Guest Post: The Five Best Pieces of Fiction Dealing with Judaism
Interested in reading some fiction that depicts Judaism in a realistic and interesting way? Check out these five fantastic novels.
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The Chosen by Chaim Potok
The story of Danny Saunders and Reuven Malters follows the friendship of two Jewish boys living in
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The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
This book details an amazing slice of American history – the dawn of the comic book age. Author Michael Chabon uncovers the drama behind this seemingly innocent past time – cutthroat power plays, ethical controversies, and ruthless politics. Woven into this tale is the story of what it was like to be Jewish in 1930-1950. Samuel Klayman (later Sam Clay) is a second generation immigrant, well-versed in American ways. His cousin, Josef Kavalier, was the only child in his family to escape Nazi-occupied
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The Devil’s Company by David Liss
To be a Jew in the 1700’s meant living under the fear of hate crimes, expulsion, and constant movement. One of the few places where Jew’s were not persecuted (as much) was
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Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
This novel deals primarily with the struggle of one Jewish American to reconcile his family's experience in the Holocaust. Young Jonathan Safran Foer (Coincidence? I think not) travels to the
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Dinah, daughter of biblical characters Jacob and Leah, is mentioned only briefly in the Bible, but in “The Red Tent” her tale is stretched to full novel length. Author Anita Diamant clearly spent a lot of time in pain-staking research of what life was like in 2,000 A.D., around the time Judaism was founded by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The title of this book refers to a tent where women were banished during their monthly cycles. In this tent, Dinah uncovers much of the drama and intrigue of the novel. Anyone interested in biblical history and early Judaism will enjoy the details of this book, but the stilted writing and terrible dialogue may put off many readers.
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Jillian Interlichia is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and a writer on online schools for Guide to Online Schools.
posted by rabbi neil fleischmann @ 10:05 PM
8 Comments:
I am still trying to focus on finishing my book and have been posting relatively seldom.
Hope you are well (and not missing my long posts too much) (I like pretending that self deprecation put in parentheses doesn't count. Everything counts. Sigh.
I was approached by a nice person from My Dog Ate My Blog who politely asked to have a writer do a guest post on my blog. "Great," I said (to myself). It is pasted as written, except for a line over the link to Kavalier and Clay which I regrettably can't get rid of.
A couple of brief comments from me and then it's your turn to sep forward regarding this lovely piece.
I read the Chosen in high school. It must have been twelfth grade, because I remember reading it on the way to the city to get my passport renewed before Tochnit Yud Gimel. I loved it. It was vivid and stayed with me. I still see Mr. Galanter pounding hs hand into his fist and feel the bond of Danny (sic) and Reuven. When the movie came out I saw it one summer night in Forast Hills with my parents. I liked it, though I remember being struck by the fact that Reuven and his dad and their people don't wear kippot. I've learned that films present things in a way that they think will come across in a clear movie-ish way and that trumps sticking to facts, especially when facts are subtle (as they often are). As time has gone by I've accumulated more critiques about the black and white and imprecise nature of this book. And yet it is part of me.
I never read Kavalier and Clay, it's thickness scared me.
Till just now I'd never heard of (to the best of my recollection - as those Watergate guys loved saying) The Devil's Company.
I saw the movie of Everything Is Illuminated and really liked it. It starts off crude and goofy and then becomes deeply touching. It's an original. I'd like to read the book, I think it would provide good commentary on the movie - as reading books after seeing films pretty much always do.
When the Red Tent was new and popular a student of mine insisted that I would love it and had to read it. I had trouble buying into it. She switched schools. I never returned the book. i feel bad. I have a collection of unreturned books. I'd feel less guilty if I didn't remember exactly which book belongs to which person.
Ihanks Jillian for writing about these books.
Of these I have read only The Chosen and that was many years ago. It did not represent the Judaism I know, but was an okay read anyway.
I enjoy some of Chabon's work, for example The Yiddish Policeman's League (or whatever it's called), but believe me, it ain't my Judaism he's writing about. But maybe I'll give Kavalier and Clay a shot. Thick books don't scare me off; to the contrary.
I read one of Liss's books, A Conspiracy of Paper. I was underwhelmed (though I did find some of the Jewish period details interesting, assuming they are true).
Never heard of Everything's Illuminated.
I'm uncomfortable at the thought of fictionalizing or dramatizing the lives of our sages. I feel it cheapens that which is holy.
I remember reading a book by Philip Roth as a teenager - I forget the name - in which the protagonist was conflicted by his Judaism. The only line that stuck with me is the last one, where the guy is watching kids with yarmulke and peyos play baseball, and one shouts at the other, "Throw the f...ing ball already!" As I remember it, this for some reason reassured him about the continuity of our people.
Thanks. I really appreciate your thoughtful comments here.
I only just noticed the title of this piece, the statement that these are the best pieces of fiction dealing with Judaism. There are so many. In recent years Orthodox fiction seems to have become a genre. In my experience the 2 authors that get traditional Judaism best are Dara Horn and Rochelle Krich. Krich - Orthodox herself - writes murder mysteries with lots of Orthodoxy mixed in, and accurate information (perhaps best, and most recent, one - Now You See Her about a yeshiva high school principal's daughter who gets caught up in internet trouble). Horn is a master writer who weaves together different genres, she is an amazing writer and her knowledge and depiction of Judaism are impeccable (best - The World To Come. Fantastic. Her other two books, In The Image and All Other Nights are also great. The first two are similar in that they are somewhat mystical, for lack of a more accurate world. The third one stands alone as a brave work of historical fiction about Jewish spies during the American Civil War.
I almost never read Orthodox fiction. In my experience, the writing is just not up to snuff.
I am recently reminded of one of the best pieces of Jewish fiction I ever read: a short story called Rabbinical Eyes by Rebbecca Goldstein. It was published in Commentary about 20 years ago. There's an abstract here:
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/viewarticle.cfm/rabbinical-eyes-7844
I see she has published novels. I really should check them out.
I LOVED "The Chosen" which I read when I was young, and re-read a number of times. It is a gem.
The other of your suggestions that I've read is "The Red Tent." It was absorbing, but something about yhe writing seemed presumptuous and overly modern. I'm not even sure what I mean by that, but it put me off. I did, however, finish it.
Oops, just realized these were not YOUR suggestions, but the guest blogger's.
Yes, this was a guest blogger I love that my bog has attracted guest posters and interviews. I've also gotten free books to review and once a gift certifiate for mentioning a product. At first I felt bad that I really didn't like a book I was given to review - so I just didn't review it. Then it went on to become quite popular, going paperback and having a sequel. Good for the author.
Yes, something about The Chosen clicked for me, and something about The Red Tent turned me off.
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