Bread Givers: A Novel

The novel BREAD GIVERS is narrated by Sara Smolinsky, a Jewish Immigrant in New York City. Her mother, father, and three sisters emigrated from Poland to the Lower East Side in the early 20th century. The book describes the family’s struggle with money, tradition, religion, in a foreign country.

I kept thinking about “The Fiddler on the Roof” while reading this book. I haven’t explored many stories of Ashkenazi Jews from before World War 2, so Fiddler is a touchstone for me. Like the musical, this book explores tradition and religion in a rapidly changing world. The father doesn’t work, doesn’t contribute to the house, claiming his devotion to God and his studies takes priority. The father stays home all day and prays while all his daughters work. He’s not funny or sweet or looking out for his daughters’ interests in any way. I despised the father in this book who prized education above all but would not support Sara’s pursuit of an education herself. He was a horrible father and person. He’s not a smart or savvy man either, making one foolish mistake after the other. It was devastating to see the effect he had on the mother and sisters. I was rooting for Sara throughout this story as she grows and finds her own place in the world. I found the book uplifting and an easy read. The prose was not sophisticated and the story is very plot driven, but the book was enjoyable and I’m glad I read this.

I was assigned this book for a college history class. I was dreading reading it, but after finishing it, this may be one of the best books I've read about the past. I took me about 4 days to read it in between other things I had to do. What a perspective it put on an immigrants struggle when they came to America!

This is a great book; absolutely loved reading it.