I.M. Pei: Architect of Time, Place, and Purpose

Rubalcaba (Digging for Troy) devotes one chapter each to seven architectural projects by the Chinese-born American architect I.M. Pei, adding chapters on his early life and other work; any one of them could have been the subject of its own book. Rubalcaba faithfully chronicles the trials Pei undergoes to complete each project, using color photographs and architectural plans to help tell the story. The architect endures hostility from Parisians when he redesigns the Louvre, and suspicion from Americans when he designs the East Wing of the National Gallery. He reconceives skyscraper construction methods in Hong Kong, scrubs the floors before a hotel opening in China, and convinces an heiress in Japan to assemble an art collection to fill the museum he designs for her. “His versatility and skill in the use of materials approach the level of poetry,” said the committee that awarded him the treasured Pritzker Architecture Prize. A caveat: wide blocks of text and small type can be difficult to wade through. But readers who make the effort will come away with enormous respect for Pei. Ages 12–up. (Oct.) ■