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Only in America by Richard Bernstein
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Only in America

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Only in America by Richard Bernstein
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Oct 08, 2024 | ISBN 9780593795927 | 557 Minutes

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  • Oct 08, 2024 | ISBN 9780593795927

    557 Minutes

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Praise

“They say Al Jolson was the most mesmerizing performer of his generation, and, in Bernstein’s mesmerizing story of his life, you can understand why. An essential read for anyone interested in the birth of modern popular entertainment.” —Jeremy Dauber, author of Jewish Comedy: A Serious History
 
“Richard Bernstein’s brilliant book is not only a portrait of Al Jolson, the fiercely sentimental and commanding performing genius, but a detailed evocation of the culture Jolson came out of—the immigrant Eastern European Jews, the clashes between generations, the astonishing success early in the last century welcoming Jolson and other Jewish entertainers like a shower of gold.” —David Denby, author of Lit Up

“A revealing study of a pioneering if problematic entertainer. . . . Within [The Jazz Singer’s] plot, Bernstein finds a rich allegory not just for Jolson’s life but for the experience of Jews in America.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The story of Al Jolson and The Jazz Singer is, in Richard Bernstein’s capable hands, the story of a generation of Jews in the entertainment industry.  It serves as a timely reminder of what America meant to successful immigrants and their children. Replete with insights concerning sensitive issues like assimilation, intermarriage, the generational divide, and Black-Jewish relations, Only in America deserves a wide readership.” —Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University
 
Only in America is a meticulously researched and captivating literary performance that not only chronicles the remarkable rise of a Jewish immigrant to stardom but also vividly depicts the emergence of popular entertainment in the early twentieth century as a beacon of opportunity for both Jewish and Black communities.” —Clémence Boulouqe, Carl and Bernice Witten Associate Professor of Jewish and Israel Studies, Columbia University

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