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This moving autobiographical tale of Oz’s childhood is fascinating in that it gives a child’s view of the 1948 establishment of the state of Israel and what it was like to live as a Jew in British Mandated Palestine prior to that. Particularly memorable is his remarkable description of the night Israel became a nation and the poignant mixture of hope and terror.
Mentioned early in the novel, the suicide of his mother casts a solemn pathos across the entire work as Amos grows and begins to assert ...more
Mentioned early in the novel, the suicide of his mother casts a solemn pathos across the entire work as Amos grows and begins to assert ...more

Part memoir, part coming of age story. Part family history, part history of the creation of Israel. It's a beautiful, dense, rambling read.
My favorite parts:
1. Little Amos wants to grow up to be a book. Not a writer. Not a publisher. A book! Love it!!!
2. Shortly before his mother's death she gives Amos a lecture on romantic love and friendship. She tells him to look for a friend....good advice Mom.
3. Amos' father. I fell head over heals in love with this mind. He was one smart dude.
All in all ...more
My favorite parts:
1. Little Amos wants to grow up to be a book. Not a writer. Not a publisher. A book! Love it!!!
2. Shortly before his mother's death she gives Amos a lecture on romantic love and friendship. She tells him to look for a friend....good advice Mom.
3. Amos' father. I fell head over heals in love with this mind. He was one smart dude.
All in all ...more

This book started off slow but built and built and built until I was ugly crying at the end. Through his writing, Oz is able pluck raw emotion from the ether, cradle it in his hands, and hold it up to your face so you can breathe it in deeply. I have learned so much about what it was like to live life surrounding the formation of Israel and the pain (or joy) we can inherit from our loved ones. Five stars. Highly recommend.

Amos Oz had a really lonely childhood. And I don't much care.
...more


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