Growing Up Jewish in America: An Oral History [Hardcover]

Myrna Katz Frommer (Author), Harvey Frommer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1995

These childhood memories of 100 men and women, ranging in ages from 22 to 99, combine to create a unique portrait of Jewish-American life in the 20th century, with all its vibrancy, complexity, humor and contradictions. Some recollections are common to most growing-up-in-America sagas, others are undeniably unique to the Jewish experience. of photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Compilers of two previous oral histories, the Frommers (It Happened in Brooklyn) here mix the experiences of some 100 interviewees?a good fraction of them writers or Jewish community officials?into a rich mosaic portrait. They cover much ground, from life in New England ("a benignly non-Jewish environment"), the isolating South and the comforting frenzy of New York. Interviewees discuss politicization, the impact of the Holocaust, the effects of Zionism and the ongoing tensions about assimilation and anti-Semitism. Some anecdotes are arresting, and all are quite short. Thus, this book is an accessible introduction to the varieties of the American Jewish experience, but the reader is reminded that there exists a rich body of reportage, fiction and memoir that delves far deeper into such stories. Photos.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In another popular history, the Frommers (It Happened in Brooklyn, LJ 11/1/93) have produced a breezy but informative look at Jewish childhood in 20th-century America. What makes this book tick is the wide variety of people profiled and their unique life stories. They show what it is like to be a Jewish child in various geographical regions in various times and how anti-Semitism is a common experience to all. And they show how even Jews brought up in orphanages or residing temporarily in refugee camps can find creative expression for their experiences. In many ways this is a reassuring book. The interviewees are not all of one Jewish movement or outlook, and yet most have a positive Jewish identity. The only criticism is that the reader would like to hear more about a number of the truly remarkable people illuminated here. This easily digested book will circulate well in medium-sized libraries serving a Jewish or diverse clientele.?Paul Kaplan, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., Ill.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt; 1st edition (November 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151001324
• ISBN-13: 978-0151001323
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,919,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars insightful portrait-- st louis post dispatch, February 21, 2000

By 

harvey frommer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Growing Up Jewish in America: An Oral History (Paperback)

===Growing up Jewish IN AMERICA

THIS IS a fine book for goyim. Being gentile, as far as I know, I can say that.

One never knows exactly what one's roots might include. As Leon Toubin comments on a Texas community in this entertaining oral history, "We were probably all Jewish once, but we're Lutheran now." The complexities of American life make this book fun and often pure poetry. Some vital turning points come to life in a just few sentences. Zipporah Marans, whose father was an Orthodox rabbi in Raleigh, N.C., during World War II, recalls G.I.s "would have three days' leave before being shipped overseas. Their girlfriends would come down, and my father would marry them in our living room. My mother, sister, a soldier friend and I would each hold a corner of the chuppa, the wedding canopy."

St. Louis Jews - really, all Jews west of the Appalachians - might feel a bit slighted in this study. David Bisno talks about the divide between Jews of German and Russian descent in St. Louis, but he doesn't offer many details. Ansaie Sokoloff recalls his family leaving St. Louis for Cheyenne, Wyo. Other communities in the chapter about the Midwest and West include Detroit, Duluth, Omaha, Pittsburgh and San Fernando. It reminded me of a gas station attendant in New Jersey who noticed my Missouri plates and said, "I have a cousin who went to school in South Dakota." New York and environs get the bulk of attention here. That's fine, but what I find particularly fascinating are more detailed accounts of unique or remote communities and families struggling to maintain traditions.

The Frommers' book has many moments, too, where one senses the effort necessary to maintain tradition and faith in our time. Though no characters develop in this text, one hears many fragments of fascinating memories, which together present an insightful portrait of vibrant communities and individuals.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ---unique life stories*********** LIBRARY JOURNAL, September 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Growing Up Jewish in America: An Oral History (Paperback)

"In another popular history, the Frommers have produced a breezy but informative look at Jewish childhood in 20th-century America. What makes this book tick is the wide variety of people profiled and their unique life stories. They show what it is like to be a Jewish child in various geographical regions in various times and how anti-Semitism is a common experience to all. And they show how even Jews brought up in orphanages or residing temporarily in refugee camps can find creative expression for their experiences. In many ways this is a reassuring book. The interviewees are not all of one Jewish movement or outlook, and yet most have a positive Jewish identity."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars COVERS MUCH GROUND!------ From Publishers Weekly, June 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Growing Up Jewish in America: An Oral History (Paperback)

: Compilers of two previous oral histories, the Frommers (It Happened in Brooklyn) here mix the experiences of some 100 interviewees-a good fraction of them writers or Jewish community officials-into a rich mosaic portrait. They cover much ground, from life in New England ("a benignly non-Jewish environment"), the isolating South and the comforting frenzy of New York. Interviewees discuss politicization, the impact of the Holocaust, the effects of Zionism and the ongoing tensions about assimilation and anti-Semitism. Some anecdotes are arresting, and all are quite short. Thus, this book is an accessible introduction to the varieties of the American Jewish experience.