Review: Get Ready to Cry
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 1, 2011
This little book is one man's reaction to 9/11.  A Canadian resident, he drove from the west coast of Canada to New York after watching on TV what we all watched that day.  This had to be an exceedingly difficult book to write, especially within a year after the tragedy happened.  To get the right balance between melodrama and insensitivity required something super human.  David came very close.  I think he did an admirable job.  He showed an amazing facility with language that I wish I had.  His little book (really just a long short story) got to me emotionally, and that, I suppose, was its purpose.  But it was also thoughtfully written with intelligent observations about Canada's great neighbor to the south and its people, especially the author's recognition that we cannot all be put into the same pot, no more than all Canadians, Jews, Africans or any other group can.  His descriptions of what he observed are beautiful in places, a little melodramatic for my taste in other places. Sometimes simple recitation of what you are observing without so many adjectives and metaphors makes the description more powerful.  I thought that was the case with some of  his descriptions. Some of his metaphors, probably too numerous, were brilliant.  Some seemed awkward.  I enjoyed reading it very much; it is well worth reading.