Old Jewish novels! Please join me...

amother

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 9:19 pm

When I was a kid (in the 70s and 80s) there were very few frum Jewish novels on the market.
We also didn't have any weekly magazines, nor even the Yated or Hamodia. The only thing we had was the Jewish Press. (If your parents let it into the house.) (Actually the English language Yated came out when I was a teen but we never bought it. )

Anyway, it seemed like any book that came out was read by everyone. And we spent many happy hours discussing them. I can definitely say that these books made a huge impact in my formative years.. Remember there was no internet then either. LOL

The mention of a Sarah Birnhack book on another thread sent me down memory lane, remembering all the awesome novels we read back then. Most of these books are out of print today and cannot be found, unfortunately.

Also, if we were to read some of them today, I think we would think they were poorly written, but at the time we thought they were wonderful.

Will you join me in reminiscing some of the titles you remember from back then?

I'll start with a few:

DOVID MEYER- probably my favorite book back then of a Yerushalmi bar mitzva boy who becomes an Au pair for a couple of bratty English kids. It was made into a play as well. Afaik, the author never came out with any other books.

The UNANSWERED CRY: also a classic that dealt with the burning question of the day : who is a Jew? This was also used as a play in many schools and camps.

SEARCH MY HEART: my favorite book by Sarah Birnhack, though I liked a few of her other books as well. It is a novel loosely based on the Yossele Shuchmacher saga.

THE RUACH AMI series, by Avner Gold: all of them..pure gold. I prefer the earlier version. (The first 8 books.) I don't like the newly revised books. This series took you on a fascinating journey through history in Europe. It is where I first learned about the Cossaks of Tach V'Tat and of the Shabatei Tzvi debacle.

THE ACCUSED: by Meyer Bendet. I would probably hate the book today if I read it but I loved it back then. It was so suspenseful.

THE EXILES OF CROCODILE ISLAND by Henye Meyer: This book is a classic even today. Based on a small commentary by the Abarbanel who writes what happened to many children who were abducted as they were leaving Spain during the Spanish expulsion. So fascinating.

The next two are not novels, but classics nevertheless:
ALL FOR THE BOSS- the biography of Rav Yaakov Yosef Herman, by his daughter, the unforgettable Ruchama Shain:. The original version. Not the newly edited version where they "sanitized" it.

THE BAMBOO CRADLE: a secular Jewish couple finds and adopts a Chinese girl. As a result, they become frum and document their fascinating journey.

Which books from back then do you remember reading and loving?

BH Yom Yom

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 10:50 pm

Definitely loved Search My Heart and The Bamboo Cradle!

amother

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:09 pm

BH Yom Yom wrote:

Definitely loved Search My Heart and The Bamboo Cradle!

Did you read the sequel to Search my heart?
It was called Family secrets.

Also, the girl from the Bamboo cradle (devorah Schwartzbaum) last I heard was going talks about her experiences. She is the mother of 5 boys and living in Baltimore. (Last I heard. But that was years ago. )

Pandabeer

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:09 pm

Forever my yerusalem: 1948 in the eyes of a child. I loved it and took it put many times from thr library

Holocaust series-

Go my son go - a boy that was exiled in a kolcholz and all over Russia

All for the boss - Iwould love my kids to read it. It's very well written and so many powerfull lessons

Books by Suki Gross - I see some of then are back in print

If only- loved it (if I remember correctly it was about a girl that lost her eyesight

There was a book about someone from a divorced house - his/her yiddisch status was a question... dont remember exactly but it definitely opened my eyes that the world is complicated and sometimes very painful

3 book series about a girl that studied for midwifery (was really forgotten but we devoured them and discussed it with a zaftigkeit)

I read everything that I could find in Chabad library - the librarian used to joke I'll need to write my own books

amother

Marigold

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:13 pm

Interesting. I read most of these books even though I didn't start reading until the 2000's.

Last edited by amother on Wed, Dec 22 2021, 9:34 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Babyblue

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:13 pm

Pandabeer wrote:

If Only is about a girl whose mother has cancer.

There is another book abut the girl whose friend lost her eyesight, that was on a camp hayride, right?

The divorced house - that's On a Golden Chain I think, by Ruth Benjamin?

