Customer Reviews

Zebra and Other Stories

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I am an education student for middle childhood education currently taking a concepts class in reading. Because of this class I find myself buying young adult literature. I had never read anything by Potok before this, but will be sure to after this. Each story is short and easy to read, yet at the same time very thought provoking. A must read for todays youth as well as their parents. I don't wish to reveal any details, read for yourself.

Zebra and Other Stories by Chaim Potok is a great way to introduce students to voice and author. Each story presents a unique psychological insight to the characters, and possibly the author's own feelings about adolescent crises.

I especially enjoyed "Moon," which highlighted the disconnection many adolescents experience with their parents. The main character also undergoes a transformation, through the use of his music, which is an interest and need many adolescents identify with.

Though the stories left me with way more questions that answers, and a bit of confusion, I think Potok intended this for discussion purposes. The stories touch on very sensitive subjects, and can be a good way for students to be introduced to how we can discuss these subjects respectfully.

Chaim Potok's, book Zebra and Other Stories is very insightful. It gives us a glimpse of the complex lives of teens today. I really was able to identify with the emotions and feelings of the characters. I even felt at times as if I was a "fly on the wall", sneaking a peek!

I've read nearly everything written by Chaim Potok and continue to be amazed as his rare insight into interpersonal relationships and spiritual growth. Yes, these stories center on the coming of age struggles of teenage protagonists, but make no mistakes this is not a children's book. The stories are full-strength celebrations of self-discovery. If you buy ONE book today . . . make it this one!

The story "Moon" is based on the tragic life of Iqbal Massih, a Pakistani boy who fought against child labor and was murdered in Pakistan at the age of 12, after returning from a visit to the U. S. Pakistan should erect a memorial to Iqubal, but instead the country's elite live off the labor of thousands of children who live in abject poverty with no hope for any better future.

The aircraft collision that happens over Emmie's school as described in the story "Max," in which a "United States senator" is killed, is a fairly accurate description of the accident that killed Republican Senator H. John Heinz of Pennsylvania in 1991. Two first-grade girls were killed when the helicopter fell into the schoolyard at Merion Elementary School in a suburb of Philadelphia--only 30 feet from the main building. The airplane fell on the other side of the building. Along with Sen. Heinz, both the pilots and co-pilots of the airplane and helicopter were also killed. Sen. Heinz's widow, Teresa, inherited almot $1 billion after her husband's death. She later married Democratic Senator and presidential candidate John Kerry.

The two stepsisters in "Isabel" are symbolically "married" when Betsy slips one of her late mother's rings on Isabel's finger--immediately after the wedding of Betsy's father and Isabel's widowed mother. On their parents' wedding night, as Betsy enters Isabel's room, Isabel remarks "Daddy wouldn't've wanted me to be alone," echoing her mother's earlier remark about her late husband's wishes for her. Zebra and Other Stories

I thought this way this book was structured with the variety of different stories and perspectives help it to move quickly. I thought particularly Zebra and Nava were excellent stories about young adolescent experience. Potok did a great job of structuring each story with relevant and fast-paced events. I think students might find some of the characters or stories boring, but as a college education student, I enjoyed this collection.

I give credit to Chaim Potok for having the courage to write this novel, however I believe that he tried to accomplish something that is well out of his graps. He tried to firmly describe a young teenager's feelings about the world and their personal feelings, and went about it all wrong. Although, I do reccomend this book to any adult who is trying to understand teenagers, this book is an excellent first step. Granted, some of the stories are interesting, but the element of repetition is too commen. The same theme or idea or conflict is the same in the "different" stories. But overall, Bravo to Mr. Potok who had the courage to break new ground.