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Call It Sleep: A Novel (Paperback)

by Henry Roth (Author), Alfred Kazin (Introduction), Hana Wirth-Nesher (Afterword) "STANDING before the kitchen sink and regarding the bright brass faucets that gleamed so far away, each with a bead of water at its nose,..." (more)
Key Phrases: stay hea, ged oud, yuh god, Aunt Bertha, Reb Schulim, Uncle Nathan (more...)

4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Review
"Arguably the most distinguished work of fiction ever written about immigrant life."--Lis Harris, The New Yorker

"One of the few genuinely distinguished novels written by a twentieth-century American. The central figure is David Schearl, an overwrought, phobic, and dangerously imaginative little boy. He has come to New York with his East European Jewish parents, and now, in the years between 1911 and 1913, he is exposed, shock by shock, to the blows of slum life."--Irving Howe, The New York Times Book Review (front page)
-- Review

Review

"Arguably the most distinguished work of fiction ever written about immigrant life."--Lis Harris, The New Yorker

"One of the few genuinely distinguished novels written by a twentieth-century American. The central figure is David Schearl, an overwrought, phobic, and dangerously imaginative little boy. He has come to New York with his East European Jewish parents, and now, in the years between 1911 and 1913, he is exposed, shock by shock, to the blows of slum life."--Irving Howe, The New York Times Book Review (front page)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (January 1, 1992)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0374522928
ISBN-13: 978-0374522926
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #126,735 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category: (What's this?)
#2 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( R ) > Roth, Henry

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
STANDING before the kitchen sink and regarding the bright brass faucets that gleamed so far away, each with a bead of water at its nose, slowly swelling, falling, David again became aware that this world had been created without thought of him. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
stay hea, ged oud, yuh god, helmeted one, one only kid, yuh goin, yuh wanna, two zuzim, yuh see, eternal years, dis way, golden land

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aunt Bertha, Reb Schulim, Uncle Nathan, Tenth Street, Boddeh Stritt, Ninth Street, Reb Yidel, The Tageblatt, East River, Hey Davy, High Wood, Owl Mama, Potter Street, Bill Whitney, Doctor Goldberg, Lily Aglorini, Nathan Sternowitz

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 37 books:

Call It Sleep: A Novel by Henry Roth on 11 pages
Languages in Contact by Uriel Weinreich in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
The Day of the Locust (Signet Classic) by Nathanael West in Front Matter
Sons and Lovers by D H Lawrence in Front Matter
Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald in Front Matter

See all 37 books this book cites

100 books cite this book:

Redemption: The Life of Henry Roth by Steven G. Kellman on 123 pages
Call It English: The Languages of Jewish American Literature by Hana Wirth-Nesher on 28 pages
Strangers at Home: American Ethnic Modernism between the World Wars by Rita Keresztesi on 23 pages
Ethnic Passages: Literary Immigrants in Twentieth-Century America by Thomas J. Ferraro on 22 pages
Lower East Side Memories: A Jewish Place in America by Hasia R. Diner on 9 pages

See all 100 books citing this book

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

New Essays on Call It Sleep by Hana Wirth-Nesher

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	87% buy the item featured on this page: Call It Sleep: A Novel 4.4 out of 5 stars (34)
	8% buy Stones of Summer 3.0 out of 5 stars (75) $6.38
	2% buy The Assistant: A Novel 4.3 out of 5 stars (32) $10.98
	1% buy Call It Sleep

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Customer Reviews

34 Reviews

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very powerful book, August 8, 2004

By	N. Peters (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This, for me, captures the pure terror that often attends childhood, and the process of dealing with things you can't understand. It's also a brilliant evocation of the alienation of the Jewish experience-- you can't really compare it, as one of my fellow reviewers did, to the experiences of other ethnic groups. The Scherls are a family profoundly alienated from everyone else-- which serves to heighten the terror. This book is written in a stream-of-consciousness style that is really brilliant in that it is completely convincing and totally natural on the part of the author-- it never seems forced-- and in that it beautifully evokes the thought process of childhood. I read this when I was very young and it has stuck with me ever since-- it helped me to understand the feelings of my own childhood.

