His Hundred Years, A Tale

by Shalach Manot

“This fascinating book by gifted writer and storyteller Shalach Manot reflects on the life of an unusual Sephardic man, his childhood in Turkey, and later, his adaptation to life in America. We follow his adventures and come away with a deeper appreciation and understanding of the Sephardic immigrant experience during the 20th century.” — Marc D. Angel, author of The Crown of Solomon and Other Stories

Genres: Jewish

208 pages, Paperback

Published February 24, 2016

Reviews

[Natasha Vhugen · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am fascinated by this book. no one seems to have read it and that’s a loss! writing under the pen name Shalach Manot, this author artfully tells the story of one man’s life, from start to finish, in beautifully interlocking vignettes. the unnamed protagonist begins his life as an impoverished Jewish boy in Turkey and emigrates to the U.S. with some of his family. while some of the middle chapters felt a bit slow and plodding, i don’t fault the author too much - after all, a person’s years between the ages of 30 and 50 could indeed be seen as a series of very similar days, one after the other. some of the later sections focusing on the protagonist’s mother and wife were beautiful and heartbreaking. i enjoyed being briefly but fully immersed in the Sephardic Jewish world. this seems like a book that, if it fell into the right reviewer’s hands, could become an indie classic - the writing is both firm and delicate, original and timeless. i definitely recommend this slim, curious novel. 4.5/5.

[Jgknobler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very engaging, apparently somewhat biographical novel (Shalach Manot is a pseudonym) about a Turkish Jewish man who begins life as an impoverished child peddling dry goods, with his mother, to farmhouses in the Turkish countryside in the days of the Ottoman Empire. In 1920 they emigrate to NYC, where this optimistic and hardworking man finds stability and pride in selling life insurance door-to- door, while raising a family. The novel travels back and forth in time and geography, exploring family tensions, an unwise business decision, the rage of a poorer relative left behind in Turkey. All is written in a simple, evocative prose.