My Name Is Asher Lev

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Summary: Choosing one's life as an artist
Review: This is one of the greatest books i have ever read! This is a heartbreaking story about this talented Jewish artist who had to give up his religion and loyalty for Jewish tradition for the true love of art. As an artist he had accomplished what he wanted and became famous while at the same time he had become a traitor of Judaism, unfaithful son of true Jewish parents and an alien to one's culture.

It was a great literary work which had also expanded my knowledge of Judaism as well as Jewish tradition and culture.

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Summary: Such a Poignant Novel
Review: I had never read anything by Chaim Potok when a friend recommended this novel to me a couple weeks ago. I have a feeling that I will soon be getting to know his literature very well. There are so many wonderful things to say about this novel. The reading of My Name is Asher Lev is almost a physical experience. I found it impossible to set the book aside, and upon reading the last page, I was totally exhausted.

My Name is Asher Lev is the fictional memoir of Asher Lev. Asher traces his life from the time he was a toddler being raised in a Chasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn. From the beginning, Asher has powerful artistic impulses which Asher's father looks upon as foolishness. As he grows, Ashers artistic impulses and talents thrive throwing him into deep conflict with his family and with his faith.

The novel is so powerful and well-written. I am a nineteen-year-old for years has for years felt the urge to become a writer. I have never read anything where the demands and nature of art were better captured. Also, the characterizations of Asher and his family and all of the "small" supporting characters are so apt and powerful. The evocation of the religious community that Asher lives in is compelling. There is really nothing less than perfect about this novel. My Name is Asher Lev should certainly go down as a classic.

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Summary: One incredible story
Review: I enjoyed this book thoroughly-I was able to draw many parallels to my own life, and am a better person for reading it. I loved it because although mine and Asher's situations are completely different, the feelings and emotions felt are still the same. I am an artist, and although I cannot identify with the Jewish aspect of his life, we share the need to paint and draw. This book was an incredible read (though it's pretty heavy reading) and would I recommend it to anyone...

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Summary: Exquisite
Review: Somehow, in enumerating my favourite books, or responding to questions designed to ferret out the titles of my favourite works, this masterpiece always seems to get missed. Perhaps it is because it is so eloquently understated; it is certainly not due to any deficiencies upon the part of the work.

I first read this book almost half a lifetime ago (this realisation causes me to feel quite the antique, though it in my case implies only eleven years :)). What immediately struck me was the beauty and elegance of Mr. Potok's prose; I have been impacted significantly in subsequent readings by the simple elegance encompassed herein: both in the nature of the story, and in the inherent qualities of the narrative.

"My Name is Asher Lev" tells the story of an Observant Jewish boy (the "Asher Lev" mentioned in the title), who discovers himself to have a gift for art. As he matures, he comes to find his art at odds with his family's (explicitly his father's) beliefs, thus leading to a climax that is perhaps one of the most poignant in literature, in which Asher must decide upon that which he desires to pursue. For sheer stylistic beauty, this book stands for me almost unmatched---the story is, as previously expressed, also involving and deeply compelling: Potok is not ever satisfied with the telling of a simple "coming-of-age" story; this resonates as perhaps his finest. Very highly recommended.

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Summary: Art & Judaism
Review: A friend of mine recommended this book to me, saying that it is one of the books that have the greatest impact on him. He said that he has never read any other book that renders the thoughts and the passion of a talented artist so powerfully.

I bought it and I read it. I agree to what my friend had to say. Chaim did a great job in writing the struggle of the young Jewish artist who in one hand is trying very hard to keep his observant Jew root while at the same time is engulfed by his passion to let out his inner feelings in true and non-compromising way. This conflict costs him almost everything he loved.

As great as the book is, sometimes I find Asher's development un-convincing and difficult to understand. I find him sometimes unnecessarily stubborn (not for the cause of his beloved art) which is of course a necessary step in shaping up his final destiny. Love never won in this story. It is always me, me, my feelings that prevail. That's really not a struggle, that's more like self-indulgence. The story would have been much more realistic if the author can polish the setup somehow and put more meat into the conflict.

