Richard Wright, Orvil E. Dryfoos Professor of Public Affairs and Geography
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Cleave is an Oxford-educated journalist, but he pulls off the incredible trick of writing effectively in another unique voice: that of a working-class woman from London's East End who's just lost her son and husband in a massive terrorist attack. The book takes the form of a letter from this smart, semi-literate character to Osama bin Laden. If that's not enough of a hook, Cleave brilliantly captures the psychological effects of trauma – personally in the main character, but also in the national character, where Muslims lose their civil rights, curfews abound, and do-it-yourself stores enjoy a thriving business as folk want to keep busy to avoid thinking about what's happening.