The story of a boy who grows up in the Bronx through the twenties, the Depression, World War II and its aftermath, and is forced by these events into radically reassessing what it means for him to be a Jew. The author also wrote "The Chosen". --This text refers to the Paperback edition. Editorial Reviews From the Inside Flap David Lurie learns that all beginnings are hard. He must fight for his place against the bullies in his Depression-shadowed Bronx neighborhood and his own frail health. As a young man, he must start anew and define his own path of personal belief that diverges sharply with his devout father and everything he has been taught.... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From the Back Cover All beginnings are hard--that is the lesson David Lurie learns early and painfully in his life. As a boy in the Depression-shadowed Bronx, he must begin to hold his own against neighborhood bullies and the treacherous frailties of his own health. As a young man in a world menaced by a distant, horrifying war, he must begin once more--this time to define a resolute path of personal belief that departs boldly from the tradition of his teachers and his own father, a courageous defender of their people. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.