Even with above shortcomings, this is still a great book. Especially for those who are neither Jew nor artist (like me). Highly recommended.

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Summary: Another Interesting Account of Ethnic Relations
Review: Chaim Potok's offers some intriguing commentary on Religious issues in his novel, My Name Is Asher Lev. In spite of growing up in an environment where Torah Study is important, Asher discovers that the World of Art has its own merit. It's amazing how Asher has such a stubborn attitude in pursuing his dream even to the point where he disturbs his father and other key religious leaders in his community. It is not too clear how he developed such a self serving attitude. Maybe Asher was rebelling against his father for always traveling for the Rebee and not spending enough time at home with his family. Not to mention the lack of quality friendships in his school years.
Whereas the story jumps quickly through Asher's growing up years, there are many captivating moments throughout the young life of this artistic prodigy. The taunts from his classmates sure had an effect on young Asher. He sure was a curious little boy discovering Art Museums at such an early age. Not to mention discovering the world outside of his Chassidic Jewish Roots. Most Chassidim live in a fairly segregated world. Their interacting with the Christian Community is limited if not non-existent. Asher's bold actions raise a lot of questions about where he stands in the world today. Does he wonder about the Christian World? Does he realize the predicament he puts his mother while trying to seek attention from his father? And does he feel connected to his Judaism? Child rearing issues are pretty prominent as well. Chaim Potok gives us another gem in this wonderful novel as he brings critical issues to light.

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Summary: Intensely powerful themes - Potok's best
Review: Though, at first glance, Chaim Potok seems to be presenting merely the story of development of a great artist, the powerful characterisation (even with supposedly minor figures) weaves a tale of concepts of good and evil as the affect the world as a whole. When the young Asher Lev tells his teacher that the Hasid believes it his duty to make the world holy, it is no lip service to formulae of piety. In their own ways, and in the setting of an era and people dominated by the evils of Stalin, all of the characters are seeking meaning, ways of spreading the Jewish commitment to the true God, and personal responsibility to participate in this mission.

Since Asher's use of images of the crucifixion of Jesus is constant from very early on, it will spoil nothing if I mention a theme that is very pronouced at the point where Asher produces his masterpiece. Asher's father, and generations of the family before him, had a mission of atonement. Asher's adapting the Christian symbol of atonement in expressing this is brilliant and very intense. (I do not wish to spoil the action and awareness that develops this theme for the new reader of this work, but pay close attention!)

The development of a distinguished artist in a climate which, in his earliest years, he learns is "not a pretty world" leaves the reader with much matter for thought and powerful emotion. It is a brilliant work.

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Summary: Chasidic? - Loyal to what?
Review: This is the story of a Chasid whose only true loyalty is to his art. Everytime he has a choice to make whether it is between his art and his family or between his art and his G_d, he chooses his art. Asher Lev makes an idol, not of the images that he paints but of his talent for painting them. The book gives a rare and rich look into the world of Chasidism and is worth reading for this alone. As a Christian, I would recommend it to any non-Jew who wants to understand more about Judaism. It is a great work of literature but it smacks of Jewish Reconstructionist tendencies. To paraphrase one of Potok's characters in another work of his, "I don't like his answers." "Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the L_RD. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." Jeremiah 2:12,13 (KJV)

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: Potok's wonerdful narrative centers on the life of Asher Lev, a young Jewish boy and an emerging artist. One can not help but to feel his agony as he is torn between his love of art and his attempt to live up to his families expectations. This story is a must for any student of religion, art or the human condition.

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Summary: explanation of this book
Review: yes, i read this book; and it was very gary! yes, i mean gary!!gary meaning gay.. this had no relavance to society, i am an artist, maybe not as big as pottock, but hey! i would say, that in a way its only good how it refelcts jews, but im a jew, and my parents were not like that, nor was the family arond me or my friends...please e mail me at [e-mail]...