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<book id="11503">
  <title><![CDATA[In the Beginning]]></title>
  <isbn><![CDATA[044900113X]]></isbn>
  <isbn13><![CDATA[9780449001134]]></isbn13>
    <work>
  <best_book_id type="integer">11503</best_book_id>
  <books_count type="integer">11</books_count>
  <default_description nil="true"></default_description>
  <id type="integer">6992208</id>
  <media_type nil="true"></media_type>
  <original_language_id type="integer" nil="true"></original_language_id>
  <original_publication_day type="integer" nil="true"></original_publication_day>
  <original_publication_month type="integer" nil="true"></original_publication_month>
  <original_publication_year type="integer">1994</original_publication_year>
  <original_title nil="true"></original_title>
  <rating_dist>total:482|5:133|4:217|3:118|2:14|1:2|</rating_dist>
  <ratings_count type="integer">482</ratings_count>
  <ratings_sum type="integer">1911</ratings_sum>
  <reviews_count type="integer">651</reviews_count>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">34</text_reviews_count>
</work>

  <average_rating><![CDATA[3.96]]></average_rating>
  <ratings_count><![CDATA[445]]></ratings_count>
  <text_reviews_count><![CDATA[30]]></text_reviews_count>
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11503.In_the_Beginning]]></url>
  <authors>
        <author id="7385">
      <name><![CDATA[Chaim Potok]]></name>
      <role><![CDATA[]]></role>
      <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7385.Chaim_Potok]]></url>
      <average_rating><![CDATA[4.04]]></average_rating>
      <ratings_count><![CDATA[26432]]></ratings_count>
      <text_reviews_count><![CDATA[2582]]></text_reviews_count>
    </author>
      </authors>
    <reviews start="1" end="20" total="651">
    <review id="24054737">
    <user id="1221112">
    <name><![CDATA[Isaiah]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Nashville, TN]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1221112-isaiah-kallman]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jun 09 07:59:57 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jun 09 08:06:14 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[&quot;All beginnings are hard...&quot; <br/>Potok had a gift for communicating the significance of familial and cultural relationships. Seemingly normal interactions have life-long consequences for his characters. You feel the pain of a mocking look or a bigoted sneer. You bond with the warmth of t...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24054737">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24054737]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="37929120">
    <user id="1562431">
    <name><![CDATA[Melissa]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Brazil]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1562431-melissa-mann]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Nov 17 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Nov 17 03:58:19 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Nov 17 04:18:21 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Setting aside the fact that the apple never falls far from the tree (laugh with me and my shiktse lifestyle so clearly influenced by the Yiddish that peppered my upbringing) and the fact that I am a sucker for historical novels, Potok has an extremely beautiful way of grasping the raw emotions of hu...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37929120">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37929120]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="21482490">
    <user id="1066546">
    <name><![CDATA[Michelle]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Ottumwa, IA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1066546-michelle]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="novels" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue May 06 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri May 02 15:45:57 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue May 06 10:22:40 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[After Becky read Asher Lev, I decided it was time to examine why I read Potok still.  I had this book hiding on my shelf, and had never read it, as the last Potok I read (Book of Lights) had been so emotionally draining for me.  I loved this book, though.  Totally absorbing from the first page, unfo...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/21482490">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/21482490]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="10473825">
    <user id="332276">
    <name><![CDATA[brian]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Jackson, WY]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/332276-brian-tanabe]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Dec 15 13:39:10 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jan 12 11:03:31 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is my first Potok book. Every once in a while I would hear about this author and how powerful his books were, so I was pleasantly surprised to receive it as a gift this Christmas and I eargerly jumped in.<br/><br/>The book didn't grab me. I can appreciate the story quite a bit, about the inte...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10473825">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10473825]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="1579393">
    <user id="107445">
    <name><![CDATA[Chelsea]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Columbus, OH]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/107445-chelsea]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>true</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Jun 01 03:17:51 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Jul 22 18:38:55 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[i read this book in high school but i remembered so little of it that i decided to re-read it. i thoroughly enjoyed it. <br/>i have only read three of his novels and seen one movie... but he seems to always write on the same theme - an individual's struggle to remain true to their faith and honor t...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1579393">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1579393]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="18601522">
    <user id="978725">
    <name><![CDATA[June]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Spencertown, NY]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/978725-june]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>true</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Mar 25 11:33:22 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Jul 25 17:31:43 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This novel is a very moving account of a Polish Orthodox Jewish family who had uprooted themselves from about 150 relatives in Poland to come to America. Their lives and history are revealed as the brilliant and intellectual elder son, David Lurie, grows up trying to understand and piece together wh...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18601522">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18601522]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="30479730">
    <user id="913471">
    <name><![CDATA[Ken]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Leicester, NC]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/913471-ken]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[those who read and liked &quot;The Chosen&quot; and &quot;My Name is Asher Lev&quot;]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Aug 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Aug 18 14:16:04 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Aug 18 14:17:03 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I love Potok's writing.  I felt that I missed something in this book, and the story did not propel me forward in the way his other books I've read did.  Towards the end, the plot becomes very involved in Jewish scholarship of the Torah and Talmud, to the point that as a non-Jewish reader I felt that...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30479730">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30479730]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="18667371">
    <user id="424514">
    <name><![CDATA[Abigail]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Port Chester, NY]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/424514-abigail]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="fiction" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Chaim Potok fans...]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1991</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Mar 26 07:27:56 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Mar 26 07:45:01 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This story of a young Jewish man's struggle to define his relationship to his faith, and his eventual determination to accept and pursue the method of scientific biblical scholarship, was fascinating. As the daughter of a Christian minister who regularly employed such methods - sometimes at the dinn...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18667371">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18667371]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="66969583">
    <user id="1690329">
