Writing a Jewish Life: Memoirs

by Lev Raphael

Writing a Jewish Life chronicles novelist Lev Raphael's struggle to claim both his religious and sexual identities, and the happiness he subsequently found. Until he reached his mid-20s, the author felt alienated from other Jews, ambivalent about his homosexuality; or as he puts it, "twice strange ... in each [community], different, lesser, ashamed." A son of Holocaust survivors, Raphael grew up in an unmistakably Jewish but nonreligious home. However, as an adult he initiated his own affiliations with He had a bar mitzvah at age 30, went to Israel twice, and fell in love with a Jewish man. It was "coming out as a Jew,' he writes, that "ultimately made it possible for me to come out as a gay man and then work at uniting the two identities." Attesting to his journey is the contrast between his confused childhood and the joyful domestic life he now shares with his lover, Gersh, and their two sons.

Genres: LGBT, Gay

225 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

I've wanted to be an author since I was in second grade and fell in love with "The Three Musketeers", which I read to pieces. It hasn't been a swashbuckling life exactly, but one full of surprises, including recently selling my literary papers to Michigan State University's Libraries.

Since second grade, I've loved all sorts of books and have ended up writing nineteen books in many genres: memoir, mystery, short story collections, a children's book, and more. I've been an academic, a radio DJ, had my own talk show, and currently have three terrific giugs.

I write a monthly column for Bibliobuffet.com called Book Brunch. I blog at Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lev-rap...). And I do a monthly "Under the Radar" book review for WKAR 90.5 FM in East Lansing, MI. I'm always on the lookout for beautifully written books in any genre, but I more and more favor books from smaller presses, because they need more exposure.

I love reading my work and have done hundreds of readings on three different continents. Readings are performances, and I practice, practice, practice.

Reviews

[musa b-n · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to examine for my thesis. I enjoyed reading it, but not to the extent where reading it for my thesis didn't feel somewhat like a chore. But it is a very good memoir, and very touching. I like the essay about his dog a lot.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a book I pulled off the shelf at the library and read at random. The essays were fine, if a bit repetitive on some points, but it was interesting to see a gay Jewish perspective from the early nineties, and what did and didn't read as dated. However, I have very much added Raphael's mystery novels to my TBR, considering we share a favorite author in Edith Wharton, and I can't resist a book called "The Edith Wharton Murders".

[Roland · Rating 4 out of 5]

i like his writing