A Day of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw (National Book Award Winner)

by Isaac Bashevis Singer and Issac Bashevis Singer

Book Overview

An ALA Notable Book and winner of the National Book Award for Children's Books, Isaac Bashevis Singer's A Day of Pleasure shares his memories as a boy growing up in Warsaw, Poland prior to World War II--featuring striking black and white photographs by Roman Vishniac.

In this series of short stories, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author reveals his childhood as part of Warsaw's Hasidic Jewish community in the early years of the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374416966
• ISBN13: 9780374416966
• Release Date: May 1986
• Publisher: Square Fish
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 9 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 8

Customer Reviews

Appreciation of Culture

This is a book about Singer's early life and his family. This book is about Singer's childhood in Poland and draws on that experience. Singer was very interested in sharing his culture with people, a culture that time and WW II have largely erased. Singer was part of a Yiddish-speaking Jewish community that was existing as a subculture to the larger Polish community. Through gaining understanding and sympathy with other cultures and the people in them, we gain greater insight. Through reading writers like Singer, we gain the opportunity to explore cultures that we would never have the chance to otherwise.

The Best Autobiography by Far! by Sammy K. 4th Grade

I am Jewish, and I learned a lot from this book. I learned about life in Warsaw, and about the time period around World War I. It shows how that time compares to this, and how much more we have now than back then. Lots of people take electric lights for granted. This book shows what it was like to live through freezing weather, hunger, and stress about war. I don't exactly like autobiographies, but this one really, really hit the spot!

The childhood of a master story- teller

Singer just has it. These vignettes of his childhood do not have the emotional power of his greatest stories but they are rich with life, insight and humor. And somehow he tells stories even when he is making simple descriptions of his early life. This work too tells the pain and poverty of his childhood and the difficulty of his parents' lives. It is too a tribute to a world - gone .

I read this for a 6th grade book report and loved it!

This book is a very good read for anyone and everyone that likes to read about foreign culture-- or even if you don't! I usually detest biographies and book reports, but reading this book made it FUN!

Wonderful collection of stories of pre-war Poland

Wonderfully written and translated collection of stories, for both adults and children. Written of a boy growing up in pre-war Poland, it gives a taste of the life of the time, and what it was like to be there, in an era that no longer exists. The stories are especially enjoyed by children, with characters that children can identify with. It is also a good introduction for children to life in the pre-Holocaust years. The book envelopes the reader in the warmth of the writers household, and you feel like you grew up there; you feel a personal rapport with the protagonist. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Jewish life in pre-war Europe, or those interested in furthering their children's background in Jewish life of the time. The classic stories for children in the second half of the book can be enjoyed by all.