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.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle Cloud Reader.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Flip to back Flip to front
Follow the Author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
| Price | New from | Used from |
|
Audible Audiobook, Unabridged
"Please retry" |
$0.00
| Free with your Audible trial | |
|
Audio CD, CD, Unabridged
"Please retry" | $27.96 | — |
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Frequently bought together
$8.59
Get it as soon as Friday, Nov 18
In Stock.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Teachers, this is one for the school library and the classroom, and it’s a great one to spark discussion.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 26, 2016Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 17, 2020
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 16, 2021
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 28, 2021
