Emerging American Jewish Writers
Thursdays, January 26, February 23, March 22; 7:30–9:30 p.m. (3 sessions)
ADMISSION
- This class has been canceled.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Read works by three emerging American Jewish writers—Jennifer Gilmore, Gary Shteyngart, and Allegra Goodman—and explore various issues having to do with identity, culture, and tradition in the context of today’s American diaspora Jewish experience.
Topics for discussion include the writers’ use of stereotypical Hasidic characters; approaches to issues such as intermarriage and the preservation of tradition; and references to food, family, and community. Throughout the course, participants will consider what it means to be an American Jewish writer in today’s multicultural, technological, and dynamic world. Participants must read the book prior to each class session.
Instructor: Simchi Cohen has taught numerous courses in literature and composition and is currently a PhD candidate in comparative literature at UCLA. Her research focuses on Yiddish literary traditions, modern American Jewish literature, and American popular culture.
All books are available in Audrey’s Museum Store at the Skirball. Book Group participants receive a 10% discount (may not be combined with other discounts).
JANUARY
Something Red
by Jennifer Gilmore
Set in 1979 in the waning years of the Cold War, Jennifer Gilmore’s second novel (a New York Times Notable Book of 2010) traces three generations of American Jews. The Goldsteins, a once-radical family, face challenges as Dennis, in his government job, grapples with strained Soviet relations, Benjamin leaves for college, and Sharon builds a catering company. The novel neatly intertwines the personal and the historical as it addresses family, Jewishness, immigration, and assimilation.
FEBRUARY
Super Sad True Love Story
by Gary Shteyngart
Gary Shteyngart’s third novel is set in a dystopian New York saturated in technology and commerce. The novel follows the relationship of aging Russian immigrant Lenny Abramov and his young, materialistic Korean American girlfriend, Eunice Park. As America inches toward economic collapse, Lenny immerses himself in a world in which the wealthy can buy eternal life and relationships take place electronically. The reader is privy to Lenny’s self-exploration: his love of literature, his relationship with his parents, his Jewishness, and his complex relationship to immigration and nationalism.
MARCH
The Cookbook Collector
by Allegra Goodman
Allegra Goodman’s most recent novel takes place from 1999 to 2001 and focuses on the risks and rewards of a rapidly developing technological world. The novel follows Emily Bach, the CEO of Veritech, a web-based data-storage startup in Berkeley, CA; her boyfriend, Jonathan Tilghman; and Emily’s younger sister Jess, a philosophy graduate student who works at an antiquarian bookstore owned by a retired Microsoft millionaire and who builds a relationship with a Hasidic rabbi. Through her characters, Goodman explores issues of trust, greed, the allure of power, and the importance of family.
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