The Man Who Walked Between The Towers

1. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA
THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS

Written and Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein

Publisher: Roaring Book Press

Publication Date: 2003

ISBN: 0-7613-1791-0

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Philippe Petit, a daring young man who had already walked on a wire bwtween the steeples of the Notre Dame Cathedral, felt drawn to repeat this feat between the nearly completed World Trade Center in New York City. This true story is told by Mordicai Gerstein in his book, THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS. In a simple, but poetic style, Geristein tells how Petit dressed as a construction worker to gain access to the roof of the South Trade Center tower. During the night, with help from some friends, Petit strung a sturdy cable between the two buildings. As the sun rose in the sky, Petit began his walk a quarter of a mile above the streets below. After successfully completing this illegal act, police arrested Petit and he was later sentenced by a judge to perform in the park for children.

3. CRITICAL ANALYISIS:
Published after the horrific events of 9/11, this story is a reminder of all that was lost that day. Yet, it is surprisingly uplifting as the reader finds themselves being drawn into the story, rooting for Petit to successfully complete his task. Gerstein shares this story with the reader using few words, allowing his beautiful illustrations to pull the reader into the story. The different perspectives he uses in his drawings to re-create Petit's walk let the reader be on the wire with Petit. I am partial to the cover drawing, where all you see of Petit is his foot, gracefully balanced on the wire while far below, cars and trucks hurry along, oblivious to what is happening above them.

The opening illustration along with Gerstein's words, "Once there were two towers..." immediately caused me to think back to the time when the tall Trade Center Towers completed the New York City skyline. As I read the story and got wrapped up in Petit's brave goal, and wanting to see him succeed, I couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness knowing that the place where Petit successfully crossed the towers was forever gone. Yet, Gerstein's final drawing with the ghost-like image of the Twin Towers rising up into the clouds reminded me that those towers will always be there because of the memories they evoke in all of us. Whether it is thinking about Petit's brave walk, or the bravery hundreds showed that fateful day, this story reminds us that the Towers will always rise from the skyline.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS:
From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "The vertiginous views paint the New York skyline in twinkling starlight and at breathtaking sunrise. Gerstein captures his subject's incredible determination, profound skill and sheer joy...With its graceful majesty and mythic overtones, this unique and uplifting book is at once a portrait of a larger-than-life and a memorial to the towers and the lives associated with them."

5. CONNECTIONS:
*Students can research for current information about Philippe Petit and find out how he reacted to the destruction of the World Trade Center.
*Create a scale model of the towers to give students an idea of how tall the buildings were, and how high up Petit was when he made his "walk" between them.
*If the playground is large enough, have students measure off a quarter of a mile.