48 pages • 1 hour read
Tom RogersEleven
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Authorial Context: Tom Rogers
A graduate of Harvard University, Tom Rogers is an Emmy-winning screenwriter who has worked on both animated films and television series. Some of his most notable productions are Sofia the First, The Chicken Squad, and Elena of Avalor, featuring Disney’s first Latina princess. Rogers crafts diverse stories so all children can see themselves represented in television and film. Eleven, his first young adult novel, recounts the events surrounding the most devasting foreign attack on American soil. He wrote Eleven to make sure kids born after 2001 still learn about the September 11 attacks, evaluate its significance, and explore what constitutes heroism. He notes that as a child, he viewed courage as akin to saving someone from a burning building, but over time, he realized that “courage is sometimes being strong in the face of your fear, standing up quietly for what’s right, being responsible for someone else when you could turn your back and walk away” (Kingsbury Lee, Mira-Rose J. “Portrait of an Artist: Tom Rogers ’84.” The Harvard Crimson, 17 Nov. 2020). Rogers demonstrates these qualities in Alex, who learns to take responsibility for Nunu and Radar; Mac, who cares for the children despite his own fears; and Alex’s father, who helps many people on his trek home from Manhattan. These everyday characters illustrate the theme of Heroism in Ordinary People.
Socio-Historical Context: 9/11 and Its Aftermath
On September 11, 2001, terrorists who were part of al-Qaeda, an Islamist extremist group, hijacked four commercial airplanes in the Northeast United States. Their plan was to cause death and destruction at locations on the East Coast of the United States that represent the nation’s power and prosperity. They flew two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. The first collided with the upper floors of the North Tower at 8:46 am, and the second hit the South Tower 17 minutes later—times when most workers had already arrived for the day. First responders rushed in to aid those trapped inside. Not long after, both towers collapsed, killing thousands and leaving two gaping holes in the New York City skyline. Meanwhile, a third plane flew into the Pentagon, the United States Department of Defense headquarters, in Arlington, Virginia. Passengers and crew members on a fourth plane knew what was happening and fought back, causing the plane to crash in an empty field in Pennsylvania rather than its destination of Washington, DC. Their actions saved many lives. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, which makes September 11, 2001, the most devastating foreign attack on American soil. The site of destruction in Manhattan is called Ground Zero. Exactly 10 years after the attacks, a memorial was completed to honor those who died. A waterfall fills two reflection pools that inhabit the space where the towers once stood. Victims’ names line the edges of the pools.
In the aftermath, the nation held its breath as families anxiously awaited news of loved ones and communities came together in solidarity to mourn and rebuild. At the same time, Islamophobia and hate crimes against Muslims rose in response to the terrorist attacks. Many Muslim Americans faced increasing bias and prejudice. Rogers captures the experiences and trauma of survivors and waiting families through the narratives of Alex, his father, and Mac, while also demonstrating the vitriol with which some Americans viewed anyone of Middle Eastern descent, exemplified by the bully’s use of a derogatory slur.