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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent tale of early 20th century Jewish immigrant life, September 15, 2004

By	Barry Wolborsky "Barry" (North Bergen, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My hope was to read a novel that gave an accurate and detailed account of the world my grandparents lived in and I was not disappointed. As with the best historical fiction, I was able to gain a sense of not just the environment and setting, but its effect on the main characters, especially David, the main protagonist.

While the prose is often challenging and innovative, the book is a surprisingly easy and quick read that I could not put down. While I was often frustrated by David's inner dialogue, the author must be commended for attempting to convey the inner workings of a child's mind, how his thought process often chaotically bounced around from one thought to another. The author also uses language in a very unique and interesting fashion, namely the contrast between early 20th century New York slang, composed of so many different ethnic groups, to the authors "translation" of Eastern European Yiddish.

For anyone currently reading the novel, who might feel frustrated at a seeming lack of direction in the plot, my advice is to keep reading, as its themes of alienation, growing self-awareness, family, sexual awakening and assimilation become more apparent as the story progresses. And for those who have yet to read the book, I strongly recommend not reading the introduction until after you've finished the book, as it pretty much gives away almost everything that happens in the story and really should have been the Afterword. Regardless, it happens to be a well-written analysis of the novel and can even help the reader in his or her own thoughts and opinions of what is most definitely a classic of 20th century literature.

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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fully satisfying reading experience..., February 20, 2000

By	martha woodworth (santa fe, new mexico) - See all my reviews

I read this book many years ago, in college, and remember enjoying it thoroughy. I have recently heard it read (Recorded Books, Inc.) by the incomparable George Guidall, who seems to read books requiring Yiddish phrases/accents particularly well (try Stanley Elkin's "Mrs. Ted Bliss" for a hilarious and compassionate thrill).

I was not disappointed this second time around, having matured myself, both as a reader and a writer. One of the most striking aspects of the novel is Roth's obvious love of women; few novels by men present women in such a truly beloved light. David's aunt - something of a shrew, a harridan, and a slob - is nevertheless incredibly good-hearted - and alive! Now I want to know more about Henry Roth. Does anyone know if there is a biography of this great writer available? Also, I noticed that there is a book of essays about "Call It Sleep." I plan to get it.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Dickens Flavor of Pre-WW II New York Jew [T][75][78]
A 1934 novel depicting life in pre-World War II New York City, Henry Roth cleverly utilizes the young and impressionable mind of David Schearl to explain the complexities... Read more

Published 19 days ago by Miami Bob

1.0 out of 5 stars "one bad thing after another happening to a pathetic little victim," would have been a better title.
I certainly couldn't top the review by A. Ross posted on this site. He hits all the points that make this such a ridiculously bad book. Read more

Published 2 months ago by fluffy, the human being.

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Review
The book came faster than I expected and in excellent shape. I read this book many years ago, and I wanted to read it again. I love it.

Published 5 months ago by Vegas Marsha

5.0 out of 5 stars insight to an era
After hearing about this book from the movie "The Stone Reader" I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. It is a wonderful insight to an era in America for immigrants. Read more

Published 10 months ago by T. Shreve

5.0 out of 5 stars Ditto
I don't know what more I can add to the fine reviews already written here, other than to say, "Ditto. Read more

Published 11 months ago by S. Kay Murphy

5.0 out of 5 stars An undeniable classic
When Henry Roth's novel Call it Sleep was published in 1934 it was hailed by some critics and readers as a minor masterpiece. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Victor Rodriguez

5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the best American novel in the 20th century
A reading group I belong to suggested Gatsby as the best American novel. It is very fine, but I retorted that Call It Sleep was finer -- then I ordered it and read it again after... Read more

Published 19 months ago by Mr. William Stubbs

5.0 out of 5 stars Depict one character perfectly; the rest will follow.
Henry Roth wants to do two things well in this book: first, accurately describe the experience of being a child -- not a tough, bully-type child, but a shy kid with no friends. Read more

Published on June 16, 2007 by Stephen R. Laniel

5.0 out of 5 stars a porfound masterpiece
This is probably the best novel I have read in the last 10 years- my only question is why hadn't I heard of it before since it was writtten some time ago. Read more

Published on November 13, 2006 by R. M. Russell

5.0 out of 5 stars Strangely Addictive
It was just another audio book to check out of the library and listen to while doing boring exercises. Read more

Published on August 11, 2006 by Simeon Lowenthal

› See all 34 customer reviews...

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