The Submission by Amy Waldman

This book has been on my To Be Read list for a really long time and I finally stopped putting it off. I thought that the story line sounded so intriguing and I kept putting it off because I didn't want to be disappointed. The Submission is the story of an architect who submits a design to be considered for the 9/11 Memorial. His entry is entitled "The Garden". A jury, comprised of local politicians, art critics and family members is created to select the winning Memorial design. All entries are anonymous until selection. Upon choosing " The Garden" for the 9/11 Memorial, the jury discovers that the architect behind the design is a Muslim. The story is about many kinds of submissions. The entry itself - the Garden - sounds like everything one would imagine a Memorial to be - a place for reflection, remembrance and healing. It is also the story of Mohammed Khan, the architect, who submits himself to public scrutiny after his design is selected. There are several characters who accept public review and rebuke of their opinions about The Garden and it's designer. It's an interesting question - should a American citizen - who happens to be a Muslim - be allowed to create the Memorial for the victims of that awful day. I'm sure you can imagine what happens in the course of the book - the public outcry both in support and opposition to the selection of The Garden. In the end though, I found it hard to connect to any of the characters. Mohammed Khan was difficult to get to know, being alien and somewhat reclusive. Claire, the widow on the jury, at first supports and even actively advocates for the Garden. The story is a reflection of the inner struggles that people face between doing what they know to be right and their inner fears and bigotry. Many of the characters, from the mayor's man who tries to "solve" the problem to the members of "Save America from Islam" seem like trite literary devices to proves the author's point. What started out with such high hopes, did in fact end in disappointment.

Still Alice

This boook has been on my TBR list for a while. I actually got it confused with another book about memory loss called "What Alice Forgot". I still haven't read that book, but this book was very interesting.
It is the story of Alice, a very accomplished professional woman, wife and mother of three. Alice teaches linguistics and psychology at Harvard University before she is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease.
The book takes you on a journey for the early days of Alice's diagnosis to the later stages of her disease. It is the heroic story of how one woman atttempts to cope with the loss of her memories. It is heart wrenching and sad, yet also inspiring. It really makes you think about quality of life and puts into perspective all the things that Alzheimer patients and their families deal with every day. A very good read.

Lone Wolf

This was the latest book that I read for one of the book clubs that I belong to. I love Jodi Picoult, but I would be the first one to say that some of her books are better than others. ( I loved 19 Minutes & Salem Falls not so much Song of the Humpback or Picture Perfect).
At any rate, this book is her latest and I have to say that I enjoyed it. It's very different. The story of a father who is largely estranged from his family and then finds the decisions about his life quite literally to be in their hands. As usual, Picoult does a great job of taking a very timely and sensitive issue and shining many different lights upon the subject.
I also love wolves and found the main character very interesting in that he is a person who studies wolves and lives among them, much like Jane Goodall. I have heard some critics say that the sections of the book that discuss the wolves were not realistic, but not being an expert, I found them to be believable and engaging. It was interesting how Picoult used the characters interactions with the wolves to give insight into his own troubled family. If you enjoy Picoult and like this type of book ( one based on a timely controversy) then this book is worth checking out.