My Name Is Asher Lev

Rating:
Summary: I wish there were more stars to give.
Review: Chaim Potok is an incredible artist, and this is his best book (although with Potok that designation seems to be required for whichever of his masterpieces one is reading at the time.) There's a rhythm to Potok's writing, and with this novel it draws the reader in and surrounds her or him, making the story into a musical tunnel that carries them along. Asher Lev is Jewish and a painter, but not a religious painter. Readers of this book need not be of Jewish ancestry, as I am not, for it is a story for everyone. Potok is not a Jewish writer, he is a writer who is Jewish, and the same can be said for Asher Lev.

Rating:
Summary: Well Written but Confusing Terminology
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and loved to see Asher grow and mature from a boy to a man. It was beautifully written, chronicling Asher's anguish and fury through his art. I could relate to Asher's struggle for independence and acceptance.

Since I am not Jewish, I did not understand many of the terminology used. I felt like Chaim Potok should have clarified terms such as Shabbos or Stalin. I got the understanding that if you did not know anything about Jewish history, you could not appreciate this book.

I would reccomend this book to teenagers because of its portrayal of the young artist.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful
Review: Having read "The Chosen" and "The Promise," I had to try "My Name is Asher Lev." Those first two were wonderful stories, but "Asher Lev" is such a powerful and (in the good sense) disturbing novel that it left me trembling.

I am not a Hasidic Jew -- in fact, I am a Roman Catholic priest. But Potok welcomes even the stranger into the Hasidic world so that a reader feels at home. Yet even more foreign to me is the world of the artist, for the Lord has given me absolutely no talent or vision in that area. Yet here, too, one learns to see with the artist's eye, or at least to understand.

Potok's writing becomes more and more terse as the tensions inside Asher Lev increase. He shifts themes within a single paragraph in a way that would earn a failing grade from any seventh grade English teacher, and yet he does so to very powerful effect, allowing the reader to be experience the difficulties that cause the protagonist such fear.

Asher Lev discovered that a gift of genius could be a true burden. Chaim Potok showed his own genius in allowing us a glimpse into this realm of creation.

Rating:
Summary: A favorite
Review: I read this book in high school and it's stayed one of my favorites ever since. We could all learn a little from Asher Lev. If you enjoy this book, try the sequel -- The Gift of Asher Lev.

Rating:
Summary: Five Stars for the Brooklyn Prodigy
Review: My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok is a remarkable story from the first page to the last. Potok takes the reader on a captivating journey through the complex mind and painful life of the "Brooklyn Prodigy" while dealing with reoccurring questions concerning acceptance, forgiveness, and the struggle to face one's identity. Potok creates a unique cast of characters and forms powerful relationships between them. No relationship, however, is as powerful as the one that Asher forms with his passion for painting. Through his passion, Asher and his family experience torment, anguish, confusion, and heartbreak. Their hardships, however, prove to teach life altering lessons about truth and love. Potok's use of vivid language and imagery help the reader to experience, feel, and learn as the characters do. This thought provoking novel had a great impact on me and is by far one of the best novels I have ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Torn Apart
Review: Torn. Torn between the two incompatible worlds of Art and Judaism is the life that Asher Lev lives. Chaim Potok, in his book My Name is Asher Lev weaves a poignant story about an artist whose immense talent is a curse and a gift at the same time. He traces Asher's life from the first discovery of his gift to the art shows in the midst of his fame, and shows us that these eventually get him exiled from the Hasidic community.

By using first person narrative, Potok gives the reader a glimpse of the Ladover Hasidic world through Asher's eyes. One does not have to be an artist to understand the turmoil that Asher goes through. Potok's portrayal of the rift that eventually widens between Asher and his parents as well as the Jewish community is simply and clearly portrayed. The reader sympathizes with Asher throughout the story, hoping that the young prodigy can somehow merge the two worlds he loves so much.

Potok's characters make this book even more engaging. Each character has his or her own distinct personality and problems that help the reader understand their viewpoints. Take, for example, Asher's mother. She is torn between her husband and her son, and till the end tries to make the two men in her life understand each other. However, this small, fragile woman is no match for the powerful forces pulling Asher and his father apart.

The use of Hasidic Jewish terminology like Shabbos and Ribbono Shel Olom is confusing at first, yet it binds the reader into Asher's Jewish world more and more securely as the novel progresses. It helps the reader understand the world of Aryeh Lev, Asher's father, who continually works for the good of the community. It also helps the reader realize that Asher's dreams of his Mythic Ancestor are a symbol of his own guilt. Asher feels like a traitor to his family because he is not continuing the work of his ancestors.

I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to be a part of Asher's life, with all of its joys and sorrows. Come grow up with Asher in this excellently written book, and for a while imagine his talent is your own. Follow his example, and go wherever your heart leads you. Just don't forget to take his teacher's advice and be great at your chosen path, as that will justify all the consequences.

Rating:
Summary: The Best
Review: I'm a teenage kid with a busy life of school and other things, but all that just stopped as soon as I picked up this book. Have mercy on my soul, this book was good. It hit me deep and made me think. I was totally taken over by the story and I began to connect and relate with the characters. Chaim Potok's style of writing is so easy to read and get into. I read through this whole book just itching for more the entire time. I would recommend this book to anyone; young, middleaged, old, it doesn't matter. Anyone can appreciate my new favorite book. I can't wait to start The Gift of Asher Lev.