The Golem in Jewish American Literature—Risks and Responsibilities in the Fiction of Thane Rosenbaum, Nomi Eve and Steve Stern

After tracing the history of this source of the Frankenstein story in Jewish folklore and literature, Morris (creative writing, Goddard College/English, State U. of New York at Cortland) employs the golem as a device to treat themes in the works of three contemporary American Jewish writers. In discussing Thane Rosenbaum's The Golems of Gotham, she explores fiction as a medium for the Jewish value of tikkun olum (repair of the world). In reading Nomi Eve's The Family Orchard and Steve Stern's Mickey and the Golem, she examines how texts and memories create the writer as much as the writer creates the text. Lastly, she considers high-tech versions of the golem. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)