Coming of Age in Jewish New York

“Coming of Age in Jewish New York: the 1930s and 40s”

1. “World’s Fair”, by E.L. Doctorow, 1985

“World’s Fair” is set in the 1930s in the Bronx and is primarily narrated by nine-year-old Edgar Altshuler. During this time, there is growing concern about Hitler’s assumption of power in Europe; at the same time The World’s Fair has come to New York for the first time. In this coming of age story, Edgar perceives the Jewish New York world around him; grapples with the idea of what it is to be an American Jew; and is an accidental observer of the greater concurrent historical issues.

2. “The Chosen”, by Chaim Potok, 1967

“The Chosen” is the story of two Jewish boys growing up in Brooklyn in the 1940s. Reuven, the narrator of the story, is the son of a scholar, and practices a more modern Judaism; Danny is the son of a Hasidic Rabbi, and is torn between his desire for knowledge of the secular world and the path that has been chosen for them. Their friendship allows them growth in unprecedented ways. “The Chosen” also wonderfully depicts a Brooklyn defined by its Jewish inhabitants, and their grappling with recent history and the outside world, including World War II, the death of Prsident Roosevelt, and the struggle for the creations of Israel.


3. “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay,” by Michael Chabon, 2000

Beginning in 1939, Josef Kavalier arrives from Prague in New York as a refugee, where he will live with the family of his 17-year-old cousin Sammy Klayman. Both young men are fans of Harry Houdini, and share a passionate love for the burgeoning comic-book industry. Soon, they have created their own Comic Books, featuring character the Escapist, who combines the traits of Houdini, Batman, and the Phantom among others…and who in many ways represents themselves, Jewish young men either forced to escape from their roots (Kavalier) or dealing with being on the outskirts of society (Clay). At the same time, they both must grapple with the outside world, with its all too real threats, predominantly Nazi occupation throughout Europe.


Commentary: These three novels are all set in the same time period, and all have young Jewish men as their narrators. Set in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan; against the backdrop of World War II; these coming of age tales each draw a colorful, yet somber picture of New York during this era. They complement each other: the serious yet secular Edgar Altshuler is an interesting foil for the more religiously-oriented Reuven and Danny; Kavalier and Clay acknowledges the immigrant tale, and also more directly invokes the American dream. It is also interesting to note that in terms of ages of narrators, the order is “World’s Fair,” “The Chosen,” and “Kavalier and Clay” while in terms of time of writing, the most somber, “The Chosen” was written in 1967; “World’s Fair” in 1986; and the most light-hearted and comic, “Kavalier and Clay” in 2000.