Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by nancyadelman
The Submission by Amy Waldman
4.0
This is a book about 09/11 and a design competition to find the best possible way to memorialize the victims of the World Trade Center. The premise is that a design competition is held, with over 5,000 entries, and the selected winner turns out to be Muslim. When the winning designer is revealed to be Muslim, all hell breaks loose. It is an interesting story of "what if" that also manages to be timely, even though it's about a fictional event that would have happened in 2001.
I had worried that reading a book about 09/11, even a work of fiction as this is, would come across as dated and not standing up well to the test of time. I need not have worried. Witness this quote: "The law is political, especially right now. If the government wants to find a way to forget the Constitution and detain people without charges, it will" (pg 82). See what I mean? Even though this quote is referring to Muslims, you could easily swap out refugees or immigrants. The technical aspects of the book work well together. The book follows about 10 characters: a wealthy widow of a 09/11 victim, the feisty brother of a 09/11 victim, the man who is in charge of the memorial selection jury, the Muslim architect of the memorial, an illegal immigrant, and a newspaper reporter. These characters are mostly well-developed. The author tells each character's story a bit at a time, swapping them out from time to time. The plot plods along at a good clip. There were some anti-Muslim slurs in the book, occasional alcoholic beverages, and a hint of violence.
Overall this story was pretty good. I liked it. I wished that the plot was more quickly paced but I understand why it was so. This is a good book that will make you think, and challenge your ideas.
I had worried that reading a book about 09/11, even a work of fiction as this is, would come across as dated and not standing up well to the test of time. I need not have worried. Witness this quote: "The law is political, especially right now. If the government wants to find a way to forget the Constitution and detain people without charges, it will" (pg 82). See what I mean? Even though this quote is referring to Muslims, you could easily swap out refugees or immigrants. The technical aspects of the book work well together. The book follows about 10 characters: a wealthy widow of a 09/11 victim, the feisty brother of a 09/11 victim, the man who is in charge of the memorial selection jury, the Muslim architect of the memorial, an illegal immigrant, and a newspaper reporter. These characters are mostly well-developed. The author tells each character's story a bit at a time, swapping them out from time to time. The plot plods along at a good clip. There were some anti-Muslim slurs in the book, occasional alcoholic beverages, and a hint of violence.
Overall this story was pretty good. I liked it. I wished that the plot was more quickly paced but I understand why it was so. This is a good book that will make you think, and challenge your ideas.