{"product_id":"goyhood-reuven-fenton","title":"Goyhood - Reuven Fenton","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 DetailsTabs_html-content__dQoL5 mui-style-tgrox\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eReuven Fenton''s novel \u003ci\u003eGoyhood \u003c\/i\u003eis a brilliant debut about a devoutly Orthodox Jewish man who discovers in middle age that he's not, in fact, Jewish, and embarks on a remarkable road trip to come to grips with his fate; it's Chaim Potok's \u003ci\u003eThe Chosen \u003c\/i\u003emeets \u003ci\u003ePlanes,Trains and Automobiles.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Mayer (née Marty) Belkin fled small-town Georgia for Brooklyn nearly thirty years ago, he thought he'd left his wasted youth behind. Now he's a Talmud scholar married into one of the greatest rabbinical families in the world - a dirt-poor country boy reinvented in the image of God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut his mother's untimely death brings a shocking revelation: Mayer and his ne'er-do-well twin brother David aren't, in fact, Jewish. Traumatized and spiritually bereft, Mayer's only recourse is to convert to Judaism. But the earliest date he can get is a week from now. What are two estranged brothers to do in the interim?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo begins the Belkins' Rumspringa through America's Deep South with Mom's ashes in tow, plus two tagalongs: an insightful Instagram influencer named Charlayne Valentine and Popeye, a one-eyed dog. As the crew gets tangled up in a series of increasingly surreal adventures, Mayer grapples with a God who betrayed him and an emotionally withdrawn wife in Brooklyn who has yet to learn her husband is a counterfeit Jew. \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"DetailsTabs_reviews-box__MlIpA MuiBox-root mui-style-1v28ako\"\u003e\n\u003ch5 class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-h5 MuiTypography-gutterBottom mui-style-h2ouy6\"\u003eIndustry Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-style-tgrox\"\u003e\"A big-hearted novel about the enduring importance of faith and family . . . overall, a lot of fun.\" — \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAssociated Press\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A unique story of identity and redemption that examines no less of an issue than the essence of Judaism.\" — \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Jerusalem Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A sweet-natured, fast-paced picaresque, the narrative blends the fun of an impromptu, disaster-laced road trip across the American South with a more serious inquiry into American Jewish identity.\" — \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Forward\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Fenton has a knack for the telling and visually arresting detail. His character sketches, too, are to be relished.\" — \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eAtlanta Journal Constitution\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“If you’re looking for a fun novel about the very real subjects of faith and brotherhood, then you must read Goyhood.” – \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNational Public Radio\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFenton “writes with skill and verve, and his expe­ri­ence as a jour­nal­ist shines through in the detail and tex­ture of his writ­ing and in his ear for dialogue.” \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Jewish Book Council\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A riotous, tongue-in-cheek romp of a road trip through the American South…fascinating, funny and soulful.” – \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eHadassah Magazine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The prose flows with easy cadence and sly wit. And Fenton’s personable touch is an essential virtue here…Goyhood is, by turns, a rambunctious romp and a novel of ideas.” – \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Arts Fuse\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* A \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eZibby Summer Reads\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e Selection\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Nothing is authentic except the quest for the authentic and it's just such a quest that speeds-way-over-the-legal-limit through the pages of Reuven Fenton's remarkably funny and compassionate novel about Goys, Jews, and that most crisis-prone of contemporary identities: the male at middle-age.\" — \u003cb\u003eJoshua Cohen\u003c\/b\u003e, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning \u003ci\u003eThe Netanyahus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Bravo, Reuven Fenton, for finding humor, heart, and meaning in a lost soul’s religious ups and downs. Are Mayer and his twin Jewish? Will happiness win over self-doubt? Goyhood is funny, stirring, smart and beautifully written. Such lovable characters! Such a profoundly delicious book!” — \u003cb\u003eElinor Lipman\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eMs. Demeanor \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e The Inn at Lake Devine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A surprising and compelling novel written with the authenticity of an insider, the evocative precision of a journalist, and the heart of an audacious romantic.\" — \u003cb\u003eJonathan Tropper\u003c\/b\u003e, author of\u003ci\u003e NYT \u003c\/i\u003eBestseller \u003ci\u003eThis is Where I Leave You\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A novel with plenty of spritz.\" — \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"With its intricate character development and evocative storytelling, \u003ci\u003eGoyhood\u003c\/i\u003e is a must-read for those who seek a story with depth, humor, and heart.” — \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe American Israelite\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-style-tgrox\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-style-tgrox\"\u003eCentral Avenue Publishing 2025, paperback\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Harper Collins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44973582549061,"sku":"300393","price":32.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/9997\/3445\/files\/goyhood-reuven-fenton-goyhood-1297841.jpg?v=1778914447","url":"https:\/\/shop.sydneyjewishmuseum.com.au\/products\/goyhood-reuven-fenton","provider":"Sydney Jewish Museum Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}