Zebra and Other Stories [Mass Market Paperback]

Chaim Potok (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 12, 2000

"In six quietly powerful stories, Potok explores varieties of inner and outer healing, both in individuals and families: 'Zebra' begins to regain use of his crushed hand and leg creating art assigned by an intinerant teacher; 'Isabel' finds unexpected solace in the company of her new stepsister. In the collection's haunting centerpiece, 'Nava' uses her father's experiences in war, and his connection with a Navajo healer, to fend off a frighteningly persistent drug dealer. The families represented are all middle-class or upper-middle-class, but the relationships, the feelings of loss, grief, regret, hope, and relief are universal; readers sensitive to nuances of language and situation will be totally absorbed by these profound character studies."--Kirkus Reviews, Pointer

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Each of the six stories in Chaim Potok's lovely collection is titled simply with the name of the main character, reflecting the essence of these quiet selections--intense, exquisitely drawn portraits of the ordinary lives of young people. In "Zebra" a boy, with the help of a mysterious, unconventional art teacher, begins to regain the use of his crushed hand--and in the process heals a bit of his injured spirit. Secrets abound in "B.B.," where a young girl whose baby brother has died must cope with discovering the hidden realities about her family that are "too much of a secret for me to be carrying alone." "Nava" describes how a young woman handles a bully, calling upon the strength inspired by the words of a Native American family friend to confront a violent drug dealer.

The issues faced by these young adults--trust, divorce, grief, hope, peer and family dynamics--are common coming-of-age milestones. But what makes Potok's powerful work shine is that he clearly holds respect for the intelligence and intuition of young people, allowing them to decipher their own truths--refraining from preaching or hammering a point home. Potok, author of The Chosen, published several of these stories previously in adult publications. Nevertheless, these voices never sound dubiously mature for their teen years; they speak the straightforward, often strikingly insightful language of youth. As one young character notes, "I think losing your soul is when you can't tell a story about something that has happened to you." Indeed. Judging by the quality and craftsmanship of these tales, it's obvious that Potok is brimming with soul. (Ages 12 and older). --Brangien Davis --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Potok (The Chosen) turns out an uneven collection of six stories, each featuring a teenager in transition. Their predicaments, for the most part, are inventive and resonant: B.B.'s mother is at the hospital in labor when B.B.'s father leaves the cataclysmic message that he is walking out; Nava learns from her Vietnam-vet dad how to defend herself against a particularly aggressive drug pusher; Isabel's newly widowed mother meets and marries a widower with a daughter near Isabel's age. The title story, which opens the book, is the exception: predictable and flimsily peopled, it describes a gravely injured boy's psychic healing through an art class. The other entries allow for more ambiguity, leaving small lacunae in the narratives for intelligent readers to fill in. The characterizations, unfortunately, tend to be incomplete or unconvincing. Nava, for example, uses expressions like "about the time... my menstrual blood began to flow"; B.B.'s gender is kept a secret from the reader; drummer Moon Vinten, a rebellious 13-year-old who dyes his ponytail blue, tacks up Beatles photos in his bedroom. Readers who don't mind the somewhat wooden nature of the protagonists will probably enjoy the adult feel of Potok's suggestive silences. Ages 11-16.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf; 1st Knopf Ppbk. Ed. Sep. 2000 edition (September 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375806865
• ISBN-13: 978-0375806865
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,297,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Realism at it's finest, February 10, 2001

By 

"sarakay54" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zebra and Other Stories (Hardcover)

I was truly surprised when I finished reading this. It was very realistic and heartwrenching stories. There is a true tone to each and every story. You could see yourself in the stories and they were easy to relate to. Young adults would be able to relate to the characters and the situations that they find themselves in. Each problem that the characters go through could happen everyday in society. It was refreshing to read a book for young adults that models appropriate behavior. Great book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, September 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Zebra and Other Stories (Mass Market Paperback)

I thought the book, Zebra: And Other Stories was very interesting. The 6 different stories each were told very well. I recommend this book to anyone.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of the best books I have ever read!!!, December 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Zebra and Other Stories (Hardcover)

I read a lot, but very few of the books I have read have touched me the way this one did. The varied stories kept the book interesting because the subjects kept changing. Some of them I felt I could relate to and others I couldn't, but I know people who it does relate to and it helps me understand more about them. This is definatly one of the best books I have read.