Sign-In
Cart
Comrades and Chicken Ranchers
Hardcover
JudaismGeneral SociologyRegional: West
ISBN13: 9780801428074
Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr
Published: Apr 22 1993
Pages: 336
Weight: 1.40
Height: 0.88 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Given its tumultuous history, one would hardly have expected Petaluma, California, to become transformed into the San Francisco bedroom suburb that it is today. It had been a small-town agricultural community, where Jewish chicken ranchers and radicals enjoyed a vigorous Yiddish cultural life, maintained intense political commitments, and took part in sharp conflicts among themselves and with the society beyond.
In this unique work of oral history, Kenneth Kann has ingeniously arranged and edited interviews with more than two hundred people, some of them telling their life stories in their own Yiddishized English. We meet an array of striking characters and families of three generations--East European immigrant settlers, their children, and their grandchildren.
The narrative begins with the immigrant generation's flight from the Old World and traces the immigrants' long, uneasy adjustment to life in America. It describes the dilemma of the members of the second generation, who find themselves torn between the ways of their parents and the gentile world around them. The book concludes with accounts of the third generation, who feel distant from their grandparents but who struggle to recover lost ethnic roots and are uncertain how to raise their children.
In this compelling chorus of voices, we find a Jewish Communist who describes being tarred and feathered in the 1930s and his grandson, recalling his own encounters, during the anti-war movement of the 1960s, with the grandchildren of the vigilantes who carried out the earlier assault. An immigrant proudly explains why she taught her children Yiddish, and a grandchild scolds his parents because they did not. One young woman finds the Jewish community too gossipy and confining; another is warmed by its closeness.
The cast is vibrant, their words both touching and often hilarious. Comrades and Chicken Ranchers is a delight.
Also in
Judaism
The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis: Commentary on the First Three Chapters
Smith, David Chaim
Paperback
Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging
Buchdahl, Angela
Hardcover
The Books of Enoch: Complete edition: Including (1) The Ethiopian Book of Enoch, (2) The Slavonic Secrets and (3) The Hebrew Book of Enoch
Schnieders, Paul C.
Paperback
Conversations with My Rabbi: Timeless Teachings for a Fractured World
Goldstein, Nikki
Schlanger, Rabbi Eli
Hardcover
As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us
Hurwitz, Sarah
Hardcover
El Poder de la Kabbalah: 13 principios para superar los desafíos y alcanzar la realización
Berg, Rav
Paperback
The Jew in the Lotus: A Poet's Rediscovery of Jewish Identity in Buddhist India
Kamenetz, Rodger
Paperback
The Complete Jewish Study Bible (Hardcover): Illuminating the Jewishness of God's Word
Rubin, Rabbi Barry
Hardcover
The Talmud Unmasked: The Secret Rabbinical Teachings Concerning Christians
Pranaitis, I. B.
Paperback
The Art of Jewish Joy: Crafts and Activities for Celebration and Connection
Kingloff, Amanda
Ultman, Suzy
Hardcover
This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation
Lew, Alan
Paperback
Eat Jewish: Over 100 Recipes That Blend Jewish Heritage, Modern Flavors, and Family Traditions
Strauss, Melinda
Hardcover
Passover Haggadah: A New English Translation and Instructions for the Seder
Rabbi Nathan Goldberg
Paperback
The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: A Jewish Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World
Lagnado, Lucette
Paperback
For Times Such as These: A Radical's Guide to the Jewish Year
Katz, Ariana
Rosenberg, Jessica
Paperback
Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire
Strauss, Barry
Hardcover
The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering
Finkelstein, Norman G.
Paperback
The Ancient Book Of Jubilees: A Comprehensive Guide to the Lost Secrets of the Bible, Including the History, Mysteries, and Hidden Teachings of Enoc
Johnson, William Robert
Paperback
Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith
Spangler, Ann
Tverberg, Lois
Paperback
Art of Torah Cantillation, Vol. 1: A Step-By-Step Guide to Chanting Torah
Portnoy, Marshall
Wolff, Josee
Paperback
Mind the Gap: How the Jewish Writings Between the Old and New Testament Help Us Understand Jesus
Henze, Matthais
Paperback
Moments That Matter: Marking Transitions in Midlife and Beyond
Geller, Rabbi Laura
Lieberman, Rabbi Beth
Paperback
Separation and Its Discontents: Toward an Evolutionary Theory of Anti-Semitism
MacDonald, Kevin
Paperback
We Plan, God Laughs: 10 Steps to Finding Your Divine Path When Life Is Not Turning Out Like You Wanted
Hirsch, Sherre
Paperback
Tough Questions Jews Ask 2/E: A Young Adult's Guide to Building a Jewish Life
Feinstein, Edward
Paperback
The Bible with and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently
Brettler, Marc Zvi
Levine, Amy-Jill
Paperback
The Complete Books of Enoch: The Full Collection of These Sacred Texts (Large Print)
Publishing, Sefan
Paperback
Josephus the Complete Works: Encounter the World and Traditions That Jesus Knew
Whiston, William
Hardcover
Complete Gospel of Mary Magdalene: Gnostic Gospel, Sacred Feminine Wisdom, and the Secrets of Early Christianity
Q. Publishing, Rubbles
Paperback
Messianic Daily Devotional: Messianic Jewish Devotionals for a Deeper Walk with Yeshua
Geoffrey, Kevin
Paperback
An Anti-Zionist Path to Embodied Jewish Healing: Somatic Practices to Heal Historical Wounds, Unlearn Oppression, and Create a Liberated World to Come
Somerson, Wendy Elisheva
Paperback
Lost in Translation Vol 1: Rediscovering the Hebrew Roots of Our Faith
Klein, John
Spears, Adam
Paperback
A Rainbow Thread: An Anthology of Queer Jewish Texts from the First Century to 1969
Sienna, Noam
Paperback
The Book of the W Atchers: Ancient Guardians, Forbidden Secrets, and the Battle for Humanity
Ashford, Selah
Paperback
The Antiquities of the Jews - A Classic History of Ancient Israel, the Jewish People, and the Biblical World
Flavius, Josephus
Hardcover
The Radical Jewish Tradition: Revolutionaries, Resistance Fighters and Firebrands
Gluckstein, Donny
Stone, Janey
Paperback
A People That Shall Dwell Alone: Judaism as a Group Evolutionary Strategy, with Diaspora Peoples
MacDonald, Kevin B.
Paperback
The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford: Dilettante's Guide to What You Do and Do Not Know to Become a Qabalist
DuQuette, Lon Milo
Paperback
Disasters of Biblical Proportions: The Ten Plagues Then, Now, and at the End of the World
Weitzman, Steven
Hardcover
Torah in English complete: Including: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy
Jps
Schwarz, Noah
Paperback
Opening Your Heart with Psalm 27: A Spiritual Practice for the Jewish New Year
Robbins, Debra J.
Paperback
The Little Encyclopedia of Jewish Culture: 101 People, Places, Things (and Foods) Every Jew Should Know
Klickstein, Mathew
Paperback
The Mystery of the Tabernacle: Ancient Secrets for Experiencing the Divine Presence
Schneider, Rabbi Kirt a.
Hardcover
The Ethiopian Bible In English Complete [Large Print]: A Historical and Canonical Guide to the 88 Books of the Orthodox Church
Decker, Rebecca Norma
Paperback