The Right Book at the Right Time

Title: The Submission

Author: Amy Waldman

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011

Summary/Review: The Submission by Amy Waldman is a thought provoking, provocative work of fiction that stays with you long after you have finished the last page. The setting is 2 years after the 9/11 tragedy and a committee has been formed to find a design for a memorial at the site. The committee consists of various artists, government representatives and a member who lost her husband in the towers. The submissions are all anonymous and after finally agreeing on a design for the memorial it is revealed that the architect is an American Muslim. This is where the book really kicks in and you begin an emotional roller coaster. Waldman was a reporter for the New York Times for 8 years including a stint in the South Asia bureau. She is able to make you see many points of view through her various and varied characters and she forces you to confront your own feelings and prejudices that resulted from the attack on 9/11.

Who will like this? Readers who like their books to have many points of view and readers who are not afraid to confront difficult and controversial topics.

If you like this, try this: Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

Recommended by: Claudia, Technical Services Assistant

 Does this look interesting? Check out the Fairfield Public Library catalog to check availability of the book or place a hold

Title: 31 Hours

Author:  Masha Hamilton

Publisher: Unbridled Books, October 2009

Summary:  Carol Meitzner wakes with a feeling of dread. She knows in her heart that her 21 year old son, Jonas, is in trouble. She doesn’t know what kind of trouble or how much, but he has not been returning her calls. Carol soon learns that his girlfriend, Vic, has not seen or heard from him recently, either. Jonas’s father doesn’t think they should be so worried. Wrong. In 31 hours, their son Jonas and 6 others are planning to walk into key terminals of the NYC subway system and detonate explosive vests strapped to their bodies. Blond haired, white, and from a privileged background, Jonas is set to become the new face of terrorism.

Jonas’s radical mentor has disabled his phone to keep him completely isolated from the people who care about him the most. Throughout this gripping novel we meet some of the potential victims of this terrifying act, many of whom Jonas knows and loves. As we watch Jonas prepare for his martyrdom, without the fanaticism one would expect, it becomes clear that this could really happen. This possibility makes 31 Hours all the more chilling.

Who will like this book? Fans of  suspense novels.

Recommended by: Sue, Circulation Coordinator