liralen's review
3.0
As with any collection of essays, the pieces in here range in quality and tone, from a bit wooden to quite poignant. Two things that stood out:
1) The theme of the book (and the title) is based on something Celeste Corcoran said after the fact -- that it was thanks to perfect strangers that her daughter survived. What's striking, though, at least in the first few sections, is that the theme could just as easily be I'm not a hero. Whether professionals or bystanders, the people who leapt into the fray are all more comfortable saying 'I wish I could have done more' than saying 'yes, I helped'.
2) I'm curious about the editorial decision to structure the book as it is -- the higher-impact essays are all right up front, the stories of injuries and capital-C Crisis and mayhem (and perfect strangers). The later portions of the book are by runners stopped on the course, or stranded after the race, to whom strangers reached out to lend a phone or a jacket or a shoulder. Not that the essays or feelings are less heartfelt, mind -- one of the most reassuring things after the bombing was how readily people reached out in big and small ways -- but as a book, it slows down somewhat partway through.
Oh, and 3) The focus is right where it should be -- on the people who gave help, not on those who caused pain.
1) The theme of the book (and the title) is based on something Celeste Corcoran said after the fact -- that it was thanks to perfect strangers that her daughter survived. What's striking, though, at least in the first few sections, is that the theme could just as easily be I'm not a hero. Whether professionals or bystanders, the people who leapt into the fray are all more comfortable saying 'I wish I could have done more' than saying 'yes, I helped'.
2) I'm curious about the editorial decision to structure the book as it is -- the higher-impact essays are all right up front, the stories of injuries and capital-C Crisis and mayhem (and perfect strangers). The later portions of the book are by runners stopped on the course, or stranded after the race, to whom strangers reached out to lend a phone or a jacket or a shoulder. Not that the essays or feelings are less heartfelt, mind -- one of the most reassuring things after the bombing was how readily people reached out in big and small ways -- but as a book, it slows down somewhat partway through.
Oh, and 3) The focus is right where it should be -- on the people who gave help, not on those who caused pain.
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