    <name><![CDATA[Cathy]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1690329-cathy]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Aug 11 11:27:35 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Aug 11 11:31:08 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Generally considered his best work I think, though it is not my favorite.  Reread it a couple of years ago with my book group. It is a very interesting window into what it was like for Jews living in the U.S. during WWII and its aftermath: worrying about relatives left behind, and adjusting to a new...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66969583">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66969583]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="72458764">
    <user id="382318">
    <name><![CDATA[Laurie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Freedom, CA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/382318-laurie]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Sep 25 10:34:31 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Sep 25 10:34:44 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Every young adult should read a couple of these; every adult should re-read them.]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72458764]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="75808600">
    <user id="1080378">
    <name><![CDATA[Ken]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Ottumwa, IA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1080378-ken]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>0</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="currently-reading" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Oct 26 14:27:05 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Oct 26 14:27:30 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I am having a hard time getting into this one.]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75808600]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="61306620">
    <user id="1770025">
    <name><![CDATA[Catherine]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Fargo, ND]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1770025-catherine]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Jun 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jun 27 12:43:01 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jun 27 12:49:52 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The story of a Jewish family that immigrated to the US from Poland in the 1920's as told by their son from the time of his birth.  If you like history but prefer to read historical fiction over texts, this book is a gold mine.  There are places where Hemingway would say there are &quot;too many adje...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61306620">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61306620]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="13654834">
    <user id="836909">
    <name><![CDATA[Philip]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/836909-philip]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jan 26 14:51:14 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jan 26 14:51:14 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book was too similar to his last two (My Name is Asher Lev and The Promise) for me to enjoy fully. He traces the main character through the first 20 or so years of his life as in Asher Lev, but fails to create as meaningful of tensions. There are also a few places where he fails to follow up on...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13654834">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13654834]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="22140007">
    <user id="1126049">
    <name><![CDATA[Owen]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Baltimore, MD]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1126049-owen]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Tue May 13 07:08:56 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue May 13 07:12:34 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A look at what life was like for Jews living in the US during the 20s 30 and 40s.  I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be separated from family in Europe and have no idea what is happening to them.  Also a sad commentary on the anti-semitism in this country during that time.  Would give ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22140007">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22140007]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="26810188">
    <user id="1195682">
    <name><![CDATA[Saltlakecityhardys]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1195682-saltlakecityhardys]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jul 09 19:13:59 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jul 09 19:17:05 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Growing up we learn the belief systems and traditions of our fathers.  At some point and time we must decide to embrace and make them our own or choose our own path.  I didn't allow the religious and cultural aspects of this book to bury me alive or try to digest it all.  I enjoyed the journey that ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/26810188">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/26810188]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="38130769">
    <user id="125150">
    <name><![CDATA[Nikki]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Pittsburgh, PA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/125150-nikki]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="religion" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Nov 19 08:14:20 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Nov 19 08:17:14 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Another refugee from the free books bin that I had read before.  Interesting, but sometimes I feel like Chaim Potok is going to the well too many times, just because so many of his characters find themselves gravitating to methods of Talmudic exegesis that do not (pardon the expression) take it on f...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38130769">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38130769]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="29648179">
    <user id="814660">
    <name><![CDATA[Greg]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Fort Worth, TX]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/814660-greg]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="fiction-and-humor" />
        <shelf name="religion-and-spirituality" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1988</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Aug 08 16:24:28 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Aug 08 16:29:32 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Beginnings...we all experience them, most of us literally thousands of times during our lives. This tale about one David Lurie elegantly and thoroughly explores beginnings. It is less well-known than some of Potok's other novels (e.g., <em>The Chosen</em> or <em>The Promise</em>), but it is at least as powerful. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29648179">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29648179]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="56959977">
    <user id="931699">
    <name><![CDATA[Jeremy]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Provo, UT]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/931699-jeremy]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Jul 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri May 22 08:51:08 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jul 16 09:14:09 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This was like a worse version of The Chosen. I really like Chaim Potok, but did not really enjoy this book very much.<br/><br/>The protagonist spends the majority of the book not fully connected with reality. We read of fever dream after fever dream, and the character and plot development suffer b...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56959977">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56959977]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="34660292">
    <user id="1246327">
    <name><![CDATA[David]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1246327-david]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Oct 06 11:07:43 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Oct 06 11:09:32 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[If you haven't read Potok before, this is not the one to start with. Jews had a hard time of it even in America in the 30's. Finding your place in the world is hard enough.<br/>David Lurie seemed to have the worst of it. A great coming of age story for those of us that find it a struggle growing up...]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/34660292]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="1075420">
    <user id="72342">
    <name><![CDATA[catherine]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[New Zealand]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/72342-catherine]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon May 07 01:32:47 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon May 07 01:42:51 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I recommend Potok's books. They gave me a real insight into Jewish life in the US. I had virtually no exposure to Judaism growing up so Potok's books were/are a way to see it from the inside. I'm currently re-reading this, I must have first read it about 20 years ago now. ]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1075420]]></url>
</review>
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