My Name Is Asher Lev - Chaim Potok Review & Synopsis

Synopsis The novelist records the anguish and triumps of a young painter as he emerges into the great world of art and rejects all else Review My Name is Asher Lev-Chaim Potok became a favorite author of mine after reading My Name is Asher Lev. I've since had the pleasure of hearing Chaim Potok speak on two occasions. To hear him answer questions regarding Asher Lev and his paintings is evidence of the true craftsmanship of this author. A most amazing part of the story is the integration of Christian ideals in the Jewish character of Asher Lev and his artwork. Its a truly remarkable story. -Jocelyn Schmidt, Ballantine National Sales CoordinatorAsher Lev is a Ladover Hasid who keeps kosher, prays three times a day and believes in the Ribbono Shel Olom, the Master of the Universe. Asher Lev is an artist who is compulsively driven to render the world he sees and feels even when it leads him to blasphemy.In this stirring and often visionary novel, Chaim Potok traces Asher's passage between these two identities, the one consecrated to God, the other subject only to the imagination. Asher Lev grows up in a cloistered Hasidic community in postwar Brooklyn, a world suffused by ritual and revolving around a charismatic Rebbe. But in time his gift threatens to estrange him from that world and the parents he adores. As it follows his struggle, My Name Is Asher Lev becomes a luminous portrait of the artist, by turns heartbreaking and exultant, a modern classic. My Name Is Asher Lev NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this modern classic from the National Book Award–nominated author of The Chosen, a young religious artist is compulsively driven to render the world he sees and feels, even when it leads him to blasphemy. “A novel of finely articulated tragic power .... Little short of a work of genius.”—The New York Times Book Review Asher Lev is a Ladover Hasid who keeps kosher, prays three times a day and believes in the Ribbono Shel Olom, the Master of the Universe. He grows up in a cloistered Hasidic community in postwar Brooklyn, a world suffused by ritual and revolving around a charismatic Rebbe. He is torn between two identities, the one consecrated to God, the other devoted only to art and his imagination, and in time, his artistic gift threatens to estrange him from that world and the parents he adores. As it follows his struggle, My Name Is Asher Lev becomes a luminous, visionary portrait of the artist, by turns heartbreaking and exultant. NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this modern classic from the National Book Award–nominated author of The Chosen, a young religious artist is compulsively driven to render the world he sees and feels, even when it leads him to blasphemy. “A ..." The Gift of Asher Lev “Extraordinary . . . No one but Chaim Potok could have written this strangely sweet, compelling, and deeply felt novel.”—The Cleveland Plain Dealer In his powerful My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok gave the world an unforgettable character and a timeless story that The New York Times Book Review hailed as “little short of a work of genius.” The Chicago Sun-Times declared it “a story that had to be told.” Now, Chaim Potok’s beloved character returns to learn, to teach, to dream, in The Gift of Asher Lev. Twenty years have passed. Asher Lev is a world-renowned artist living with his young family in France. Still, he is unsure of his artistic direction. Success has not brought ease to his heart. Then Asher’s beloved uncle dies suddenly, and Asher and his family rush back to Brooklyn—and into a world that Asher thought he had left behind forever. It is a journey of confrontation and discovery as Asher purges his past in search of new inspiration for his art and begins to understand the true meaning of sacrifice and the painful joy in sharing the most precious gift of all. Praise for The Gift of Asher Lev “A masterwork.”—Newsday “Rivals anything Chaim Potok has ever produced. It is a book written with passion about passion. You’re not likely to read anything better this year.”—The Detroit News “Fascinating.”—The Washington Post Book World “Very moving.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer “Extraordinary . . . No one but Chaim Potok could have written this strangely sweet, compelling, and deeply felt novel.”