Towers Falling

At school, Ben, Sabeen, and Dèja join to work together on a group project. In their group, each shares their home that they put together. Sabeen shows her home, which she shares with her parents, brother, Uncle Ahmet, and grandmother. Dèja is surprised that Sabeen lives with so many people, and Sabeen explains, “Home is divine. Blessed by Allah.” When Dèja asks who Allah is, Sabeen offers to read her essay aloud, but Ben cuts her off.

Ben explains the picture he drew of his home. He chose to show his home from before he moved to New York.

Then, Dèja shows her clay diorama, but she feels that it’s ugly. She also shows the five paper people that her siblings cut out. Leda drew Os for mouths on each of them. Dèja says she decided not to write an essay, which shocks Sabeen. Dèja snaps at them. She stands up angrily, and the class stares while she declares “I hate this school.” Miss Garcia sends her to the principal’s office, and Dèja becomes sad and worried that they’ll call Pop. 

Miss Garcia comes in and has Dèja follow her back to their homeroom. Dèja points out that “homeroom” sounds similar to “home.” She shows her the diorama she made and explains that Ray and Leda helped her make it. She feels like Miss Garcia understands what her life is like and how hard things are, which makes Dèja nervous.

She explains that Ray is very smart, and Miss Garcia says that “he’s the only one who made home” because the paper dolls that he helped Dèja made show that the people are home, not the room. Dèja thinks that she loves her family.

Miss Garcia asks about her essay, and Dèja says that she didn’t write it, to which her teacher responds that if she misses another homework, she’ll have to meet with Dèja’s parents. Dèja sits down and starts to write it. Miss Garcia shares her lunch, and they work together in the homeroom.

Eventually, Dèja turns in her essay, and Miss Garcia tells her that it is good but that she can do better, explaining that she needs to assert what she believes is true in a concise way. She challenges Dèja to come up with her thesis, which becomes “Home is more than a place” (59).

In addition, Dèja admits that she must apologize to Sabeen. She thinks that she was just jealous because Sabeen’s house is large and everyone is happy in her family. 

This chapter opens with Dèja apologizing to Sabeen, who accepts. Dèja feels close to Ben and Sabeen, thinking that they make homeroom feel like home.

Miss Garcia puts the paper people that Ray cut out up on the board. She says that she thinks that these are the best representation of home. Sabeen points out that the paper dolls are all holding hands, and she holds Dèja’s hand. Dèja adds, “Family is another word for relationships” (63). Eventually, everyone joins hands.

One kid points out that they’re a social unit, and Miss Garcia asks for the others to name other social units they belong to, which draws out examples like synagogue, church, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts. She then tells Dèja to look up the term in a dictionary. Eventually, Dèja says that it means that “[e]veryone’s a part of something larger” (65).

Dèja draws a diagram on the board. She writes her and her friend’s names, and then circles it. Then, she writes another circle that encases it before writing the name of the school. After that, another student points out that they’re in Brooklyn, so another circle, even larger, goes around it. Dèja repeats this first with New York City and then New York State, which forms the largest circle.

Miss Garcia prompts the class to “think critically” about this picture (66). One student points out that they’re “all different but connected” (67). Someone else draws a circle for the US around the New York state one.

Dèja starts to think about Pop, wondering if this lesson would make him mad. Finally, she asks what happened to the towers. Other kids comment on what happened, but no one explains exactly what occurred. Eventually, Miss Garcia asks how many social units are shared between the class and then how many they share with the people who once worked in the Twin Towers. Ben says that the U.S. circle was one example, and another student adds New Yorkers. As a result, the class begins to understand that the effects rippled through the different groups as they encompass the people who passed away.

Dèja isn’t sure how history can be alive and asks why she should care since it happened before she was born. Ben says they should because they’re all Americans, but Dèja isn’t convinced since understanding history isn’t going to make her life any better. Miss Garcia says that they’ll continue the lesson in another class with a teacher named Mr. Schmidt.

Dèja is going over to Ben’s house to do homework, but she must bring Ray and Leda with her too because Pop isn’t feeling well. She says that Pop ruins her life, which causes him to apologize and Ma to chastise her. Dèja doesn’t feel like she can talk to Ma about Pop and has grown tired of being responsible. When she gets Ray and Leda ready to go, Ma thanks her. Dèja tells her siblings to be good.

