Growing Up Jewish

by Jay David

The Joy And Drama Of The Jewish Experience

Growing up Jewish in America has inspired some of the best works of fiction and nonfiction ever written. Here are twenty-five moving, comical and insightful tales of childhood and adolescence by some of the most well-loved and gifted writers in the Jewish-American literary tradition.

First-generation immigrants tell of facing the barrier of a foreign language and anti-Semitism upon their arrival. Their children reveal how they bridged the gap between the old world and the new, grappling with the perils of assimilation. Finally, today's younger writers offer spirited accounts of contemporary Jewish identity. Distinguished by wonderful storytelling, Growing Up Jewish stands as a testament to the essential Jewish contribution to the mosaic of American literature.

223 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1996

Reviews

[Delia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good anthology! There are various perspectives and each gives you a different glimpse of what it was like to be Jewish in different parts of the world at different times. I will admit that some accounts were very tedious to get through, but a few of them were really enjoyable and entertaining. While I don't think I'll be rereading this anthology in its entirety ever again, I will revisit certain stories in the future.

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointment. I think the only reason why I gave this more than 1 star is that a couple of the stories were actually interesting/moving. But aside from those couple; I actually found a lot of the material to be lackluster and dull.

Not what I was expecting at all. I think I wanted more 'insight' from the authors about their feelings or maybe even a coming of age story or two that wasn't so predictable. We Jews are stereotyped so much, I don't think many of these stories do us any favors.

[Oriyah N · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some stories were ok, some were fabulous...most were somewhere in between...but more than remarkable writing, it was just a snapshot in time, like I was listening to the reminiscing of my parent's contemporaries.

[Richard Kravitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't remember any of the stories. Still have the book.