''American Widow'' (2008,

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

), written by Alissa Torres and drawn by Sungyoon Choi, is a

graphic memoir An autobiographical comic (also autobio, graphic memoir, or autobiocomic) is an autobiography in the form of comic books or comic strips. The form first became popular in the underground comix movement and has since become more widespread. It is c ...

about Torres's experience as a widow of the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

in 2001. The story is told in non-chronological order, alternating between Torres's post-9/11 experience of widowhood, pregnancy, media attention and bureaucratic nightmares; and backstory about her and her husband Eduardo (Eddie). Most of the images are drawn by Choi, but photos of Eddie also appear in two sections, as well as a photo of Alissa and her son. The story starts on September 11, 2001, with TV announcements about the attacks on the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

, where Eddie has just started a new job as a currency trader with

Cantor Fitzgerald Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. is an American financial services firm that was founded in 1945. It specializes in institutional equity, fixed income sales and trading, and serving the middle market with investment banking services, prime brokerage, an ...

.Taylor, Charles
"A Grief Observed,"
''New York Times'' (Sept. 7, 2008).''American Widow'' review
''Publishers Weekly'' (July 14, 2008). Chapters 2 and 3 give the backstory from Alissa and Eddie's first meeting in August 1998 to Alissa's pregnancy and Eddie's new job at Cantor Fitzgerald. Chapter 4 depicts the night before the attacks and suggests conflict between them, although the nature of the conflict is not revealed.Gustines, George Gene

''New York Times'' ( Sept. 24, 2008). Then it depicts Alissa going downtown after the attacks to look for Eddie. Chapters 5 and 6 depict Alissa's continuing search for Eddie until she confirms his death, the funeral planning and her frustrations in dealing with the Red Cross and Cantor Fitzgerald for assistance and benefits. Alissa's son is born in chapter 7, and chapters 8 and 9 deal with the experience of being a 9/11 widowed mother, dealing with the press, the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

(FEMA), the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

and the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

; and gives more of Eddie's backstory, with him growing up in Columbia, showing him to be strong and a fighter, juxtaposing with how Alissa feels. Chapters 10-14 take place in January–May 2002 and depict legal nightmares and people's good will turning sour. Chapters 15–17 lead up to the one-year anniversary of 9/11, and chapter 18 takes place in September 2002: Alissa gets an invitation from the Independent Women's Forum, to an anniversary dinner for 9/11 widows. Alissa goes to the dinner, then decides she has had enough and leaves the dinner and goes with her son to Hawaii, where she had once vacationed with Eddie, to get away for the anniversary.

References

Sources consulted

* Weiss, Piper
"9/11 Widow Rebuilds Life with Son She Had Month After Attack,"
''Yahoo! Shine'' (August 26, 2011).

External links

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504082631/http://www.newsarama.com/994-9-11-s-legacy-alissa-torres-american-widow.html , date=2016-05-04 2008 non-fiction books American memoirs Autobiographical graphic novels Books about the September 11 attacks Non-fiction graphic novels Nonlinear narrative literature Random House books