My Name Is Asher Lev

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Summary: Quite possibly the best read you will ever, ever have.
Review: What more can we say? Potok is a master, he uses words and plots like Asher Lev does art... I seriously doubt I'll ever read anything better.

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Summary: A beautifully written contrast of religous dilemas.
Review: How I ran in to this book I have no idea, but I am rather glad that I did. I was looking for a specific subject and that subject happened to be Jewish Immigrant. I browsed thru a couple of pages and before i knew it I was already on to Book two. I was hooked. Chaim Potok depicts young Asher Lev all the way from his beginings of adolescence, which I feel helps this book develop and associate better with the reader. By doing this we see Asher Grow from a very confused artistic child, to a mature adult who has used his talents to become one of the world's best contemporary artists. However, his Father who has a very large impact on this book does not agree with painting and sees harm in what Asher is doing, whle his mother is in the middle between the love of her husband and the love of her son Though the mother and father roles are played out to perfection the outsider, who is portrayed as Jacob Kahn an artist friend is the one major influence that Asher feeds off of. Jacob Kahn shows Asher what it takes to be a painter and exposes him to the life of a true expressionist. The conflicts are definetly palced well in this book whether it is Jew vs. Goy or Father vs. Son, and even the old Good vs. evil. This book very well could be the best example of Jewish Immigrant Life in America during the early 1950's.

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Summary: Brilliant and deeply moving.
Review: "My Name is Asher Lev" is so far the best book I have read in 1998. It held my complete attention from the first page to the last. The beautiful simplicity of its writing conceals the profundity of its ideas and lets us see Asher Lev through his own eyes, with no fog in the way, so that by the end I felt that I knew him, and sometimes while I read I almost was him. The book is thought provoking, ranging through deep philosphical ideas about religion, art, and the universal emotions of a human being, but the depth does not make this hard reading. The experience was tranformative, working on emotions and subconscious until I emerged and discovered that I was a different person, that I had knowledge that I didn't have before. I recommend this masterpiece to anyone who wants to open his or her eyes and see a part of the world that they never knew existed--unless he or she is an Asher Lev.

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Summary: a great book
Review: You seldom find an author who really can describe what goes on in an artist (here a painter), how his art comes to him and what he might feel. Chaim Potok accomplishes all that in this beautifully written book.

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Summary: Unchanging plot made my feelings of this book drop.
Review: I have to admit that during the period of reading My Name Is Asher Lev, I was interested, and I continued to turn the page. Maybe that was only because it was an assignment for summer reading. Anyhow, the unchangable plot made this assignment more of a burden to continue. From reading the first part of the book, you can get an idea on how the whole book will go on. I did learn values of different cultures from this book, namely, the Hasidic Jews, but I was disapointed to find out at the end of the book that nothing was accomplished to better the relationships between Asher and his parents. There are many out there who would like reading this book, but for me, it is one that I wouldn't have picked out for myself in the first place.

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Summary: this book changed my life
Review: it is hard for an american gentile to understand the workings of the Hasidic Jewish community that exist in this country. in this book Potok opened up the wonders of these Jewish communities and translated the mystery behind them for the world to see by the everyday life through the eyes of a child and tracks the effects of this religious life as the child grows into a man. what appealed to me was that this gifted child was filled with all the fears and wonders that everyone feels, and he feels all the love and devotion to the pivital figures in his life the same as everyone else. this is Potok's best and most wonderful example of growing up with an artistic gift, and the passions that possess the spirit as we cultivate that gift. all of this is written in a brutally honest narrative that enthralled me. this is by far and away my favorite of Potok's books.

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Summary: I can't stop thinking about it.
Review: I feel so close to Asher Lev that I feel upset that I will never meet him. I will never see his paintings, never see his parents or Yudel Krinsky. Potok has a way of allowing the reader to have such an intimate knowledge and understanding of his characters -- I know why people have cried when they've read his work. I also really liked getting to feel like I was learning a lot about Judaism while I was reading it. I even had a dream that I met a Jewish family and I asked them if I could possibly hear their Krias Shema. I can only imagine what it might sound like, and I imagine it's beautiful.

