An American Family

Peter Lefcourt, best know for his work in Hollywood as a writer/producer and his best selling comic novels, takes a more serious and nostalgic approach in his recently released novel, AN AMERICAN FAMILY (Amazon e-book, May 1, 2012), which takes a dramatic look at the life of a Polish-Jewish-American family living in the mid-20th century.

Here is a brief synopsis of AN AMERICAN FAMILY taken from the press release I received:

Roots, The Godfather, Angela’s Ashes, The Joy Luck Club, My Antonia, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Middlesex are just a few of the great family sagas that have evoked our shared immigrant experience. AN AMERICAN FAMILY is told through the shifting points of view of the five Perl siblings born in the 1940’s, between the two iconic dates of the last fifty years: the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the catastrophe of 9/11. Within this time frame the Perl family is swept up in the sweeping cultural changes of those years: the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, rock and roll, drugs, women’s liberation, and the civil rights movement.

During this turbulent time, we meet the Perls -- Meyer, the immigrant tailor with a weakness for Yiddish theater actresses, whose nephew, Nathan, would become a fabric cutter on Seventh Avenue and the patriarch of the clan; Jackie, the young lawyer with a weakness for women, alcohol and Italian-American “clients”; Michael, the business genius intent on building his fortune; Elaine, the married school teacher who wants more from her life than being merely a wife and mother; Stephen, the brilliant and sensitive artist who struggles with his talent and his sexuality; and Roberta, the rebel hungry to experience perhaps a little too much of what life has to offer.

AN AMERICAN FAMILY is an excellent book that draws you into the story and really develops an image of what was life back then for the Perls. I found it quite interesting and entertaining. It showcases life through the years, and even though I didn't personally experience may of the things from the early years, I have experienced their later years--mid 70's on. It was interesting to think about how I experienced/ remember those years (though younger than them). I also found it interesting how relevant some of the issues they had to deal with are still relevant today and how many are quite different. 

AN AMERICAN FAMILY is an excellent family saga, that has potential of becoming a classic. It is only available in e-book format through Amazon.

Thank you to Media Muscle for my sample used in this review, opinions are honest.  Review by Michelle.

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