By Rocco Staino,2011-09-07 11:37:29 SLJ talks to author-illustrator Don Brown about America Is Under Attack (Roaring Brook, 2011), one of the few new titles for young readers that deals with the September 11 tragedy. In conjunction with the book's release, Roaring Brook also has created an online discussion guide to assist parents, teachers, and librarians in presenting the events of that day to young people. Were you a little nervous about taking on a subject like September 11? I was reluctant to tackle the 9/11 project when it was suggested by my publisher; the subject felt too raw and present for me. But I reminded myself that my own troubled, painful memories of that day do not exist for the nine to eleven-year-old readers of the book. In the end, the chance to help young readers make some kind of sense of the tragedy compelled me to do the book. How did you go about researching the book? I read the available books and news accounts about the attack. 9/11, the documentary shot by French filmmakers and brothers, Jules and Gédéon Naudet, was a great asset. It is heart-stopping and heartbreaking at the same time. I believe it contains the only video of the first plane hitting the North Tower. What was the most useful piece of primary source material you used in writing the book? The most useful and most vivid primary source material are the personal accounts of people caught up in the event. Much of it is available online. For example, firefighters talking about miraculously surviving the North Tower Collapse. Did you speak with any survivors? I spoke with people who fled from the street below the towers in the Wall Street area. I spoke with firefighters who labored in “the pile” after the towers collapsed. I visited the wreckage shortly after 9/11. Was your recreation of the damage to the 88th floor drawn completely from your imagination? The drawing is entirely imagined. To my knowledge there are no photos of the interior crash zones of either tower. What did you find was the most difficult image to draw? The most difficult drawing was of people peering out from the wreckage of the upper floors, trapped. Did you think that young readers might be frightened by reading your book? I don't believe most young readers will be frightened. However, parents should read along with children whom they feel might be especially sensitive to the tragedy. Did you try to soften the story at all? Throughout the entire writing process, there were ongoing dialogues between my editors and myself regarding the appropriateness of certain material. At times, the dialogue was spirited. In the end, I think we got it right. Did you purposely decide not to identify United Flight 93 and American Flight 11, the two planes that crashed into the towers, in your story? The flight names are part of the historical record but aren't pivotal to the historical narrative. Where were you on September 11, 2001, and do you remember any specifics of that day? I was home and working. A radio news flash sent me to the television, which I didn't leave for nearly 12 hours. Why’d you dedicate this book to 15 specific individuals who perished on 9/11? I live in one of the many bedroom suburbs ringing New York City that was touched by the disaster. The lives lost in my town rivaled its losses from World War II and Vietnam, and the deaths didn't occur over years but in a mere 102 minutes. I consider my neighbors' sacrifice as profound as any casualty of war and dedicated the book in their honor. America Is Under Attack is the fourth book in your "Actual Times" series. How do you go about choosing your topics? The first three books were “evergreen” subjects—the battle of Lexington and Concord, the sinking of Titanic, the California Gold Rush—that is they were subjects that have had an enduring grip on popular interest. Since these subjects had already been the focus of earlier books, the trick was uncovering a unique and original point of view for our "Actual Times" version. I look for a compelling story with some kind of action attached to it; passive subject matter is difficult to illustrate. I believe the formula has been successful. Both America Is Under Attack and All Stations! Distress! April 15, 1912: The Day the Titanic Sank deal with events in which many lives were lost and abound with personal stories. Are you particularly fond of any real-life characters from these events? The steadfast wireless operator Harold Bride of Titanic, and the selfless North Tower heroes Frank De Martini and Pablo Ortiz come to mind. Of course, there were many, many other brave people in both tragedies, a good number whose heroism happened beyond our knowledge. What in store for you next "Actual Times" book? The assassination of Abraham Lincoln. This article originally appeared in the newsletter Extra Helping. Go here to subscribe.