9/11 Commission Report -- Graphic Novel

The 9/11 Commission released its report in December 2005 and it was so large and complex that no one was reading it. So they turned to comic book veterans Sid Jacobson (artist) and Ernie Colón (editor). Knowing that we have lessons to learn, these two have rewritten the Commissions report in graphic novel form to make it more accessible to the general public.

It has received good reviews from reputable sources such as the Library Journal. The users of Amazon.com rated it 4.5 stars out of 5 (38 reviews). My wife bought it and she is currently reading it. Not that any government report is entirely interesting, but as an American who is concerned about our welfare as a Nation, I am going to read it over Christmas break and keep this copy for my classroom when I am a teacher.

Never before has the government worked to make something so accessible to the public. If they go to the trouble and expense, then I will go to the trouble to read it and learn. I encourage you to buy your own copy and read it. It’s not that long. The book is available in both hardback and paperback versions.

(Actual pages from the graphic novel.)

From the Library Journal:
“Beginning with a time line of the morning of the attacks, they move on to a history of al Qaeda and its previous attacks against the United States. They also detail U.S. counterterrorism activities in the years before the attacks; missed opportunities to prevent the attacks; and the many recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, ending with the commission's December 2005 report card on the government's implementation of those recommendations. Jacobson and Colon avoid sensationalism and editorializing; the captions are adapted or directly quoted from the report itself (though much dialog is seemingly invented to illustrate certain points). A larger format would have made the sometimes small text more readable. The artwork is well done, and its depiction (with some blood) of the destruction and the doomed victims can be chilling. Simultaneously released in hardcover and paperback, this important and worthy effort belongs in all libraries.”

From Stan Lee:
"Never before have I seen a non-fiction book as beautifully and compellingly written and illustrated as The 9/11 Report, A Graphic Adaptation. I cannot recommend it too highly. It will surely set the standard for all future works of contemporary history, graphic or otherwise, and should be required reading in every home, school and library."