Windows on the World

Windows on the World chronicles a son's search for his undocumented father who was working in the Twin Towers on 9/11. His father had a job as a dishwasher at the Windows on the World restaurant to support his family in Mexico. When his family does not hear from him within two weeks after the catastrophe, his son Fernando travels from Mazatlan, Mexico to New York City to look for him a/nd bring him home. Fernando searches New York from the downtown area to the Spanish Harlem neighborhood.  Along the way, Fernando experiences a warm embrace from fellow immigrants and a cold shoulder from American citizens.

This book was based not the 2019 movie of the same title. The plot moves fast as it shifts from Fernando's family life in Mexico to his illegal entry into the U. S. to begin his search for his father Balthazar. While this is a story that Americans should be used to hearing, it continues to grip our hearts 19 years later. I was unable to stop reading and wished that it continued on after the ending. It pulls at the heartstrings when you read that Fernando is told at a 9/11 rescue center that "if your father didn't officially work in the towers he can't officially be missing." The reader can feel Fernando's disappointment and desperation.  However, he knows what his mission is and does not let anything or anyone keep him from his search. 

Windows on the World is a story that never gets old.  5 out of 5 stars.