The 3-book series - Working it Out, Getting it Right, and Making it Last. Loved those too!

The Mayer Bendet books - The Orphan, The Accused, Double Identity and True Identity
I also remember another book, maybe by a different author - about infiltrating a monastery to rescue the Jewish kids

I know there's a lot of other ones from my youth! Will have to think back.

amother

Mistyrose

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:18 pm

I agree about the earlier versions of All For the Boss and the Avner Gold books being better. I tell my kids that they can't complain about nothing to read if they didn't read All For the boss.
I LOVED the Marcus Lehman books! Now they're not Frum enough.

Cookiegirl

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:20 pm

The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss- Holocaust survivor memoir

amother

Tan

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:22 pm

Rose among the thorns
The envelope
It’s me tzvki green

amother

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:25 pm

amother [ Babyblue ] wrote:

IF ONLY is about a girl who's mother is sick. I do remember the girl that became blind because she switched spots with her friend. It was something like Conquer the Darkness?

The three book series was written by Ruthie Perlman. Now she writes this cops and daggers stuff with a character named Yael, which I don't like as much. But I did love that original trilogy about Rivky Nesher.

The original Meyer Bendet books were very well received. But I think The Orphan was terrible. It was a story about a non jew who pretended to be Jewish and married a Jewish woman!!! At the time I found that to be so unrealistic. !

The man who rescued a girl from the monastery, are you referring to Uncle Jack's Plan? He rescued his niece. It was recently released again under a different name.

Does anyone remember A problem Called Chavi? Optical Illusions? Not my favorite books but I still remember reading them.

I loved all the Marcus Lehman books. Are they still in print?

I second Go My Son by Chaim Shapiro. A beautifully written book. I also love his other book, Once upon a Shtetel, but I find people don't know it as well.

Holocaust books, I remember the Yellow Star and The Twins.

ALSO does anyone remember Saadya Weissman- about the Yemenite boy who was kidnapped? Also play material.

youngishbear

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:26 pm

The book about the girl who lost her eyesight was Conquer the Darkness.

There was a book called Yesterday's Child by Ruth Benjamin.

Eva Vogiel wrote many books for teens, as did Libby Lazewnik. Ruthie Perlman's books came out when I was a teen.

And who can forget the "spy" books by Chaim Eliav and what was the other other's name?

Some of my favorites:

The Little Black Box trilogy by Libby Lazewnik and Perel Schreiber

The scary books from the Bakers' Dozen and BY Times series

The Gordian Knot

amother

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:29 pm

The Gordian Knot was written by Yair Weinstock. Also, Blackout and a few others. I literally couldn't tear myself away from them. Today I can't stomach books like that. Lol.

SYA

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:29 pm

I can call you ima

Most of the books above I read as a kid.
Good memories...

SYA

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:30 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

The Gordian Knot was written by Yair Weinstock. Also, Blackout and a few others. I literally couldn't tear myself away from them. Today I can't stomach books like that. Lol.

The spiders web

The will

BH Yom Yom

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:30 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Yes! I liked Family Secrets too, but enjoyed Search My Heart more.

amother

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:31 pm

youngishbear wrote:

Yesterday's child was the one about a foster kid and in the end he leaves? Iirc , that was based on true life events of the author.

SYA

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:33 pm

Candles in my window

A three books series. Last one was called Goodbte my Friends

The little black box - 3 book series

The storyteller series (many short stories)

amother

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:34 pm

BH Yom Yom wrote:

Yes! I liked Family Secrets too, but enjoyed Search My Heart more.

I have a whole analysis on Sarah Birnhack's books.
Search my heart, Family Secrets, Promise Me Tomorrow and One day and Forever. (She also wrote another book, happy is the heart, but I don't remember much what that is about.)

In each of the books the main character is misunderstood by her parents, and there is much friction between them.

amother

Lightgreen

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:34 pm

I liked Meyer bender, Chaim Eliav and Ruth Benjamin.

youngishbear

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 11:34 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

The Gordian Knot was written by Yair Weinstock. Also, Blackout and a few others. I literally couldn't tear myself away from them. Today I can't stomach books like that. Lol.

Same