Hardcover ISBN: 9781558618862
Paperback ISBN: 9781558618879
Publication Date: 05-19-2015

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Feminist icon Letty Cottin Pogrebin's second novel is the story of Zach Levy, the left-leaning son of Holocaust survivors who promises his mother on her deathbed that he will marry within the tribe and raise Jewish children. When he falls for Cleo Scott, an African American activist grappling with her own inherited trauma, he must reconcile his old vow to the family he loves with the present reality of the woman who may be his soul mate. A New York love story complicated by the legacies and modern tensions of Jewish American and African American history, Single Jewish Male Seeking Soul Mate explores what happens when the heart runs counter to politics, history, and the compelling weight of tradition.

"Cleareyed, courageous." —Kirkus

“This smart, lyrical novel explores the complexity of keeping promises to those who came before us, even as we may be buoyed or bruised by life. Pogrebin has created an indelible protagonist and with bracing humor and political savvy, asks some of the most penetrating questions of our day.”  —Dani Shapiro, author of Devotion

“From its stunning first paragraph to its poignant last sentence, Single Jewish Male Seeking Soul Mate manages to illuminate and educate, all while doing a novel's most important job—telling a terrific story.” —Ayelet Waldman, author of Love and Treasure

"Pogrebin is a writer of great depth and soulfulness, and with this book she catapults herself into the ranks of novelistic royalty. Her lovely prose gets to the very heart of what the heart wants, while also mining the legacies and commitments that define the rich history of African Americans and American Jews." —Thane Rosenbaum, author of How Sweet It Is!

“This bittersweet novel captures the struggle to honor one's ancestors and fulfill one's promises while recognizing the power, beauty, and burden of history as it shapes our lives and our choices about love.” —Marcia Ann Gillespie, former editor in chief of Ms. and Essence

“A beautifully written and heartwarming masterpiece. Letty Cottin Pogrebin sensitively captures dilemmas confronted by many children of Holocaust survivors while reminding us that respecting the legitimacy of ‘the other’ is as important as remaining true to one's own past.” —Menachem Z. Rosensaft, founding chair of the International Network of Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors

“Pogrebin masterfully explores issues of race, gender, ethnicity, and religion through her characters who struggle with conflicting moral imperatives in a sea of clashing cultures. Her exceptional intelligence shines on every page.”  —Helen Fremont, author of After Long Silence

“Single Jewish Male Seeking Soul Mate unflinchingly confronts the issue of Jewish continuity in a diverse and changing America. Most of all, though, it is a love story, delicious and sweet, and a book to be read with pleasure and savored long after the last page has been read.” —Anne Roiphe, author and journalist

"Compelling, passionate, brave." —Janet Dewart Bell, founder of the Derrick Bell Lecture Series on Race in American Society