watch now:
“Windows on the World is a cinematic homage to some of the reasons people choose to become Americans and to the difficulties and joys of their journeys. People have many reasons for immigrating. Love is at heart of them all.”
WOTW Graphic Novel Now Available on Fantagraphics!
Based on the screenplay of the award-winning 2019 film, this graphic novel chronicles a son's search for his undocumented immigrant father, who was working in the Twin Towers, in the wake of 9-11.
An undocumented immigrant father has been bussing tables at the famous Windows on the World restaurant to support his family in Mexico. Then, tragedy strikes. His family hears no word for weeks. Refusing to give up hope, they send young Fernando on a quixotic mission across the border to find his father and bring him home. Along the way, Fernando experiences a warm embrace from fellow immigrants and a cold shoulder from The City That Never Sleeps. Told with empathy and nuance, this emotionally resonant story reflects on how the pains of our recent past have shaped the character of America.
PRAISE
"This heart-wrenching 9/11 drama draws back the curtains on American myths, revealing a global and complicated world. A resonant tale for troubling times." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Fierce and generous, moving and unpredictable, Windows on the World is the story of the trouble we're all in, and the dream of how we just might get out." — Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket
" A stirring piece of narrative art, with a graphic eloquence conveying both intensity and true compassion." — Jonathan Lethem, Motherless Brooklyn
"A much needed and fresh look at Latinx life." — Ishmael Reed
"An affecting road drama written with a mix of delicacy and grit, Windows on the World examines the idea that [in the days following 9/11] the uncertainty for families of immigrants, particularly undocumented ones, was elevated in a way that many white Americans can't conceive." — Comics Beat
THE STORY
An immigrant’s son takes an epic journey from Mexico to New York City as he searches for his father who was an undocumented worker in the World Trade Center, and has disappeared after 9/11. On the morning of September 11, 2001, Fernando and his family in Mexico watch the news in horror as the Twin Towers collapse. His father, Balthazar, is an undocumented busboy on the top floor in the Windows on the World restaurant. Three weeks pass, and there is no word from Balthazar. No telephone calls, money orders, or hope that he is alive.
As the family grieves, feeling the emotional and financial toll of their absent patriarch, Fernando’s distraught mother swears she sees her husband on news footage – escaping from the building ALIVE! Heroic Fernando decides to take the epic journey from Mexico to New York City to find his father and save his family. Along the way, he finds love and befriends an eclectic group of international characters that help him restore his faith in humanity, as Fernando discovers the hard truths about his father, the melting pot of America, and the immigrant experience.
“Windows on the World is a warm and touching film that crosses borders in search of our deeper humanity.”
FOLLOW
Thanks for reading WOTW Graphic Novel!
LATEST NEWS
Featured
DISTRIBUTION
INQUIRIES:
email: ellenp@hybridentus.com
