Race, Rights, and Recognition: Jewish American Literature Since 1969

Rather than arguing that Jewish American literature provides critiques or support of multiculturalism or post-ethnicity, Franco (English, Wake Forest U.) explores the works of recent Jewish American writers--mainly between 1969 to 1989--whose themes responded to the changing social climate by postmodern treatments of individual's quest for rights and recognition and moral, ethical, political conflicts as members of racial/ethnic groups in proximity. In tandem with political and critical theorists, his readings of such novels as Saul Bellow's Mr. Sammler's Planet, Philip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint,Cynthia Ozick's The Messiah of Stockholm, Allegra Goodman's Kaaterskill Falls, and Tony Kushner's playHomebody/Kabul go beyond simplistic binary analyses. Annotation 穢2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)