My life as a Hasidic boy in Brooklyn
Written: Dec 28 '00 (Updated Dec 29 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: timeless, well-written, classic themes
Cons: none
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| sleah's Full Review: |
Although the main characters are children, this is not a children's book. I've reread this book at least once a year every year since I was a teenager, and it continues to remind me of what's really important.
A simple description of the plot doesn't do it justice, but I'll start there: the story follows the development of an unlikely friendship between two boys in Brooklyn - Reuven, a Reform Jew, and Danny, a Hasidic Jew who's father is a revered rabbi who has not spoken to him for many years. The story is told from Reuven's point of view, but it's really Danny's story - about his relationship with his father, his struggle with the weight of his community's expectations on him, and his longing to be a psychologist (which, needless to say, is not exactly an honored profession for a Hasidic Jew). The story culminates in Danny finally facing his fears and coming to understand his father's reason for silence.
Potok does an amazing job of conveying the politics and concerns of a tight-knit religious community, and of interweaving the history of the Hasidim and the historical persecution of Jews in general. One does not need to have any knowledge of Judaism, however, to get the meaning of the book, for the themes cut across religion, gender, and geography - I am a Christian/Unitarian woman from the Pacific Northwest and I have reflected on its lessons many times since picking up this book as a teenager years ago. Indeed, despite our demographic differences, I relate so well to the internal motivations and experiences of Danny's character that I could be him in another life (if I believed in reincarnation).
I highly recommend this book to anyone in the mood for a serious but uplifting book about serious things, for those concerned with the problem of suffering, and for those still trying to find their place in the world (which is me, most days). Every time I read it, I get something new from it - and I expect I will continue to do so at different stages in my life.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sleah
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Reviews written: 41
Trusted by: 34 members
About Me:
When I'm not building the New Economy, I'm reading, watching DVD's, or shooting hoops.
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