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Summary: My Name is Asher Lev is powerful and spellbinding.
Review: Chaim Potok truly captures the thoughts of a young boy struggling through adolescents in an extremely religious world. It is written so well, that one can hardly put the book down. Although it is not a quick read, it almost seems like it is since it is so easy to read it quickly. This story is so powerful and dark that one feels as though they are pulled into Asher Lev's world of darkness and fear. While living a Hasidic lifestyle, Asher is thought to be painting for the "other side." This other side is so spellbinding that you are there as you read the story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is prepared for a serious read.

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Summary: Great, Stimulating Reading for any high-schooler
Review: Chaim Potok, famed novelist of The Chosen, has done it again, in his most recent novel, My Name Is Asher Lev. After, not personally, but reading reviews about his other novels, it can be said that this book is a wholy new departure from all his other works, especially The Promise and The Chosen, and that this book is even more memorable than any of his previous works. It is a profound vision of humanity, of religion, and of art. It is not only difficult to put down, but it is illuminating because it enlightens the reader to a whole new world in which religion is central to one's life's work. It is a book you must have in your own library to return to again and again because it will evoke in you many emotions, including love, hate, and acceptance. You will learn to love Asher because he is so troubled and sincere, hate his parents, especially his father, because they are trying to stop him from his painting, and accept Asher as an artist and the religion he is dedicated to. The novel is also a true reflection of the author's own experiences as an ordained rabbi from New York City. A fact revealed in Chaim Potok's biographical sketch which appears on the flap of the book jacket. My Name Is Asher Lev is the original, deeply moving story, of Asher Lev, an ultra-orthodox Jewish boy who has an overwhelming need to draw, to paint, to render the world he knows and the pain he feels on canvas for everyone to see. Asher, the painter, introduces himself as a young man struggling with inner conflict between his religious upbringing and his extraordinary God-given gift that cannot be controlled and seems to possess a spirit all its own. Early in his life Asher discovers that he has great artistic talent as demonstrated by his ability to draw and paint. His father, however, feels that if he continues to act with such foolishness, concerning his art, he will shame his people, especially if he paints crucifixions and other religious art. Throughout, the book is filled with conflict between Asher and his family. To become an artist, Asher must wrench apart his own life and that of the parents he loves. In chapter after chapter, moving across the years from the Brooklyn of the fifties to Provincetown, Paris, Florence, and today's New York, the reader is caught up with Asher's need to express himself without shaming his people or relinquishing any part of his deeply felt Judaism. He is caught up in many scenarios which help him to find himself, yet be accepted by his people. It is exciting to read about Asher's experiences in many different parts of the world. In the words of Chaim Potok's publishers "Asher's inner experience, his artist's imagination, his artist's commitment, his artist's selfishness, his encouragement by the rabbi who rules his parent's lives but understands Asher better than they do; his apprenticeship to the world famous Jacob Kahn, who becomes his teacher, inspiration, and link to the great work of art; and his immersion in the Christian tradition of Madonna, all add quality to this fantastic portrait of a tormented artist." This critic wholeheartedly agrees with this opinion and became totally involved in reading about Asher Lev and his memoirs. "My Name Is Asher Lev" is a book that must not be missed whether you are a Christian, a Jew, or a member of any other religion. Chaim Potok opens up a new world for the reader. You will not only want to keep on reading, and re-reading this book but you will surely become a fan of the author because he writes in a very easy reading style and uses language which is easy to understand. The book is also filled with cliffhangers which makes you not want to put the book down until you have reached the last page. I can't wait to read the sequel, "The Gift of Asher Lev". I hope I am not disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Moving, yet sad yet happy all at once.
Review: This book shows us how pre prepared our lives are, how ready we are to do exactly as others want for us. I am glad Asher had the unique confidence to do what he wanted with his life and follow an abnormal path to a place which made him happy. An excellent book. Must read.