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.

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

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

Publication year 2011

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Community, Science & Technology, Fathers, Future

Tags Business & Economics, Technology, Science & Nature, World History, Biography

Steve Jobs (2011) is an authorized biography written by Walter Isaacson about the life of the late Apple founder and tech revolutionary. Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs, the book is an in-depth exploration of who Jobs was, from the story of his birth and subsequent adoption to his massive success at the helm of Apple. Jobs himself personally requested that Isaacson write his biography on a phone call in 2004. By the... Read Steve Jobs Summary

Publication year 2010

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Colonialism, Power & Greed

Tags World History, History: African , Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Science & Nature, Food

Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science is a non-fiction history book written for young adults that was first published in 2010. It is primarily about how the cultivation of sugar has impacted societies across the world socially, economically, and culturally. The book is written by historian Marc Aronson and novelist Marina Budhos. It was a finalist for both the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the YALSA Excellence... Read Sugar Changed the World Summary

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Childhood & Youth, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, Sports

Publication year 1973

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, War, Coming of Age, Good & Evil

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Coming of Age, World War II, Holocaust, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Classic Fiction

Summer of My German Soldier (1973) is a young adult novel by American author Bette Greene. The book is heavily based on Greene’s own childhood in Arkansas and Tennessee during World War II and her experiences growing up Jewish in the conservative Christian South. A made-for-TV film adaptation starring Kristy McNichol was released in 1978. The sequel to the novel, Morning Is a Long Time Coming, was published in 1978. Summer of My German Soldier... Read Summer of My German Soldier Summary

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings, Coming of Age, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Humor, Coming of Age, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

Superfudge is a children’s novel written by Judy Blume first published in 1980. Blume is an author of children’s novels that have won several awards. Superfudge won the Children’s Choice Award in 1981 and the Early Readers Award in 1991. It was adapted into a television series which ran from 1995-1997. Superfudge is the third book in the Fudge series. This guide utilizes the 1988 publication of this novel.Plot SummaryAt the beginning of the novel... Read Superfudge Summary

Publication year 1972

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Education, Education, Classic Fiction

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, an episodic children’s book by Judy Blume, is a first-person narrative recounted by nine-year-old protagonist Peter Hatcher. A work of realistic fiction, this book is divided into 10 chapters and directed at young readers from the third- to fifth-grade levels. Originally published by Dutton Children’s Books in 1972, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is the first of five books in a series. The book received a number of... Read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Summary

Publication year 1953

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Family, Education, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Publication year 1998

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Memory, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, Coming of Age, Food, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Fame

Tags Food, Relationships

Prominent chef, food writer, and editor Ruth Reichl’s 1998 memoir Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table incorporates recipes with narrative and commentary to create a portrait of Reichl’s coming of age. Reichl’s sometimes-chaotic childhood with a mother who had untreated bipolar disorder made her into an independent and rebellious young person determined to distance herself from her parents’ world. Her adolescence and young adulthood in New York; Montreal; Berkeley, California; and Ann... Read Tender at the Bone Summary

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Justice, Marriage

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Social Justice, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 1953

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fate, Social Class, Self Discovery

Tags Coming of Age, American Literature, Jewish Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

The Adventures of Augie March is a 1953 novel by Saul Bellow. In the novel, Bellow’s third, the eponymous title character chronicles his eventful life from an underprivileged childhood in Chicago to his waning wanderlust in Paris. The novel is critically acclaimed and won the 1954 National Book Award for Fiction. Bellow was a lauded author in his lifetime, winning prestigious awards like the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution... Read The Adventures of Augie March Summary