The Promised Land (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) [Paperback]

Mary Antin (Author), Werner Sollors (Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin | Publication Date: February 1, 1997

Interweaving autobiography with history, introspection and political commentary, Mary Antin recounts the process of "uprooting, transportation, replanting, acclimatization, and development that took place in my own soul", and reveals the impact of a new culture on her family.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

An extraordinary popular success when it was first published in 1912, The Promised Land is a classic account of the Jewish American immigrant experience. Mary Antin emigrated with her family from the
Eastern European town of Polotzk to Boston in 1894, when she was twelve years old. Preternaturally inquisitive, Antin was a provocative observer of the identity-altering contrasts between Old World and
New. Her narrative ? of universal appeal and rich in its depictions of both worlds ? captures a large-scale sociocultural landscape and paints a profound self-portrait of an iconoclast seeking to reconcile her
heritage with her newfound identity as an American citizen. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Jules Chametzky is Professor of English, Emeritus, at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He is an editor and founder of The Massachusetts Review and author of "From the Ghetto: the Fiction of Abraham Cahan and Our Decentralized Literature." He recently edited "The Rise of David Levinsky" and was co-editor of "Jewish American Literature: a Norton Anthology." He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Mary Antin was born in June of 1881 in Polotzk, White Russia (what is now Belarus). She emigrated from Polotzk to Boston with her family in 1894, when she was thirteen. Her first book, describing her voyage from Russia to the United States, was published in 1899. "The Promised Land" was a bestseller when it was first published in 1912.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics; First Edition, 10th Printing edition (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140189858
• ISBN-13: 978-0140189858
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous find, January 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Promised Land (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) (Paperback)

It is hard to believe I never was required to read this wonderful book, and I am thankful to have discovered it as a result of reading a children's book based on it (by Rosemary Wells, also highly recommended) to my children. The circumstances of its writing are remarkable; the images luminous and the prose unbelievably beautiful for any author, especially for a recent immigrant. But it is the insight into her personality, culture and psyche which appeal to me the most. You will also like the personalities you meet through her. This book should be read by anyone who loves the English language, loves America, or just loves a window into the soul of another.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but not the greatest, October 26, 2004

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Promised Land (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) (Paperback)

I remember reading this work years ago in connection with the study I was then making of American Jewish Literature. My impression was much that of another Amazon reader. It is at times a vivid account of a new immigrant experience, but the tale is not told with the deepest intensity of feeling. It may be unfair but the comparison which comes to mind is with Henry Roth's "Call it Sleep" which is a fictional work but one which goes deep into the soul and consciousness. This work is a more externally directed narrative, and has its virtue in giving a picture of one person's move to the New World.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Look at Immigrant Experience, September 12, 2003

By 

Ricky Hunter (New York City, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Promised Land (Modern Library Classics) (Paperback)

Mary Antin's experiences presumably match the experiences of many immigrants coming to America in the heady days just before the dawn of the twentienth century. The Promised Land, for that reason, holds a high degree of historical interest for anyone with a fascination for this period and the process of an immigrant's journey from their mother country to their new home. I wish I could recommend it more highly but it is written in such drippingly purple tones that at times it comes close to being cringe worthy. The author did possess a high degree of self awareness but an often low degree of awareness of others that makes her endlessly new revelations about herself seem more and more self-centred. This book is of its time with its concern for the early progessive movements' ideas about cleanliness and the prose stylings from the end of the nineteenth century. It can a little hard going but is worth the effort for a look at one woman's journey to an America that once followed the words written on the Statue of Liberty.