Ask for a Convertible: Stories (Hardcover)

by Danit Brown (Author)
Key Phrases: The Dangers of Salmonella, Fantasy Bridal, Clean Up Any Stain (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Home isn't just about place, Efrat Greenberg scolds her daughter, Osnat, in Ascent, the last of the 13 linked stories in Brown's debut collection spanning approximately 20 years. But the struggles and longings of these two Tel Aviv–born women who move to Ann Arbor, Mich., when Osnat is in junior high school echo in all of Brown's characters. Efrat is woefully homesick: she moved for her American husband, Marvin, who accepted a teaching job after 13 years in Israel. Osnat seeks kinship from classmate and fellow immigrant Sanjay. The quest for connection is larger than the Greenbergs: in Running, family friend Harriet cements a friendship with an unpopular girl when the two teens concoct—after studying Anne Frank—an escape plan in case Nazis take over America. And then there's Noam, a battle-scarred Israeli soldier who arrives in New York with big dreams, but ends up slinging hummus in a Chicago suburb. He and Osnat wind up together on the night of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination. At once openhearted and close-minded, Brown's characters often offend one another when they collide, and their stories capture the awkwardness of both coming to America and coming-of-age. (Aug.)
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From School Library Journal
Adult/High School—This linked collection of short stories reads like a novel. Osnat Greenberg, 13 when readers first meet her, spends the next 15 years struggling with her identity. A child of an American father and an Israeli mother, she moves with her family from Tel Aviv to Michigan just as she begins middle school. This change in location results in more than just a struggle to assimilate into a new culture. Osnat finds herself not only isolated from her classmates and peers, but also estranged from her quarrelsome parents. As an adult, she moves to her family's apartment in Tel Aviv with the hope that returning to Israel will give her the social connections she has not been able to find in America. However, her experiences reveal that location and love are connected—just not in any of the ways she originally thought. Both funny and poignant, these stories communicate a subtle wisdom about what is important in life. Teens will be drawn in by Osnat's quirky adolescent obstacles and her heartrending journey to define herself both outside of and within her family. Recommend this title to readers who enjoyed Curtis Sittenfeld's The Man of My Dreams (Random, 2006).—Lynn Rashid, Marriots Ridge High School, Marriotsville, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon; 1 edition (August 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375424547
• ISBN-13: 978-0375424540
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #367,034 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OUTSTANDING collection and bound to collect plenty of prizes!, August 5, 2008

By	NaughtiLiterati (NYC) - See all my reviews

I had the pleasure of coming across an advance copy some time back and I could not wait until I was able to post a review and spread the word about this collection.

It follows a young and confused Osnat through adolescence and adulthood, and also follows the life of her friends, family and those in proximity in one way or another. Like many immigrants or children of them, Osnat has a hard time fitting in - being Jewish but not Israeli enough, etc but that's not even the biggest issue for me - I loved how well the book was written and how funny it was throughout.

Each story is compassionately told and each story really makes you put the book down and THINK about it before you absolutely HAVE to devour the next one. It's been a minute since I read it but I promise I will be back with a better breakdown of the stories - I just *needed* to say something right now to support Danit Brown cause the book is that [...] good!! I plan on buying a regular copy even though I already own it because the book is THAT [...] good. LOL

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, August 20, 2008

By	S. salomy (new york) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just finished reading this wonderfully descriptive book. I loved the way the author described the need for satisfying a parent's wish even if it may go against your own well-being. The Israel/Tel-Aviv portraits were great and I found myself laughing at the very real vignettes. I called my sister to read some parts to her and we both roared.