In this article, Mary Shaner explores two pieces - Robert Cormier's After the First Death and Peter Dickinson's The Seventh Raven. Both novels look closely at the plight of children as victims of terrorist attacks. Both books also look more deeply at teenage protagonists who are under pressure from their elders to act in a specific way. Bravery also comes into play - both perceptions of bravery and the need to be brave. Both novels offer a portrayal of terrorists as people, and both offer sympathetic characters. A central theme, shared by both books, is that of integrity, which sometimes comes at the cost of humanity.
Mike Romano's fan letter is a one-page typed document addressed to Robert Cormier in the care of Dell Publishing. Mike had finished We All Fall Down and talked about the characters as if they were very real to him. He asked Cormier some questions like why did Jane have to come home early that night? He was worried about Jane. His letter shows an immersion into the text.
Robert Cormier's hand revised draft of his letter to Maxine Shosto addresses her questions regarding After the First Death. In particular, he talks about the ambiguity in the book and says that it is because life is ambiguous. He had mislaid the letter and was unable to get the reply back to her in time for her school report. The heavy pencil edits show his concern with precise language.
Maxine Shosto was a high school student in England when she wrote this one-page, handwritten letter. She explains that she had been "set to write an essay" and then included several interviews and plot questions concerning After the First Death.
In Kristy Luzar's typed but very faded letter to Robert Cormier dated 15 May 1989 she shares her engagement with the novel, After the First Death, and asks him key questions about the characters and plot structure of the novel.