Nonfiction History, Essays

Featuring essays by Dara Horn, Norman Podhoretz, Rick Richman, Jonathan Sarna and Meir Soloveichik

To what extent was the American Revolution an achievement of Judaism? How did Zionism win over American Jews? Is there an American Jewish equivalent to Yiddish? Why did Abraham Lincoln feel such a close connection to the Jews? Why are many American Jews so often reluctant to admit what they owe to America?

These are but some of the questions asked—and answered—in this new collection of never-before-published essays from five of Jewish America’s leading thinkers. Out in time for the Fourth of July, 2016, What America Owes the Jews, What Jews Owe America is an essential text for lovers and observers of American and Jewish life.

This collection of books featuring Jewish main characters is decidedly non-comprehensive. As we come across books that are described as having Jewish main characters, we add them to this database. The creators of the Jewish Genre Reading Challenge have not read all (or even most) of the books in this database. We have gathered information from many sources and not all may be accurate. Inclusion of a book in our database does not imply endorsement or approval. There is always the possibility that antisemitism may be present in a book, either written into a character's experience or through malicious or ignorant caricature or stereotypical portrayal of Jewish characters and culture. Please take care of yourselves as you read. 

PLEASE let us know if you encounter a book in this database that does not have a Jewish main character, if you have corrections or additions for a book's genre categories, or if you have any other concerns about the inclusion of a particular book in this database.