America and I: Short Stories by American Jewish Women Writers [Paperback]

Joyce Antler (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 1991 | ISBN-10: 0807036072 | ISBN-13: 978-0807036075

A collection of twentieth-century stories by Jewish women, featuring some of the best short story writers in American fiction. From Anzia Yezierska and Edna Ferber to Cynthia Ozick, Grace Paley, and Susan Fromberg Schaeffer, these writers reveal a rich, vital, and innovative tradition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Four generations of American Jewish women writers are represented in these 23 tales; Mary Antin and Edith Konecky explore the secondary role of women in Judaism, Hortense Calisher deals with generational conflict, a 1932 story by Tess Slesinger concerns abortion and Cynthia Ozick confronts the Holocaust. PW called this an "absorbing collection . . . powerful and deeply moving."
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-- The stories in this collection are arranged chronologically from 1900 to the present. The writers, including Edna Ferber, Tillie Olsen, Joanne Greenberg, and Grace Paley, explore their heritage from a feminine viewpoint.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (September 5, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807036072
• ISBN-13: 978-0807036075
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #841,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars America and I -- A Treasure of Stories and Experiences, July 2, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: America and I: Short Stories by American Jewish Women Writers (Paperback)

This beautiful anthology of short stories includes authors born in Europe and born in America. Some authors were familiar, such as Tillie Olsen, Joanne Greenberg, Cynthia Ozick, and Grace Paley. Some became wonderful new introductions, such as Mary Antin, Edna Ferber, and Rebecca Goldstein. Some stories tell of life in Europe; some speak of adjusting to life in America, some speak of being a child of immigrants, and some speak of owning one's identity. One particularly moving story, "Malinka's Atonement," took place in a shetl in Europe and told of a poor girl's desire to be educated, her misrepresentation that a chicken was kosher, for which she believed she must "atone," and, ultimately, the respected rabbi's apology for seeing only the chicken and not the hungry child and his offer to take her as a student. Another story, "The Girl Who Went Right," tells of a young immigrant woman's efforts to get a job in a new, big city department store by "Americanizing" her Jewish name and how she soon reclaims both her name and her identity. Yet another story, a personal favorite, "I Stand Here Ironing," tells of a woman who contemplates her efforts to provide for her family and the impact it had on her oldest daughter, who she struggles to understand -- as she anticipates yet another conference with the school principal. And one, provocative and powerful story, "The Legacy of Raizel Kaidish: A Story," tells of a daugher's moral confrontation with her mother and her own name. The book honors the experiences of women in America and Europe. Joyce Antler has capably organized the stories into four parts, from Europe, through the immigrant experience, and into the 1980's. Since first reading America and I in the early 1990's, I have given the book to my friends, their daughters, my neices, and cousins as birthday, Bat Mitzvah, and Chanukah gifts. I have used some of the stories for discussion groups, and I recall some in anecdotes I tell my children or in insights I quietly contemplate. The book is a treasure.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Stories, October 30, 2003

By 

Shane Wolcansek "Shane Wolcansek" (Boiling Springs, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: America and I: Short Stories by American Jewish Women Writers (Hardcover)

The first reviewer obviously can not read or lacks the ability to comprehend deep stories. This book is full of wonderfully sad stories about suffering. They are a reflection of the evil we can inflict on our fellow people. The stories provide lessons of hope and strength inspired by some of the worst attrocities of history. Do not let the poor review sway you. I too had to read many of the stories for classes, but I read the ones not assigned on my own. The book is wonderful and diverse.

4.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, eclectic, and useful anthology, June 27, 2011

By 

dragonfly "dragonfly" (New England) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: America and I: Short Stories by American Jewish Women Writers (Paperback)

This is a very fine anthology of writings by Jewish women, set according to the time period and therefore with certain themes that emerge-- i.e. immigration, assimilation, etc. A great and eclectic group of authors, includes some great standards such as I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Oson and The Shawl by Cynthia Oczick as well as work by marvelous less well known writers such as Sheila Schwartz. A very fine and much needed collection.