—The Cleveland Plain Dealer In his powerful My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok gave the world an unforgettable ..." The Gates of November "REMARKABLE . . . A WONDERFUL STORY." --The Boston Globe The father is a high-ranking Communist officer, a Jew who survived Stalin's purges. The son is a "refusenik," who risked his life and happiness to protest everything his father held dear. Now, Chaim Potok, beloved author of the award-winning novels The Chosen and My Name is Asher Lev, unfolds the gripping true story of a father, a son, and a conflict that spans Soviet history. Drawing on taped interviews and his harrowing visits to Russia, Potok traces the public and privates lives of the Slepak family: Their passions and ideologies, their struggles to reconcile their identities as Russians and as Jews, their willingness to fight--and die--for diametrically opposed political beliefs. "[A] vivid account . . . [Potok] brings a novelist's passion and eye for detail to a gripping story that possesses many of the elements of fiction--except that it's all too true." --San Francisco Chronicle Now, Chaim Potok, beloved author of the award-winning novels The Chosen and My Name is Asher Lev, unfolds the gripping true story of a father, a son, and a conflict that spans Soviet history." A Study Guide for Chaim Potok's "My Name Is Asher Lev" A Study Guide for Chaim Potok's "My Name Is Asher Lev," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Novels for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Novels for Students for all of your research needs. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more." The Collected Plays of Chaim Potok First publication of the complete plays of Chaim Potok. With the exception of the The Chosen, none have been previously available. Adapted from the novel of the same name into a play by Chaim Potok and Aaron Posner. This volume contains the most recent authorized version of the play.)" The Chosen The story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is best suited to each. And as the boys grow into young men, they discover in the other a lost spiritual brother, and a link to an unexplored world that neither had ever considered before. In effect, they exchange places, and find the peace that neither will ever retreat from again. The story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is best suited to each." Wanderings A fascinating history of the Jews, told by a master novelist, here is Chaim Potok's fascinating, moving four thousand-year history. Recreating great historical events, exporing Jewish life in its infinite variety and in many eras and places, here is a unique work by a singular Jewish voice. A fascinating history of the Jews, told by a master novelist, here is Chaim Potok's fascinating, moving four thousand-year history." I Am the Clay “[Chaim] Potok writes powerfully about the suffering of innocent people caught in the cross-fire of a war they cannot begin to understand. . . . Humanity and compassion for his characters leap from every page.”—San Francisco Chronicle As the Chinese and the army of the North sweep south during the Korean War, an old peasant farmer and his wife flee their village across the bleak, bombed-out landscape. They soon come upon a boy in a ditch who is wounded and unconscious. Stirred by possessiveness and caring the woman refuses to leave the boy behind. The man thinks she is crazy to nurse this boy, to risk their lives for some dying stranger. Angry and bewildered, he waits for the boy to die. And when the boy does not die, the old man begins to believe that the boy possesss a magic upon which all their lives depend. . . . “[Chaim] Potok writes powerfully about the suffering of innocent people caught in the cross-fire of a war they cannot begin to understand." Old Men at Midnight From the celebrated author of The Chosen and My Name Is Asher Lev, a trilogy of related novellas about a woman whose life touches three very different men—stories that encompass some of the profoundest themes of the twentieth century. Ilana Davita Dinn is the listener to whom three men relate their lives. As a young girl, she offers English lessons to a teenage survivor of the camps. In “The Ark Builder,” he shares with her the story of his friendship with a proud old builder of synagogue arks, and what happened when the German army invaded their Polish town. As a graduate student, she finds herself escorting a guest lecturer from the Soviet Union, and in “The War Doctor,” her sympathy moves him to put his painful past to paper recounting his experiences as a Soviet NKVD agent who was saved by an idealistic doctor during the Russian civil war, only to encounter him again during the terrifying period of the Kremlin doctors’ plot. And, finally, we meet her in “The Trope Teacher,” in which a distinguished professor of military history, trying to write his memoirs, is distracted by his wife’s illness and by the arrival next door of a new neighbor, the famous writer I. D. (Ilana Davita) Chandal. Poignant and profound, Chaim Potok’s newest fiction is a major addition to his remarkable—and remarkably loved—body of work. In “The Ark Builder,” he shares with her the story of his friendship with a proud old builder of synagogue arks, and what happened when the German army invaded their Polish town." My Name is Asher Lev THE STORY: MY NAME IS ASHER LEV follows the journey of a young Jewish painter torn between his Hassidic upbringing and his desperate