Now I was not all that eager to watch this. First of all heights make me somewhat nauseous (especially those from which falling will cause certain, brain-splattering death). Most importantly, though, this event was being filmed live and Wallenda was not employing any safety net, harness, or whatever else would prevent brain-splattering death. There was a ten second delay, but that would not prevent my children from seeing him fall to certain brain-splattering death. It really did not make me feel any better when before he actually stepped on the rope they showed video footage of Wallenda's great grandfather falling to his death from a tight rope in Puerto Rico.
I did cave, though, and let the boys watch. Of course I had them both sign a contract stating that they would never, ever, ever, under threat of permanent incarceration in their bedroom, attempt to walk a tightrope. This contract also forbid them from walking along the deck rail, the top of the swing set, or any other narrow beam that is more than two feet off of the ground (I have to cover all of the bases with my boys).
The book is a recount of when French aerialist, Phillipe Petit, walked a tightrope between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. This harrowing feat occurred on August 7, 1974 and if you would like to learn more about it you can watch a portion of a PBS documentary here: Phillippe Petit and the Twin Towers.
The text of The Man Who Walked Between the Towers is actually quite sparse, but lyrical, and the story reads more like a poem. The poetic feel coincides perfectly with Gerstein's breathtaking ink and oil illustrations.

Yea, I find Gerstein's illustrations to be much less terrifying! |

On the final pages, Gerstein imparts the devastating reality that the twin towers are now gone. The text simply reads "Now the towers are gone" and the picture shows the New York skyline with the towers missing. On the final page of the book Gerstein shows the same skyline with the shadows of the twin towers superimposed and explains how their memory will live on. It is a beautiful and sober ending to the book. Since it does not say why the towers are gone, Gerstein's book can also provide an excellent introduction to a discussion concerning the tragic events that occurred on September 11, 2001.
Whether you are a child or an adult I hope that you will check out this profound and heart-stirring book.
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