Man on Wire

On August 7, 1974, French stuntman Philippe Petit walked a tightrope strung between the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center. This iconic event has recently been the subject of 2 movies & 2 books that you can find in the library's catalog!

Man on Wire is the film based on Petit's own memoir. This excellent documentary incorporates Petit's personal footage to show how he overcame seemingly insurmountable challenges to achieve the "artistic crime of the century".

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann is a novel that uses the 1974 tightrope walk between the World Trade Center towers as a central motif to join together several storylines. This novel got a starred review from Booklist & was one of the New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2009.

The Man who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein is a children's book about the event. A companion film was also made. The book won the 2004 Caldecott Medal.