Dr. Steve Recommends…
A BJV column about Jewish books and authors
By Dr. Steve Rubin / Special to the BJV
Dear Readers,
For this month’s column I would like to focus on one of my favorite, contemporary (Jewish) authors, Allegra Goodman. And although I would enthusiastically recommend all of her works (Goodman has published to date ten novels and dozens of short stories), those in which Jewishness is prominent are of special interest. These include The Family Markovitz (1996) Katterskill Falls (1998), and her latest, This is Not About Us (2026).
The Family Markovitz, one of Goodman’s earlier works, is a collection of linked stories exploring three generations of American Jews living in suburban Boston: their generational divide, family conflicts, efforts to assimilate, and their different approaches to religion, faith and tradition. The Family Markovitz reads like a novel, as the same characters appear in each story, although in different circumstances. Among these are Rose, the aging matriarch; her children; and her one grandchild, Sara, who (spoiler alert!) shocks her family by turning to Orthodox Judaism. Although Goodman portrays the usual Jewish rituals (Bar/Bar Mitzvah, weddings, Passover Seders, funerals, etc.), she manages to avoid stereotypes, and does so with humor, understanding and compassion. The sum total is a book that still resonates today for readers (Jewish and otherwise) thirty years after publication.
Kaaterskill Falls, which was short-listed for the 1998 National Book Award, is perhaps her most explicitly Jewish-centered works, as it examines the tension between an Orthodox Jewish community in upstate New York and the so-called “American” world around them. Goodman here is interested in such recurrent themes as community vs. individuality, the appeal and the difficulty of communal laws and ritual, and the role of women within the world of Orthodox Judaism. How, for example, is it possible to keep your independence and individuality while remaining tied to tradition? Goodman offers no answers. But just as Judaism emphasizes debate and questioning, Goodman too explores issues without giving definitive answers.
This is Not About Us is the story of three generations of the Rubinstein family. Like Kaaterskill Falls, the book lacks a convention plot, as the narration switches back and forth juxtaposing stories of the various family members as they move through marriage, divorce, child bearing, and death. As such, This is Not About Us is more a collection of linked stories than a traditional plot-driven narrative. Goodman examines the trials and tribulations of the different generations of Rubinsteins; their stories overlap and intertwine; each seems to offer a different perspective—on being Jewish, on being American, and on being part of a multi-generational family. As the NY Times reviewer noted: This is Not About Us is “a heartfelt, acutely written collection that forms one wonderfully cohesive unit.” At times humorous, often heartfelt, This is Not About Us is, ultimately — about us!