need to fulfill his artistic promise. When his artistic genius threatens to destroy his relationship with his paren THE STORY: MY NAME IS ASHER LEV follows the journey of a young Jewish painter torn between his Hassidic upbringing and his desperate need to fulfill his artistic promise." In the Beginning In Dublin, Rose Holden's husband leaves her for another woman after 20 years of marriage and three children. The novel describes the way the couple arrived at this situation and Rose's efforts to create a life as a single mother. In Dublin, Rose Holden's husband leaves her for another woman after 20 years of marriage and three children. The novel describes the way the couple arrived at this situation and Rose's efforts to create a life as a single mother." Wizard Study Guide My Name is Asher Lev Study guide to Chaim Potok's novel TMy Name is Asher Lev', one of the texts which may be studied for the VCE English course. Part of the TWizard Study Guide' series and written by an experienced specialist currently teaching senior English. Each title in the series includes a profile of the author, and explanation of genre and structure, a chapter-by-chapter synopsis and commentary, and discussion of themes and issues. The guides also include a review of the response of critics, advice on how to approach the exam, examples of topic analysis and planning and a sample of a literary essay response and a creative response. Study guide to Chaim Potok's novel TMy Name is Asher Lev', one of the texts which may be studied for the VCE English course. Part of the TWizard Study Guide' series and written by an experienced specialist currently teaching senior English." Chaim Potok A discussion of the historical context as well as a close critical reading further enhances the understanding the appreciation of each work."--BOOK JACKET. Potok created a painting with that same title while composing the final chapters of My Name Is Asher Lev . Writing in the New York Times Book Review , Guy Davenport said : " One feels that his subject was inevitable and that he is ..." The Book of Lights Gershon Loran, a quiet rabinical student, is troubled by the dark reality around him. He sees hope in the study of Kabbalah, the Jewish book of mysticism and visions, truth and light. But to Gershon's friend, Arthur, light means something else, the Atom bomb, his father helped create. Both men seek different a refuge in a foreign place, hoping for the same thing.... Gershon Loran, a quiet rabinical student, is troubled by the dark reality around him. He sees hope in the study of Kabbalah, the Jewish book of mysticism and visions, truth and light." Contemporary Jewish-American Novelists Entries examine the life and work of more than 75 contemporary Jewish-American novelists. "The Crucifixion of Chaim Potok/The Excommunication of AsherLev: Art and the Hasidic World." Studies in American Jewish ... " My Name Is Asher Lev : Chaim Potok's Portrait of the Young Hasid as Artist." Studies in American Jewish ..." The Chosen by Chaim Potok | Summary & Study Guide Most of the discussion centers around My Name is Asher Lev . Chaim Potok , "Cultural Confrontation in Urban America: A Writer's Beginnings,"' in Literature and the Urban Experience: Essays on the City and Literature, edited by M. C Jay ..." Chosen Set against the backdrop of World War II and the creation of the state of Israel, The Chosen is a poignant novel about transformation and tradition, growing up and growing wise, and finding yourself--even if it might mean disappointing ..." The Novel Cure "Delightful... elegant prose and discussions that span the history of 2,000 years of literature."—Publisher's Weekly A novel is a story transmitted from the novelist to the reader. It offers distraction, entertainment, and an opportunity to unwind or focus. But it can also be something more powerful—a way to learn about how to live. Read at the right moment in your life, a novel can—quite literally—change it. The Novel Cure is a reminder of that power. To create this apothecary, the authors have trawled two thousand years of literature for novels that effectively promote happiness, health, and sanity, written by brilliant minds who knew what it meant to be human and wrote their life lessons into their fiction. Structured like a reference book, readers simply look up their ailment, be it agoraphobia, boredom, or a midlife crisis, and are given a novel to read as the antidote. Bibliotherapy does not discriminate between pains of the body and pains of the head (or heart). Aware that you’ve been cowardly? Pick up To Kill a Mockingbird for an injection of courage. Experiencing a sudden, acute fear of death? Read One Hundred Years of Solitude for some perspective on the larger cycle of life. Nervous about throwing a dinner party? Ali Smith’s There but for The will convince you that yours could never go that wrong. Whatever your condition, the prescription is simple: a novel (or