Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
After the World Trade Center is blown up in New Your, the city commissions a jury to select the anonymous designer of a memorial. It turns out the designer is a non-practicing Muslim.
And thus begins Amy Waldman's novel about prejudice, suspicion, fear-mongering, and events spiraling out-of-control.
The book starts slowly, and struggles to find its way as it introduces a plethora of characters. And for a book that tries to show the dangers of prejudice, it has an amazing number of stereotypes and beyond wealthy characters. For instance, the family member on the jury, the character whom the book revolves around, is described as being set for life after marrying a wealthy man, who leaves her everything after he dies in the terrorist act. The novel is chock-a-block with investment bankers and other scions of industry. But other characters -- the Irish-Catholic family with a fireman-son who died, a cold-hearted mother, and a second son who has, you guessed it, a drinking problem; the tabloid reporter who cares about nothing but getting a sensationalist story; and the governor whose political ambitions weigh above all else -- never come to life. Indeed, the most well-drawn character, a Bengladeshi widow, becomes relevant only near the end of the book.
But still, the tale is well written, even as it rushes toward its obvious climax.
And thus begins Amy Waldman's novel about prejudice, suspicion, fear-mongering, and events spiraling out-of-control.
The book starts slowly, and struggles to find its way as it introduces a plethora of characters. And for a book that tries to show the dangers of prejudice, it has an amazing number of stereotypes and beyond wealthy characters. For instance, the family member on the jury, the character whom the book revolves around, is described as being set for life after marrying a wealthy man, who leaves her everything after he dies in the terrorist act. The novel is chock-a-block with investment bankers and other scions of industry. But other characters -- the Irish-Catholic family with a fireman-son who died, a cold-hearted mother, and a second son who has, you guessed it, a drinking problem; the tabloid reporter who cares about nothing but getting a sensationalist story; and the governor whose political ambitions weigh above all else -- never come to life. Indeed, the most well-drawn character, a Bengladeshi widow, becomes relevant only near the end of the book.
But still, the tale is well written, even as it rushes toward its obvious climax.
3.75!
Read for class, but wow that epilogue was amazing. This book did infuriate me, though, even if it was the point.
Read for class, but wow that epilogue was amazing. This book did infuriate me, though, even if it was the point.
Accurately captures the stilted and self-satisfied tone of politically correct, educated, consciously-nice Americans. But the accuracy does not translate to being entertaining or enlightening, and it finally became rather tedious to read. I stop reading any book when I find I don't really care what happens at the end.
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I appreciated the dynamic the author was working with, but some of the story telling was laborious and took away from the larger picture.
This novel is immediately engrossing, and the different perspectives thoughtful. The Mo/Laila plot is a little contrived, but I think that's because Laila is a broadly-drawn character, which made her hard to know. I kept getting sidelined by the changes Walderman makes from actual events. This is NYC in the aftermath of 9/11, and everything is recognizable, except for the memorial and the politicians. The governor is someone named Bittman; instead of Guiliani, NYC has a nameless, and liberal, mayor; the "president" is never named, and barely referenced. I could get behind a parallel universe story, or even one outside of politics, but a book about cultural changes that sidesteps the actual politicians who dictated them seems a bit cowardly. 9/11 is already dramatic; making slight changes doesn't create drama, it distracts from it. Maybe it's because I finished it today, but I don't know what it adds to the discussion.
The premise of this novel centers around the selection of a design & architect to create a 9/11 memorial. The selection committee reviews the designs without knowing who the architect of each is...when they select the winning design, controversy erupts because the winning architect is a muslim.
The book jumped around to multiple characters throughout and explored issues such as racism and judging others based on their religion. It was an interesting read, but it didn't hold my attention quite as much as I would've liked.
The book jumped around to multiple characters throughout and explored issues such as racism and judging others based on their religion. It was an interesting read, but it didn't hold my attention quite as much as I would've liked.
The Submission is our community read book this year and it seems like a good catalyst for discussion. Three years after 9-11-2001, a carefully selected 'jury' has the task of choosing a memorial for the World Trade Center site. They've narrowed the choices down to two - one of which is a garden. Clare is a strong-willed member of the jury who is also the only 9-11 widow on the committee. Clare successfully pushes for the garden. Before the choice is announced, the name of the artist (Mohammad) is revealed. He is a non-religious Muslim American architect. In my Pollyanna world, people would behave better than almost everybody in the book after the news leaks. The story progresses through the use of many lenses -- the 'chief' widow, the artist, other jury members, other mourners, a journalist trying to make a name for herself at almost any cost, a young, undocumented woman who lost her husband on 9-11. Many questions are raised about the nature of public art, the nature of memorials, being an American, being a member of a group when some other group members have behaved horrifically, honesty, the nature of the media, and even immigration. I look forward to the author's visit and to some of the community forums.
Unsure if i should upgrade my rating to 4 stars. Sometimes, it's irritating to read this book, but that is what makes it a good book, i think.
The book raises interesting questions about trauma, the media, ideologies etc.. It gives you a view into a media-obsessed society, which is to me unnerving. You as a reader are dragged along into a complexity which only gets more and more entangled along the way. It's irritating: Everything is complicated. No choice is good. But making no choice is also wrong. What to do?
(Also) not sure about the ending. A shift was necessary to uplift al this complexity, but i did not really grasp how to read it.
Tip for reading: take into consideration all the different meaning contained in "submission". Then ask: who submits to whom?
The book raises interesting questions about trauma, the media, ideologies etc.. It gives you a view into a media-obsessed society, which is to me unnerving. You as a reader are dragged along into a complexity which only gets more and more entangled along the way. It's irritating: Everything is complicated. No choice is good. But making no choice is also wrong. What to do?
(Also) not sure about the ending. A shift was necessary to uplift al this complexity, but i did not really grasp how to read it.
Tip for reading: take into consideration all the different meaning contained in "submission". Then ask: who submits to whom?
Brilliantly thought provoking, this novel plays with the concept of religion, race, identity and nationality.