My Thirty-Minute Bar Mitzvah
A Memoir
by Denis Hirson
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Pub Date 9 Apr 2024 | Archive Date 12 Jan 2024
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Description
A bestselling South African writer known for tackling history and memory finally makes his American debut
Witty and deeply poignant, My Thirty-Minute Bar Mitzvah is a breathtaking account of one man being confronted by his past and, ultimately, how his daughter proved to be the key in understanding his own father.
Recreating 1960s Johannesburg through his adolescent eyes, bestselling South African author Denis Hirson gradually reveals the details of his extraordinary 13th birthday as he explores the familial and political divisions in Apartheid South Africa that weighed on him and his developing consciousness of his Jewish heritage.
My Thirty-Minute Bar Mitzvah is a gem of a book about becoming a man. It’s also a valuable account of a forgotten time of white, Jewish activists, their families, their community, and most importantly, their children, who had to stumble through life in the aftermath of their commitment to racial justice.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781805337539 |
| PRICE | US$16.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 192 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Bailey P, Reviewer
I wasn’t sure what to expect when going into reading this, but, after reading it, I found that it was a very good memoir!
I’ve read a lot of books on various topics pertaining to Jewish identity and I think that this book gave us another perspective on that, as well as a story that was interesting. However, while I enjoyed this read, I didn’t really understand the historical context for the story and, thus, felt a little lost at times because I just didn’t know where those events fell in time or what they were.
I would recommend this read and would like to read it again after brushing up on some South African history.
Thanks to netgalley for this read!
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