Per my review at http://baltimorereads.wordpress.com/2... 
 It has been over 10 years since September 11, a once insignificant date that can now stand alone without any explanation as an extremely important moment in our nation's history. In this post-9/11 world, the once tall and proud Twin Towers that symbolized the hope and prosperity of America are now impossible to think of without reflecting upon the lives that were lost on that fateful Tuesday morning. It is hard to believe that 27 years before, as the World Trade Center was just opening in New York, something just as unbelievable happened at the Towers, this time involving one extremely daring man and a tightrope. 
 Colum McCann's Let The Great World Spin uses the shocking true event of tightrope walker Philippe Petit's seemingly suicidal walk between the two newly constructed towers in 1974 to frame the stories of a handful of people going about their lives 110 stories below. Each chapter presents a new point of view, jumping between first and third person. As the novel progresses you find yourself wondering who will be highlighted in the next chapter, how the next story will intersect with previous ones, and how each new character will provide insight into past stories. McCann constructs a beautiful weave of heart-wrenching personal tales that come together to illuminate just how fleeting, unfair, and yet rewarding life can be. 
 Throughout Let The Great World Spin readers get to meet many characters going through various phases in their lives. There are two Irish brothers, Corrigan (a destitute monk) and Ciaran (the older, concerned brother hoping New York can offer him something his home country could not). There is Tillie, a prostitute with a daughter who is also on the stroll and two precious granddaughters whom she prays will not follow in the family footsteps. There is Claire, the mourning mother of son who died in Vietnam, and her husband Solomon, a judge. There is Gloria, a black woman who grew up in Missouri, and her adopted daughter Jaslyn. There is Lara and her husband Blaine, two struggling artists with a terrifying secret that touches every other character in the story. 
 It is impressive how well McCann is able to connect everyone, however slightly, into a bigger picture without losing focus on the storyline. I never found myself lost in the details and was never wishing one character's story would end so I could move on to the next -- each chapter was equally enthralling and touching. While the language sometimes seemed a little too preachy, as though McCann was force-feeding quotes, I found that overall the novel was extremely well-written thanks to some extremely insightful thoughts and dialogue. 
 Overall, I'd highly recommend reading Let The Great World Spin if you're in the mood for something both emotional and uplifting. It is refreshing to read a book with the World Trade Center as a pivotal piece that isn't darkened by the events of September 11. While that is something that will (and should) always stick in the minds of our generation, it is interesting to remember that there was a time when the Towers were new pieces to the New York skyline -- two buildings serving as beacons amidst the violence and poverty of a city full of struggle. What Philippe Petit did on that day in 1974 was take the Towers and make them into a work of art -- a piece in a performance that could only be looked upon with amazement and awe. McCann takes the beauty of Petit's tightrope walk and infuses it into the lives of his characters, no matter how downtrodden or lost they may be.