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18th out of 57 books
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8 voters
Gentleman's Agreement:...
Gentleman's Agreement: A Novel
The plot of GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT concerns the experiences of a young Gentile writer who poses as a Jew in order to secure material on anti-Semitism for a series of magazine articles. A thesis novel concerning the social and economic aspects of anti-Semitism in American life. Timely when issued in 1947 - timely today. Number 1 position on the New York Times Best Seller Lis...more
Published
(first published 1946)
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A very interesting and well-done period piece that places us into the shoes of a 1940's (Gentile) national magazine writer who is given the task of writing a series of articles about Antisemitism in the late 1940's in America. Through his thoughts and struggles about how to approach the topic, through his personal life as a single father (widower) in Manhattan, and through the various characters around him, we see how a simple issue of unfairness becomes complicated. The author never tries to ju...more
Have you read Gentleman's Agreement by Laura Zametkin Hobson No? Well, you should read it! Everyone should read it! Once upon a time, lots of people did - it spent five months at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List after it published in 1947 - but it has since fallen out of favor. I'd never heard of it until a friend picked it for our book club's February selection, spurring probably the best discussion we've ever had.
The novel's current lack of visibility might be due in part to its Amazon...more
The novel's current lack of visibility might be due in part to its Amazon...more
A favorite book from my youth (it's not intended for kids, but it's themes are pretty clear for anyone over ten). I've read this book at least eight times, so I'm pretty much just mouthing the words before I read them at this point. Inventive concept, great story, and the writing has all the flash and glamour of a station wagon. I don't think it applies to Jews any longer (and if you're looking for this story with 'Jew' traded for 'black', try Black Like Me) though it's still a fairly good paral...more
I found this novel in an "old books" box at our local library's book sale. I enjoy reading novels written before 1960 because they usually lack the angst and social analysis of many of today's novels that tend to cover child abuse, dysfunctional families, single parenting, etc. This one was written in 1946 and actually addressed a social issue of the time: anti-semitism. The main storyline is about a magazine writer in New York City who has been assigned the task of writing a series on anti-semi...more
Great book. Would give it 4 1/2 stars if I could. Although antiSemitism might not be as obvious as it was back in the 40's the more subtle prejudices are as true today as it was 70 years ago. The language is sometimes a bit hard to follow, the vernacular of the era, however the guts of the story is still very relevant. The book is well written and gripping.
Found this among some books I received upon an elderly Aunt's passing. The whole time I was reading, I was thinking to myself what a great movie it would make. What a surprise to find out that it was a great movie...Best Picture 1947...starring Gregory Peck! Hobson was ahead of her time.
I read this 275-page novel in five sittings........the most striking thing to me was how timely and current some of the references and philosophy were despite this book being 64 years old. However, in some respects, being a Californian, its concerns seemed quite remote and old-fashioned.
This book made a huge splash when released, so quickly after the end of WWII. One needs to keep in mind that times have, mercifully, changed, so the plot can feel out-of-date. However, it does pass the test of time as long as one keeps in mind when it was written and what the nation was like in 1947. Well-written and draws the reader in, offering a glimpse into the time it was crafted.
The author has an unusual personal history, which is worth discovering.
The movie, Ocsar-winning, is fabulously a...more
The author has an unusual personal history, which is worth discovering.
The movie, Ocsar-winning, is fabulously a...more
Should be required reading for everyone. What was relevant in 1947 is still applicable today - this book and it's message transcend time.
must read
From the start a journalist disguises himself as a Jewish. He acts like a jew because he wants to see how he will be treated by society. The results are deveasting for the character.
I loved that the book expressed anti-semitism as first hand. It's amazing to see how so much has changed from the 1940s. The main story was impressive. Also I liked how each character had to confront their own prejudices and preconceptions.
PS: Thank you Open Road Publishing for the Advance Reader Copy
I loved that the book expressed anti-semitism as first hand. It's amazing to see how so much has changed from the 1940s. The main story was impressive. Also I liked how each character had to confront their own prejudices and preconceptions.
PS: Thank you Open Road Publishing for the Advance Reader Copy
Nov 30, 2007
Graceann
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of Good Novels
Shelves:
classics
Anti-semitism is still with us, sadly, so this book, written many years ago has a very fresh ring to it. A journalist decides to pretend he's Jewish in order to see how he's treated by society, and the results are devastating in more ways than he expected.
Written in the 50s so the plot and characters are dated. Thought all the cigarette smoking was distracting. So odd to see it included. Perhaps younger readers will find anti-semitism strange. So much has changed in 50+ years, fortunately for the better.
An oldie. I read it years ago. Deals with anti-semitism. A journalist pretends to be Jewish in order to experience anti-semitism first hand. A movie was made on it starring Gregory Peck.
Jan 20, 2008
Amy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
one-of-my-favorite-books-ever
Deals with a Christian journalist who goes undercover as a Jew in America to learn about anti-semitism in the 1940s.
Had a lasting impact.
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Laura Z. Hobson (1900–1986) was an American novelist and short story writer. The daughter of Jewish immigrants, she is best known for her novels Gentleman’s Agreement (1947), which deals with anti-Semitism in postwar America, and Consenting Adult (1975), about a mother coming to terms with her son’s homosexuality, which was based upon her experiences with her own son. Hobson died in New York City...more
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“He who could write so easily, who could spend a thousand words down along his plunging fingers on the green-rubber keyboard of his machine, had stumbled like a first-grader over this single paragraph. A dozen times he had begun it and written into it a naked desperation; a dozen times he had begun it and written into it the frosted mathematics of logic. Finally he'd written out quickly the sentences that kept cropping up in all the versions. Those must be, to whatever censor there was in him, the most acceptable ones. He sealed it without rereading it and went out to mail it. An hour later he despised himself for having sent it.”
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“Slow and unarguable, the old desire for love, for a close-shared life, struck at him, not with Kathy, not with Anne, not with any one woman. It was concept only, urgency in the blood.”
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Aug 25, 2012 02:55pm