I was so gung-ho about this book because I’d not only enjoyed the play the author wrote but the teaser about his father being a physician of Trump in the 1980’s sounded irresistible. But after that gang bang beginning, the book slipped into political posturing. Thankfully I had a rare case of patience and continued reading. I was rewarded with an exploration of what it was like to be a Moslem after 9/11. The book continued to fascinate after the author became a Pulitzer prize winning playwright and acquired wealth through investments. The writing about his relationships was gripping.
In the middle of the book there was a sequence dealing with the profound feeling of “otherness”when the author looks in the mirror.
“In my complexion alone I saw a person I didn’t recognize, someone who, had I seen him in the school hallways or at the mall or municipal swimming pool, I would have thought did not belong here.I knew that about myself because I knew that was how I saw others.”
From there, the novel/memoir builds to a overpowering life affirming ending.
Gordon's Culture Critiques 