Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Language: The Lord’s name is taken in vain several times. Mild swear words are used occasionally.

Violence: Parts of Jewish history are given, including violent acts against them and the suffering it caused. Danny is driven to violence in a baseball game due to pent-up anguish over his pre-determined life as successor to his father.

Adult Themes: Holocaust atrocities and prejudice against Jews mentioned. Danny suffers emotionally because of internal conflicts, as well as the parenting style his father uses to raise him—silence as a way to teach compassion.

Synopsis

The book begins the last year of WWII with two 15-yr. old boys meeting for the first time at a baseball game. Danny is the brilliant son of a Hasidic rabbi (an ultra pious sect of Judaism), and Reuven is a mild-mannered Orthodox Jew. They form a strong friendship that lasts several years, despite differences in religious and political views. Danny is torn between following his passion for secular knowledge and assuming his dynastic role as the next rabbi of his sect. The book takes the boys through their college years and the Zionist movement (creation of a Jewish homeland—Israel). The book explores the meaning and depth of friendships, love of God, and both boys’ father/son relationships.

The book may be a little confusing for those not of the Jewish faith to read. Frequent use of Jewish vocabulary, descriptions of Talmud or Torah scripture, and synagogue services are essential to the book’s authenticity, but do make it difficult to understand. This book was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1967. It is highly regarded in many literary circles and provides many opportunities for academic discussion.