All We Have Left is a fictive contemplation on 9/11 and its effect on a family 15 years later.

The first chapter begins with Alia, a hijab-wearing Muslim girl who finds herself trapped in an elevator in the South Tower with an attractive young white man named Travis. The teens manage to free themselves from the elevator and join hoards of panicked people in the stairway, breathing through their clothes in order to avoid inhaling the noxious jet fuel fumes. Firefighters run up and down stairwells, yelling commands at the building's occupants—a scene of chaos and terror.

The next chapter introduces the reader to Jesse, Travis's younger sister, who endures her parents' unrelenting grief over his death 15 years earlier. Now living with only her father, he rages at both her and the TV sporadically and unpredictably. Jesse struggles with the usual teenage dilemmas, but her curiosity over her dead brother and his last hours begins to overtake her. She researches the tragedy, hoping to uncover valuable information about her sibling's final actions in the tower. 

Author Windy Mills, through powerful transitions and heavy descriptions, educates readers on Islam and the damaging effects of Islamophobia. A must-read in this current political climate.

All We Have Left by Wendy Mills, 2016

Learn More

• Wendy Mill's website
• 9/11 Museum
• Books on 9/11
• Books about Islam

This book was quite difficult to get through, especially since I live in NYC. However, it was insightful to learn more about Islam through a young girl's perspective. Also, I loved the cover with heart-shaped leaves and the NYC skyline that made up the tree's foliage.