As they arrive, they hear Ben’s mom, Dora, fighting with Ben’s dad on the phone. Ben explains that his parents are divorcing.

Sabeen soon arrives with her mother, and Dora says that she’ll take care of Ray and Leda. Dèja, Ben, and Sabeen go to work in Ben’s room, which is covered in Ben’s drawings, though Dèja doesn’t see any of his dad. She thinks that “Ben isn’t poor, but I still feel sad for him. I’m not used to feeling sad for folks who have stuff” (83).

Dèja asks why Sabeen’s mom was dressed in black, and the latter explains that it is a niqab, which is worn for modesty. Sabeen says she might wear one eventually, and Ben says that they’d still know her anywhere.

They begin working on their history project for Mr. Schmidt. The prompt was “What are the differences between America’s far past and its recent past?” (84). Dèja says that she doesn’t care about the past and that the future is what’s important. Sabeen asks what she’ll do in the future, and Dèja has a hard time admitting that she hopes her family doesn’t feel as bad in the future. Ben says he’s going to go back to Arizona.

Sabeen mentions that America welcomed her family, and Dèja asks if that’s why she became friends with her and Ben. Sabeen replies that “I welcomed you because it’s what Americans do” (86). Ben points out that some Arizonans didn’t welcome Mexicans, and Sabeen argues that that’s because they forgot what the Statue of Liberty represents. She connects this to the social units they talked about by adding that many Americans are immigrants.

They go back to brainstorming for their project. Dèja says that they should turn the question around and think about what’s similar. Ben says American values, which prompts him and Sabeen to name ideas like “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” the Bill of Rights, religious and political freedom, and voting rights. Ultimately, Ben types the following: “American principles, freedom, democracy, and justice for all, withstand the test of time. History changes. Relationships between Americans change […] But America’s ideals remain strong or adapt and get stronger” (91).

Staring at the screen, Sabeen says that she’s an American, but her family only leaves the house on 9/11 if they have to, and Dèja wonders why. Sabeen starts to cry and asks to go home. Ben explains to his mom that they were talking about the towers. Sabeen leaves.

Dèja says that it’s time for her and her siblings go home. Ben realizes that Dèja really doesn’t know what happened, and he shows her a video of the Twin Towers coming down. It upsets her, and she can’t believe that she never learned about it before. 

Dèja finally knows what happened on September 11, 2001. She walks with her siblings back to Avalon and thinks about the plane crashing into the two buildings. She remembers that, as she was leaving, Ben whispered, “It was terrorists. Muslim terrorists. That’s why Sabeen’s upset” (100).

She thinks about the war in Iraq and continues to wonder why she needs to understand history. As she remembers the video, however, she thinks, “History is alive. Especially if there’s video” (101). She also thinks about how it happened in her country, her state, right near her neighborhood, and she feels the ripple effects that Miss Garcia talked about in class. She still doesn’t get why Sabeen’s family doesn’t feel safe. Dèja wants to get the image of the burning towers out of her head.

They return to Avalon. Ma and Pop seem happy. When Pop gives Dèja a hug, she accidentally admits to not knowing about 9/11 before that day. Pop immediately tenses, and Dèja says that she saw the video. Pop tells her that she can’t go back over to Ben’s apartment.

Ma tells Pop to calm down, and he yells that schools should leave the subject alone. Ma disagrees with him, but Pop wants her transferred to another school, even though she replies that she likes her school. Pop says, “Until you’re eighteen, you’re under my roof. You’ll do as I say,” to which Dèja responds, “This isn’t your roof” (105).

Her answer shocks the whole family, and Dèja feels alone. She takes Ray and Leda to shower, leaving her parents. She feels like her siblings will always choose her parents over her. Pop curls up on the bed.

Leda sleeps with their parents, so Dèja, for once, has the bed to herself. She wonders why Ma treats Pop like a child and thinks that he’s wrong to not want her to learn about the towers, believing that, if it wasn’t important, the school wouldn’t be teaching it.

She imagines drawing two overlapping circles, one with her in it and the other with the rest of her family, feeling that “[f]amilies can break” (108). If she goes to a new school, she worries that her circle of friends will also break.

As she falls asleep, she dreams of a plane colliding with the room she’s in.