There are certain books (and subjects) which can bring tears to my eyes and this is one of them: the stories they tell: artifacts from the national september 11 memorial museum: a journey of remembrance, edited by Clifford Chanin and Alice M. Greenwald. From chunks of the building, a staircase preserved in tact, to wings from a flight attendant uniform and more, these are some of the items in the 9/11 museum. Some were found at ground zero, the Pentagon, or the field in Pennsylvania, others were donated by the families of the lost. There was one American who was not on earth that day, he was working on the International Space Station. The photo he took (and is included here) shows a ribbon of smoke coming from one of the towers as it went down. His friend was the pilot of the plane that hit the Pentagon. He brought his trumpet with him into space and one September day, shortly after the attacks, floating in the Quest airlock, he played Taps.

Fireboat: the Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey, by Maria Kalman is the true story that starts in 1931. The largest of the NY Fireboats, she patrolled the harbor waters until 1995. Destined to be sold for scrap, she was saved by a group of friends who bought and refurbished her and used her for just for fun. Until September 11, 2001 that is.

Kimeli Naiyomah was a student studying in the United States on September 11, 2001. His home was far away, in Kenya, and when he returned for a visit, he told the village of the terrible tragedy. They wanted to do something and soon contact the U.S. Embassy in Narobi. The diplomat, thinking he is coming to meet with the elders he was completely surprised by what actually happened. 14 Cows for America, by Carmen Agra Deedy, in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, and illustrations byThomas Gonzalez, is a true story of kindness and generosity from a small tribe to a huge nation. Powerful.

Reading Hermit With Dog