Jewish-American Literature (Seeking)

[withoutn]

Heyllo fellow book readers,

I'm in a desperate need of a novel relating to discrimination of Jews in America. It doesn't have to be the main theme, but nevertheless, somebody has to be poked here and there for being a Jew.

Right now, i'm searching for such novel myself, but i figure you guys might know of any. It would certainly ease my affliction.

I don't have any special requirements aside the theme, but it would be a fine treat if the book possesses any intrinsic intellectual value and doesn't make me wanna pull my hair out and slaughter 99% of humanity for my woes.

I'd like to clarify my wish. I'm in Desperate need for a novel relating to discrimination of Jews in America, which means I'd like to get a good title as soon as possible. I'm conducting a search myself, but i lost faith in story quality based on amazon description back in 1st grade.

Please help. I'll owe you a week-long high-quality gratitude.
Thank you,
Wish you all well fellow book lovers.

[Wilde woman]

Try Chaim Potok's My Name is Asher Lev

It was required reading for me in high school.

[JBI]

Does it need to be an English text? or is Yiddish fine?

[The Comedian]

It's mostly a holocaust book, but there are aspects of American discrimination in Art Speigleman's Maus.

[kasie]

Bernard Malamud - The Assistant. It's an interesting twist on the theme of discrimination and a very moving story.

[sixsmith]

Take a look at Philip Roth's "The Plot against America", a fictional revisionist history where Lindbergh becomes President of the United States with predictably unhappy ramifications for Jewish citizens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Plot_Against_America

[withoutn]

Bonjour reality fugitives, aliens, dreamers and fellow literature haters,

Wilde woman, The Comedian, Kasie, & sixsmith, Thank you for your precious help. I appreciate all of it.
JBL, one in Japanese would be best. Thank you too buddy.

I'm grateful to all of you for your input. True feelings are inexpressible by words, but i hope you guys know what i'm talking about.

Rocket!

[Pecksie]

Does 'America' mean 'the United States' (as I understand U.S. citizens often use the term)? Or does it mean the whole American continent?

If the former, try Isaac Bashevis Singer's fiction; several stories and novels, I think, are set in the U.S.

[JBI]

Bashevis Singer is probably the best example, that is true. Though I am not too familiar with the translation history of American Jewish texts into Japanese, so I don't want to steer you on the wrong path.

[higley]

Have you read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon? It's one of my favorite books. It's set in New York during the forties, before America's involvement in WWII if I remember correctly. The chief two characters, Josef Kavalier and Sammy Clay, cousins and both Jewish, jump into the new and explosive world of comic books. Some of the themes in the novel are motivated by the anti-Semitic sentiments in America and abroad. It's a wonderful book.

[antiprefix]

Have you read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon? It's one of my favorite books. It's set in New York during the forties, before America's involvement in WWII if I remember correctly. The chief two characters, Josef Kavalier and Sammy Clay, cousins and both Jewish, jump into the new and explosive world of comic books. Some of the themes in the novel are motivated by the anti-Semitic sentiments in America and abroad. It's a wonderful book.

I've only read like a quarter of it before unfortunately deciding to put it down. I liked the writing -- and the story was solid -- it just didn't finish in my hands.