Jewish American Literature

Including Pulitzer Prize winners like Art Spiegelman's groundbreaking Maus and Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, the texts in this collection celebrate the literary contributions and stories of Jewish Americans.

"Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman

by Harlan Ellison

Publication year 1965

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Social Class, Fear

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Classic Fiction

“‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman,” one of Harlan Ellison’s most famous short stories, was published in Galaxy in 1965 and went on to win both the Hugo and the Nebula Awards. Ellison (1934-2018) was an American speculative fiction and screenwriter whose works were influential in the development of New Wave science fiction. “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” uses nonlinear storytelling to depict a short-lived one-man rebellion against a dystopian future society. The story explores themes... Read "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman Summary

Requiem for the American Dream

by Noam Chomsky

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Social Class, Politics & Government, Justice, Equality, Power & Greed, Education, Colonialism, Nation

Tags Business & Economics, Politics & Government, Philosophy, Social Justice, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Finance, US History, American Literature, Sociology, World History, Philosophy

Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power by linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky evaluates the rise of income inequality in the US over the last 40 years. It argues that the main consequence of neoliberalism, which has increased since the 1970s, is a dramatic concentration of wealth and power to the elite—at the expense of the lower and middle classes. Chomsky observes how rapid financialization since the... Read Requiem for the American Dream Summary

Resist

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2019

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes War, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Childhood & Youth, Death, Animals, Place, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Wins & Losses

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Children`s Literature

... Read Resist Summary

Rosemary's Baby

by Ira Levin

Publication year 1967

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Femininity, Good & Evil

Tags Horror & Suspense, Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Rosemary’s Baby is a Gothic horror novel by American writer Ira Levin. Published in 1967, it was a bestseller that was adapted into a critically acclaimed 1968 film starring Mia Farrow and directed by her husband, Roman Polanski. The novel is known for its focus on themes like women’s liberation and reproductive freedom, urban paranoia and fears of surveillance, and the relationship between conservative Christianity and the occult in the 20th century. Critics have also... Read Rosemary's Baby Summary

Sabbath's Theater

by Philip Roth

Publication year 1995

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Aging, Death, The Past

Sabbath’s Theater by Philip Roth, published in 1995, is a work of literary fiction that follows the titular character Mickey Sabbath, an aging yet lustful man, as he navigates life after the passing of his long-time mistress, Drenka. As Sabbath runs from his loss and his unhappy marriage, he finds himself in New York City, confronting the pain of his first wife’s disappearance and the death of his older brother, Morty, during World War II... Read Sabbath's Theater Summary

Sandwich

by Catherine Newman

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Marriage, Aging, Nostalgia, Memory, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Love, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Midlife, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Mothers, Beauty, Justice, Truth & Lies

Tags Literary Fiction, Humor, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Sandwich Summary

Say Yes

by Tobias Wolff

Publication year 1985

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Race, Love

Tags Relationships, Race & Racism

One night, a husband and his wife are washing dishes in their kitchen. The couple talks about interracial relationships. The husband does not believe Black Americans and white Americans should marry. His wife, Ann, is upset by this and asks why he doesn’t support interracial marriage. He claims he doesn’t have anything against Black Americans, but he feels that white Americans can never understand Black people fully, claiming statistically most interracial marriages end in divorce... Read Say Yes Summary

Scrawl

by Mark Shulman

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class

Tags Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Poverty, Humor

Scrawl (2010) is a young adult novel by American author Mark Shulman, who has written more than 200 books for young readers. Scrawl follows a young teenage bully, Tod Munn, and his experience in detention where he is required by a guidance counselor to write about himself in a journal. In the journal, Tod describes his struggles with coming from a low-income family, low self-esteem, and his problematic behavior at school. The novel was a... Read Scrawl Summary

Siege and Storm

by Leigh Bardugo

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Power & Greed, Wins & Losses, Safety & Danger, Religion & Spirituality, Good & Evil, War, Self Discovery, Animals, Loneliness

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Leadership, Love & Sexuality, Military & War, Politics & Government, Trauma & Abuse, Religion & Spirituality, Romance

... Read Siege and Storm Summary

Small Steps

by Louis Sachar

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Realistic Fiction, Romance, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Small Steps was written by internationally acclaimed American author Louis Sachar. The novel was first published in 2006 by Delacorte Press (US) and Bloomsbury (UK). Louis Sachar is an award-winning young adult mystery and comedy writer, best known for his Wayside School series (1978-2020), and his novel Holes (1998), which won the John Newbery Medal and the National Book Award. Small Steps is a sequel to Holes and focuses on Theodore “Armpit” Johnson, a supporting... Read Small Steps Summary

Solitude and Leadership

by William Deresiewicz

Publication year 2009

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Power & Greed, War, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Philosophy, Leadership

“Solitude and Leadership” is a speech by William Deresiewicz delivered in October 2009 to the freshman class of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Deresiewicz is an author, essayist, and former professor of English at Yale University. The lecture was published in The American Scholar in spring 2010, and this guide refers to the version hosted on the periodical’s website.Deresiewicz opens by acknowledging the apparent contradiction in the title of his speech, given... Read Solitude and Leadership Summary