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.