Gene Weingarten's new book, The Fiddler in the Subway, provides a brief anthology of his work. From hilarious to serious this two-time Pulitzer Prize winner takes the reader on a walk through the human experience. 
Weingarten's ability to pose questions without answers provides a fresh take on what has become a dry scene for non-fiction. He does not control the story, but simply tells it as he sees it from his perspective. As with every story it is told through a particular lens. Weingarten's lens is that of the meaning of life. I find that in every story, every event, there exists a kernel of truth. This truth is not the kind that shakes one to an existential core, but rather awakes one to greater possibilities. 
I bought the book on a Friday afternoon, and by Saturday afternoon I had completed the book – all 361 pages. If you want a book that well keep you engaged, pick up a copy. As you read you will be taken through recent American history and find yourself constantly thinking back to what America has been. Perhaps it is what Weingarten doesn't do that is most profound: he leaves the door open for the reader to imagine what America can become.
He doesn't pretend to be the person with all the answers, but someone who wants to report a story. In the telling of stories, the reporting of American's lives, you will find a future. Indeed, the future presented is alive in our past and present. I could tell you what I think that future looks like, but I think you would be better off finding out yourself. So, pick up a copy, listen to the voice, and imagine what could be.