false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170963992m/79109.jpg 79109 16 In 1940s Brooklyn, friendship between an 11-year-old Irish Catholic boy and an elderly Jewish rabbi might seem as unlikely as, well, snow in August. But the relationship between young Michael Devlin and Rabbi Judah Hirsch is only one of the many miracles large and small contained in Pete Hamill's novel. Michael finds himself in trouble when he witnesses the 17-year-old leader of the dreaded Falcons gang beating an elderly shopkeeper. For Michael, 1940s Brooklyn is a world still shaped by life in the Old Country, a world where informing on a fellow Irishman is the worst crime imaginable--worse even than the violent crimes committed by some of those fellows. So Michael keeps silent, finding solace in the company of Rabbi Hirsch, a Czech refuge whom he meets by chance. From this serendipitous beginning blossoms a unique friendship--one that proves perilous to both when the Falcons catch up with them. <P> Interlaced with Hamill's realistic descriptions of violence and fear are scenes of remarkable poignancy: the rabbi's first baseball game, where he sees Jackie Robinson play for the Dodgers; Michael's introduction into the mystical world of the Cabbala and the book's miraculous ending. Hamill is not a lyrical writer, but he is a heartfelt one, and this story of courage in the face of great odds is one of his best. 955555 1997 Snow in August total:873|5:222|4:352|3:228|2:50|1:21| 873 3323 1200 149 4 1 false false Fri Apr 10 04:41:21 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 04:45:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Aug 08 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Wed Apr 23 13:36:52 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 23 13:42:34 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jul 12 10:00:45 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 12 10:07:30 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Nov 10 15:33:28 -0800 2007 Sat Nov 10 15:35:09 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Fri Jan 02 18:37:38 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 02 18:42:47 -0800 2009
I do remember that I really liked it. So much that I've been looking for other Pete Hamill books since then. In addition, I know I really liked it at the time, as I listed this book in the Book Talk F...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jul 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 30 13:23:42 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 30 14:23:01 -0700 2009
The Holocaust was a horror and, before it, the mistreatment of Jews through the ages. As a reaction to this, a broad effort has been made to publicize...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Jul 25 18:47:16 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 25 18:53:31 -0700 2009 This is about a young alter boy named Michael who meets a rabbi en route to mass (Michael, not the rabbi) and ends up becoming the rab...more...]]> 0 0 false false Sun Aug 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 20:23:24 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 20:28:41 -0700 2009 Leon Uris and one was to Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. The latter seems obvious, what with ethnicity and anti-Semitism and Prague and golem. The former shouldn't be taken to disparage Hamill, who is...more...]]> 4 1 false true Mon May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Tue Dec 02 19:46:41 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 02 19:52:37 -0800 2008 1 more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Jul 03 12:11:56 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 03 12:11:56 -0700 2007
I dislike hardcover books but I am purchasing this in HC so I will have it forever. Just...more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Aug 11 11:57:53 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 11 11:59:17 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed May 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 30 11:41:59 -0700 2009 Wed May 20 11:16:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 07 07:08:03 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 07 07:18:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jul 15 00:00:00 -0700 1998 Thu Aug 13 11:26:05 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 15 15:02:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 08:36:37 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 09:07:11 -0700 2009 Once more...]]> 3 0 false true Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 29 07:08:41 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 29 07:10:24 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 1999 Mon Sep 07 16:30:55 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 16:35:42 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jun 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed May 27 15:33:38 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 07 11:49:19 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Apr 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 18 12:25:37 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 26 14:44:38 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Tue May 26 07:05:11 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 11:23:03 -0700 2009 2
I read it once for book club, where half loved it & half ...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=79109