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A review by ljjohnson8
The Submission by Amy Waldman
4.0
A jury of artists, historians, architects, and a family member of a victim judge the anonymous submissions of designs for a 9/11 memorial at the site of the WTC. They unknowingly select the design submitted by a Muslim American. And all hell breaks loose.
This book had a very New York-y rhythm and vibe that hooked me immediately (I guess it's like riding a bike...). Like Bonfire of the Vanities and the wannabe Visits from the Goon Squad, a large and disparate group of people react and interact around the main plot point, and like any large and disparate group of people, some characters were admirable, others sleazy, others thoroughly unlikable, others break-your-heart courageous, etc. Waldman's writing style was deceptively simple - she straightforwardly tells her story and sits back and lets the reader take the emotional and intellectual journey on their own. That was the perfect choice for this challenging and thought-provoking tale. It felt good to search my soul and engage my brain. I began and ended the book with the same set of opinions on this "controversial" topic, but I still needed to exercise my muscles a bit to defend my views.
This book had a very New York-y rhythm and vibe that hooked me immediately (I guess it's like riding a bike...). Like Bonfire of the Vanities and the wannabe Visits from the Goon Squad, a large and disparate group of people react and interact around the main plot point, and like any large and disparate group of people, some characters were admirable, others sleazy, others thoroughly unlikable, others break-your-heart courageous, etc. Waldman's writing style was deceptively simple - she straightforwardly tells her story and sits back and lets the reader take the emotional and intellectual journey on their own. That was the perfect choice for this challenging and thought-provoking tale. It felt good to search my soul and engage my brain. I began and ended the book with the same set of opinions on this "controversial" topic, but I still needed to exercise my muscles a bit to defend my views.