two), to be read at regular intervals and in nice long chunks until you finish. Some treatments will lead to a complete cure. Others will offer solace, showing that you’re not the first to experience these emotions. The Novel Cure is also peppered with useful lists and sidebars recommending the best novels to read when you’re stuck in traffic or can’t fall asleep, the most important novels to read during every decade of life, and many more. Brilliant in concept and deeply satisfying in execution, The Novel Cure belongs on everyone’s bookshelf and in every medicine cabinet. It will make even the most well-read fiction aficionado pick up a novel he’s never heard of, and see familiar ones with new eyes. Mostly, it will reaffirm literature’s ability to distract and transport, to resonate and reassure, to change the way we see the world and our place in it. "This appealing and helpful read is guaranteed to double the length of a to-read list and become a go-to reference for those unsure of their reading identities or who are overwhelmed by the sheer number of books in the world."—Library Journal Bridget Jones's Diary HELEN FIELDING Tom Jones HENRY FIELDING Home Land SAM LIPSYTE Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ANITA LOOS Election TOM PERROTTA Straight Man RICHARD RUSSO Where'd You Go, Bernadette MARIA SEMPLE Care of Wooden Floors WILL ..." Orange Coast Magazine Orange Coast Magazine is the oldest continuously published lifestyle magazine in the region, bringing together Orange County¹s most affluent coastal communities through smart, fun, and timely editorial content, as well as compelling photographs and design. Each issue features an award-winning blend of celebrity and newsmaker profiles, service journalism, and authoritative articles on dining, fashion, home design, and travel. As Orange County¹s only paid subscription lifestyle magazine with circulation figures guaranteed by the Audit Bureau of Circulation, Orange Coast is the definitive guidebook into the county¹s luxe lifestyle. The Gift ofAsher Lev Chaim Potok ' s brilliant 1972 novel, My Name Is Asher Lev , is about a young boy possessed by a form of demon — an inexorable, compulsive desire to paint. It's a power so strong it overrides his every emotion, ..." ThirdWay Monthly current affairs magazine from a Christian perspective with a focus on politics, society, economics and culture. I hope it is obvious by now that Chaim Potok is a gifted narrator, capable of interesting even 'outsiders' in the lives and ... Graphic suffering In My Name is Asher Lev the central themes are good versus evil, and freedom of choice." In the Beauty of Holiness The Academy of Parish Clergy’s 2018 Top Five Reference Books for Parish Ministry Beauty and holiness are both highly significant subjects in the Bible. In this comprehensive study of Christian fine art David Lyle Jeffrey explores the relationship between beauty and holiness as he integrates aesthetic perspectives from the ancient Hebrew Scriptures through Augustine, Aquinas, and Kant down to contemporary philosophers of art. From the walls of the Roman catacombs to the paintings of Marc Chagall, visual art in the West has consistently drawn its most profound and generative inspiration from biblical narrative and imagery. Jeffrey guides readers through this artistic tradition from the second century to the twenty-first, astutely pointing out its relationship not only to the biblical sources but also to related expressions in liturgy and historical theology. Lavishly illustrated throughout with 146 masterworks, reproduced in full color, In the Beauty of Holiness is ideally suited to students of Christian fine art, to devotees of biblical studies, and to general readers wanting to better understand the story of Christian art through the centuries. accessible to non-Jewish readers in the English language novel by Chaim Potok , My Name Is Asher Lev .32 Potok in that novel clearly intends to invite a nuanced comparison between his protagonist Asher Lev and Chagall, yet responses to ..." Exile and Identity Then I will concentrate around two of Potok's novels, The Chosen and My Name is Asher Lev, examining these works in terms of exile and identity themes that come across in other Jewish-American works." More Book Lust The response to Nancy Pearl’s surprise bestseller Book Lust was astounding: the Seattle librarian even became the model for the now-famous Librarian Action Figure. Readers everywhere welcomed Pearl’s encyclopedic but discerning filter on books worth reading, and her Rule of 50 (give a book 50 pages before deciding whether to continue; but readers over 50 must read the same number of pages as their age) became a standard MO. contemporary fishing writers such as Thomas McGuane and Stephen King. ... and The Sporting Club), won the coveted Roderick Haig-Brown Award for Literature from the Federation of Fly Fishers for The Longest Silence: A Life in Fishing , ..."