My Own Ground

by Hugh Nissenson

Set in the year 1912, My Own Ground is the dramatic portrayal of the spiritual and sexual awakening of Jake Brody, an orphaned fifteen-year-old immigrant on New York's Lower East Side. It is also the story of the love of Hannele Isaacs, the rabbi's daughter, for the Jewish pimp Schlifka, who ruthlessly makes her one of his girls. In the struggle to save Hannele, Jacob comes of age abruptly, discovering violence, perversity, mysticism, sexuality, and death in the bitter reality of life in a turn-of-the-century American ghetto.

Genres: Fiction

180 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1976

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this many, many years ago. Well-written (very) depressing story of early 20th century lower east side life of Jewish immigrants. They speak Yiddish, Russian, Ukranian, Polish, maybe some English - some very religious, some have given up belief - and some become prostitutes and some become pimps, while others work in the clothing industry. Despite the tragedies, there are some happy times and memories in their lives.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understood this book until the end; then, I got lost. Hate when that happens. Set in the early 1900's on the Lower East Side of NYC, it is the story of Jake Brody, Hannele Isaacs and Schlifka, a pimp.