My Jewish Face & Other Stories [Paperback]

Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995

short fiction

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kaye/Kantrowitz herself pins down the problem with her debut short-story collection, in the two-sentence conclusion to a tale of enraged women who murder two alleged rapists: "I know you don't like this story. But it could be true." Her fictions, most of them about being lesbian and/or Jewish, have the ring of truth in their deeply felt emotions and intriguing characters, and there are moments of humor and poignancy, particularly in the portraits of aging Jewish leftists--"My parents could analyze the historical roots and class base of absolutely anything: a jar of peanut butter; the nubbly pink blanket I tucked between my legs every night. . . ." But ultimately, it's hard to like the book. There are a number of unpleasantly graphic passages about bulimia--"I ate it, the whole half-gallon of ice cream, spoon and spoon, and threw it up, still cold and sweet"--and a dog whose head is split with an ax, and Kaye/Kantrowitz has an unfortunate tendency to be overly earnest: "I feel like just standing up on the subway and proclaiming I'M A JEW. Would anyone especially hate me?" Kaye/Kantrowitz is coeditor of The Tribe of Dina: A Jewish Women's Anthology.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Taking the reader through the feminist movement from Brooklyn, Harlem, and Berkeley in the Sixties to the feminist politics of the Seventies and the renewed activism of the Eighties, this collection explores the issues confronting Jewish women moving from the left into feminist and lesbian politics. American anti-Semitism, the American Jewish response to Israel, the language of activism, and daily life are among the subjects considered. In "dance on the face of the earth," a woman's sexual identity is challenged, and she leaves the man in her life and returns to women. In the title story, a group of women attending a Jewish caucus at a midwestern university join audience and performers in protesting anti-Semitic lines in a play performed there. A fine collection of strong feminist writing.
- Molly Abramowitz, Silver Spring, Md.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Aunt Lute Books; First edition (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0933216718
• ISBN-13: 978-0933216716
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,339,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > World > Jewish > General

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this Book!, October 1, 2000

By 

splockhart "splockhart" (California, United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Jewish Face & Other Stories (Paperback)

My Jewish Face & Other Stories is an amazing collection of interconnected short stories that tackle the issues of Jewish identity, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, social activism, rape, lesbian relationships, parent-child relationships....and the list goes on. Surprisingly, I didn't feel overwhelmed. Kaye/Kantrowitz's poetic writing style gives such attention to detail that it can address big issues without becoming convoluded and confusing. She doesn't try to "solve" anything; she just shows how these issues manifest themselves in her different characters. As a young, heterosexual, non-Jewish woman, I had a little trouble relating to the characters, but through my struggle to understand them, I learned a lot about a culture different from mine. I laughed, I nearly cried, and I couldn't put this book down. The ending left me stunned and gave me A LOT to contemplate. Read this book with an open mind, and you will be glad you did.