Although architectural elements may constitute a language, strictly speaking, buildings cannot speak. That’s why they make such poor characters for any movie or book—just standing there dumbly, emotionally inert, and only occasionally swaying about in a stiff wind. Imagine, however, an architectural subject striking enough to engage an educated reader with a gripping narrative, infinitely more compelling and commanding than, say, The Apprentice. Livelier than a Ken Burns documentary. As real, and as grand, as life.

It would take an epic. Fortunately, Daniel Okrent has ascended sky-high with his material, embracing the clutch of buildings forming Rockefeller Center as his protagonist, and weaving a tale as insistent as a Norse saga. If you read a single book about architecture during the coming months, or recommend a book for your banker or therapist, put away your Derrida this once and pick up Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center. Who said architecture had to hurt?