- Hardcover
- Publisher: Cooper Square Pub (June 1934)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0815401981
- ISBN-13: 978-0815401988
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"One of the few genuinely distinguished novels written by a twentieth-century American." --Irving Howe, The New York Times Book Review
"Arguably the most distinguished work of fiction ever written about immigrant life...Surely the most lyrically authentic novel in American literature about a young boy’s coming to consciousness." --Lis Harris, The New Yorker
"Roth has done for the East Side Jew what James T. Farrell is doing for the Chicago Irish in the Studs Lonigan trilogy.... When his characters are speaking pure Yiddish, Roth translates it into great beauty....The final chapters in the book have been compared to the Nighttown episodes of Joyce’s Ulysses; the comparison is apt." --John Chamberlain, The New York Times
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
"Arguably the most distinguished work of fiction ever written about immigrant life...Surely the most lyrically authentic novel in American literature about a young boy’s coming to consciousness." --Lis Harris, The New Yorker
"Roth has done for the East Side Jew what James T. Farrell is doing for the Chicago Irish in the Studs Lonigan trilogy.... When his characters are speaking pure Yiddish, Roth translates it into great beauty....The final chapters in the book have been compared to the Nighttown episodes of Joyce’s Ulysses; the comparison is apt." --John Chamberlain, The New York Times
Book Description
When Henry Roth published his debut novel Call It Sleep in 1934, it was greeted with considerable critical acclaim though, in those troubled times, lackluster sales. Only with its paperback publication thirty years later did this novel receive the recognition it deserves—--and still enjoys. Having sold-to-date millions of copies worldwide, Call It Sleep is the magnificent story of David Schearl, the “dangerously imaginative” child coming of age in the slums of New York.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
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
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Good story but didn't keep my interest,
By Catherine Painter (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Call It Sleep (Paperback)
I found this book alternately interesting and boring. The stream of conscious narrative was an interesting perspective on the mind of a young boy. Overall, though, I wasn't engaged by the story, which didn't seem to go anywhere, nor by the inner life of the boy, which was too undeveloped to draw me in.Probably best for people deeply interested in New York or Jewish immigrant life at the turn of the century.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great study of America, and of immigrant life in early NYC,
By
This review is from: Call It Sleep (Paperback)
I read this book several years ago as an American Studies major at Penn State University. At first I began to read it only because it was a requirement of my major, but this quickly became one of my favorite books I've read in my studies. The story is of a young jewish boy, being brought up in a ethnically diverse New York City. It is about his grappling with his spirituality, and his perceptions of the world. One thing I learned about the Jewish culture is of its strong patriarchy, and this book shows conflicts that arise between father and son, and how a son can almost never live up to his father's expectations. The story is haunting, and the landscapes are vivid and picturesque. I also recommend a similar book, "Bread Givers", by Anzia Yezierska.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must-read Novel,
By A Customer
This review is from: Call It Sleep (Paperback)
Call It Sleep is a powerful story about a young Jewish immigrant boy who seeks to find his own identity amidst the cultural disarray of early 20th century America. In the novel, Roth reveals the sacrifice immigrants must make in order to assimilate into the American culture. Essentially, the novel is about a shift from an old way of life to a new way. Capturing the heart of this theme is Reb Yidel Pankower. As this rabbi ponders the condition of his pupils, he realizes that they do not understand who they are and what has happened to their people. In a sense, the rabbi mourns because he feels that the Jewish culture is inevitably dying in America. He refers to this as being "an evil day" (p. 375).
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
