“It is the now-classic story of two fathers and two sons and the
pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is
best suited to each. And as the boys grow into young men, they discover in the
other a lost spiritual brother, and a link to an unexplored world that neither
had ever considered before. In effect, they exchange places, and find the peace
that neither will ever retreat from again....
“This is the odyssey from boyhood to manhood for
two Jewish boys amidst the conflict between generations and religious
traditions.” – courtesy of Barnes & Noble.com because my copy had no
summary.
This book was an
assigned reading for my Multicultural American Novel course. I will admit that I was hesitant to begin
reading it and—not to sound anti-Semitic (which I am not…I’m dating a Jewish
man)—but I really did not want to read a book about Jewish children growing up
during WWII. I had absolutely no
desire to read something on this topic.
As I read further, however, I did not feel as if I was reading an
assigned book. It was definitely
the writing that encouraged me to continue on. I even brought this book on vacation with me and found
myself enjoying it. The writing
style was easy to read and kept me very interested. Where I was pretty off-put by the subject matter, I grew a
little more interested in the boys’ struggles as the book went on. I even found myself asking my Jewish
boyfriend for clarification on some words, teachings, and practices where my
limited knowledge of Judaism failed me.
Therefore, this book exposed me to a whole new culture and made me
interested without me even realizing it.
The contrast
between Danny and Reuven was really what made the book. Their characters felt so real that I couldn’t
help but feel for them. This book
was truly artful and masterful.
The boys’ unlikely friendship was touching and made all the more
interesting by its tumultuousness.
Some history-laden portions were a little bit slow reading, but—now that
I’ve finished the book—I can see how integral they were to understanding the
characters. While I cannot say
that I would necessarily choose to pick up a book on this subject, I did end up
enjoying this piece. Potok is a
gifted author and one that certainly belongs in the greats of Multicultural
American novels.