Summary of the Theme
"I carried her in my arms," Tevye sighs as another daughter goes her own way – and so begins a modern literary tradition of Jewish fathers and daughters who get carried away with politics, money, sex, religion, and, above all, one another.

This theme is part of the Jewish Literature – Identity and Imagination series, which is an exploration of Jewish literature and culture.

Book List

• Tevye the Dairyman by Sholem Aleichem
• Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska
• 1185 Park Avenue: A Memoir by Anne Roiphe
• American Pastoral by Philip Roth
• Bee Season by Myla Goldberg

Program Brochure
The humanities scholar's essay was written by Jeremy Dauber, Atran Assistant Professor of Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture at Columbia University.

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   Scholar's essay, annotated book list, and supplementary texts (pdf)*

"How To" Discussion Programming Guide
Developed to aid participants in “The Millennium Project for Public Libraries,” this programming guide provides basic information about developing and promoting book discussion programs.

* The American Library Association and Nextbook, Inc. are the copyright owners of this essay and annotations. The credit lines embedded in the program materials and/or sponsor and funder logos must remain on all published (print and web) materials derived from these materials.