even heard of the play before, but it was neat to see the first-hand testimonies from people who witnessed such a massive tragedy and historical event. That said, the script style format with all the 'ums' and 'likes' got a little distracting at times and those could've probably been trimmed for a better reading experience.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting looking into 9-11