Call it Sleep

Name: Call it Sleep
Brand: Penguin Random House NZ
SKU: 9780141188652
Price: 27.0 NZD
Availability: InStock

By Henry Roth

Series: Penguin Modern Classics

0.0 (0 reviews)

3.81

( 8,901 ratings, 607 reviews)

Summary

Call it Sleep by Henry Roth is set in the early 20th century and follows a young boy named David Schearl, the son of Jewish immigrants in New York City. The novel beautifully captures David's experiences with identity, fear, and the struggles of assimilating into a new culture. It's a coming-of-age story that sensitively explores the complexities of family dynamics and the immigrant experience in a bustling urban setting.
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Format: Paperback / softback

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Call it Sleep

$27⁰⁰

Elsewhere:

~~$30⁰⁰~~

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate vivid storytelling that brings to life the immigrant experience in early 20th-century New York. Roth's narrative skilfully explores themes of family, identity, and the challenges of assimilation through the eyes of a young boy.

David Schearl arrives in New York in his mother's arms to begin his new life as an immigrant. David is hated by his father, but is fiercely loved and protected by his Yiddish-speaking mother. This novel interweaves the love between a mother and son with the terrors and anxieties David experiences, as he seeks to find his own identity.

Description

A masterpiece of American literature, Call It Sleep is a glorious ode to the migrant experience.

David Schearl arrives in America in his mother's arms. Waiting for them is a father and husband consumed by frustration and a labyrinth of language and asphalt - New York City at the turn of the century. As David navigates his father's anger and this alien world, he begins to glimpse deeper mysteries: the ancient and enduring quality of Jewish tradition, the shadow and the light of human desire, the reasons why people seek refuge in another land...

One of the true masterworks of American fiction, Call It Sleep is a triumph of colour and sound, a towering peak of modernist writing, and an extraordinary ode to the child and the emigrant - the innocence, the confusion, the fear, and the joy.

Series: Penguin Modern Classics

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Call it Sleep by Henry Roth is praised for its vivid portrayal of the immigrant experience in early 20th-century New York. The novel is lauded for its rich, poetic language and deep psychological insights into the protagonist's coming-of-age journey. Reviewers often highlight its emotional depth and the way it navigates themes of identity and belonging.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780141188652

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 October 2006

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Contributors:

Introduction by Alfred Kazin

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 336g

Pages: 464

Collections

Best Sellers at Book Hero Fiction General Fiction Henry Roth In Stock Books In-Stock Fiction Books Literary Fiction New Release Fiction Penguin Books Penguin Classics Series: Penguin Modern Classics

About the Author

Henry Roth (1906-1995) was born in the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia. He probably landed on Ellis Island in 1909 and began his life in New York on the Lower East Side, in the slums where Call It Sleep is set. He is the author as well of Shifting Landscapes, a collection of essays, and the Mercy of a Rude Stream tetralogy. Alfred Kazin (1915-98), was an American critic. His first book, On Native Grounds (1942), is a critical study of American prose literature from Howells to Faulkner. Later essay collections include The Inmost Leaf (1955), Contemporaries (1962), Bright Book of Life (1973), An American Procession (1984), Writing Was Everything (1995) and God and the American Writer (1997).

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