I have very mixed feelings about this book. I think the story as a somewhat autobiographical sketch of Jewish immigrant life in New York's Lower East Side in the early 20th century is fascinating. I was mesmerized yet horrified by the descriptions of the living and working conditions of the time. The portrayal of the values of the men in the book, so concerned only with themselves, was illuminating, but this in itself made it so hard for me to grasp. I cannot really begin to imagine what made the women so weak and easily dominated; it's just too foreign. While I admired the young daughter who had the strength and conviction to rebel, I even had a hard time understanding some of her actions. I understand that she grew up with no education and surrounded in poverty by recent immigrants who spoke English poorly, but somehow I would still expect better writing from someone who became a teacher. The book left me with many unanswered questions and profound gratitude that I did not have to live my life on Hester Street.

I'm delighted I was introduced to Yezierska. Her writing is so alive & energetic.

This novel was not always easy to read because the world she is describing, early 20th century Jewish life in the lower Eastside of New York City, was not always pleasant. Especially difficult for me to handle was the very different sensibility that the religious father in the story had. He believes that because he studies the Torah, his wife and daughters should work to support him. And yet he still retains absolute control over all of their lives. This is apparently an ideal that came from Eastern Europe where he grew up. But it is so antithetical to any American societal ideal, but it was very hard for me to not hate this character.

I love that the main character Sara Smolinski is so strong and eventually finds her way to prosperity out of the extreme poverty of the tenants in the lower East side. But I specially like that she details the struggles so well that it is not an easy fights and nearly drives her crazy. My favorite chapter is her description of trying to adjust to college life with a bunch of WASPs. I suspect any immigrant would be able to identify with what she describes.

Unlike Yezierska's own life, the story ends with the protagonist not only making peace with her former life, but also finding a man to share her life with. A nice ending to a difficult struggle.

Yezierska offers an intensely courageous story of a Jewish-immigrant woman's decision to shed old world values, and pursue the dreams of the new world. She learns that while America has a lot to offer, it does not live to its full potential. Her emotional journey is heartbreaking, while extremely inspirational. I plan to read more by this author.

(From a posting for a class)

Breadgivers tells the tale of Sara Smolinsky trying to find her place in the world, similar to how Jim and Antonia must find their place in the world as in My Antonia. Sara doesn't want to be married off, and doesn't want to give all her wages to her strict Jewish father. She views his way of life as the old way, and knows there is something more out there for her. He demands that she serve him, and yet she grows tired of his demands. He uses his religion to try to make his wife and daughters obey him. He constantly quotes scripture about how women are supposed to be subservient. He buys a store, and soon realizes that he has been scammed. He later gets mad at Sara for selling something for two cents less than what the charge is supposed to be. At this point, we see the first real act of rebellion. Sara says, "Do you make such a holler on me over two cents, when you, yourself, gave away four hundred dollars to a crook for empty shelves?” (Yezierska, 150). He asks how she dare questions him, and soon she decides to leave. She decides she wants to be a teacher. She wants to know what is out there, beyond the begging streets she grew up on. She is soon faced with the harsh reality that becoming a teacher isn't as easy as she thought. She is determined, however, and soon goes to college, where as frustrated as she becomes, she perservers, with the dean even saying, "[Y]ou, child—your place is with the pioneers. And you’re going to survive" (Yezierska, 258). After she becomes a teacher, she goes home and finds her family still down-trodden. Through the finale of the book she struggles with wanting to be independent, as well as going the more traditional route of returning to take care of her family. In the end, she merges the two by inviting her father into her home. She realizes there is value in both the old and the new, and still has met her desire with knowing reality. Sara shunned the old ways of simply making a wage to support her father, or to marry for money and stability, and embraced the new way of making it on her own. She found her true self, which is one of the components of modernism, and broke free of the social restraints of her culture. But in a way, Sara seems to revert back to her old self, as being subservient. It almost seems as if her father conned her into taking care of him, and putting aside the independent woman she had become. This is the only part I found to be less modernist and more traditionalist, but overall, the quest of the true self and the breaking free of restraints embraced the culture of modernism.

Even up to this day, in the Philippines, fathers are still considered the head of the family. No matter what happens, he is the one who decides against anything concerning familial problems. It is neither the mother nor the eldest child. It is just him none other than anyone else in the family. There are some cases that a father figure tends to be authoritarian and dictatorial. No matter what you opine of is not acceptable for him. Your opinions and suggestions will just go in the ear and out the other. He imposes draconian rules whether you like them or not. So all you have to do is shut your mouth and live with intestinal fortitude. Otherwise, he will hurl abuse at you, or if you are a son, he will make a man of you by punching you in the chest or stomach. The classic one? He will redden your ass with his flagellant belt. If you happen to be a girl, he will turn your face black and blue with his iron palm. Do I sound exaggerated? Take it for granted if you are in the same boat. I guess you understand what I am talking about. If you remonstrate with me, well, luckily, you never have this kind of father. Neither do I.

As a social science student, I have learned that the common reasons why a man is perceived to be the head of the house are based on distorted culture molded by ancient teachings particularly such as of Confucianism and Christianity. Men are superior to women. Men are biologically stronger than women. So with these patterns of learned ideas, we learn that we, I mean you , should pay homage to us men. Bravo! Thanks to those misleading bodies of teachings! We are always put on the pedestal. Consequently, we peoples in the world tend to be incorrigible. No wonder there is no world peace. (charot!)

The good thing is we are creatures of human expression. We can express our disappointment in human ignorance through literature. And this is what Anzia Yezierska must have intended; she wrote Bread Giver that deals with the clash between the Old World and the New World. The consequence? A masterpiece everyone deep-seated should read.

Anzia Yezierska was a Jew immigrant in New York in the 1900’s. She may have been one of those immigrants, along with her family, escaped the pogrom in Russia and was stopped at Ellis island from entering the US when the American President was still in the air whether it should adopt the immigrants or not. (I just read this information from Nicholson Baker’s book Human Smoke: The Beginnings of World War II, the End of Civilization.)One thing I am cocksure about Yezierska: As an immigrant, she went through the pressures of American dream in New York where she and her family ventured in to survive. In her novel, Bread Givers, although it was said to have been drawn deep inspiration from her immigrant experience, she wrote a story dealing with what kind of culture she may have grown up with- her father’s patriarchal authority, struggles with feminine independence, and grinding poverty. So this novel will make you tear your hair and your toes curl.

The only thing you might notice in the book is Yezierska’s writing styles. The sequence of the stories is not similar to other surreal books you love to bury yourself in. Every scene is so fast that you will end up in a hanging position as if you want to read more at full length. Probably, you are used to much description. Nonetheless, for me, it is not that a big deal.

Yezierska’s setting begins with endless scenes crawling with miseries which are so annoying, frustrating, soporific, and heart-breaking that I carp at her intention. So, amidst of reading it, I predict that the ending of the story could be like a-happily-ever-after denouement. However, as the story goes deeper, the more foolishly miserable the story becomes until I come to the point that it might be a disappointing story after all. In the end, the story turns out to be more interesting because of the main character‘s determination to surpass all the struggles. On the other hand, I did not like the way Yezierska wrote the sequence of the events: fast and slapdash.

The hallmark of this book is its quotable and witty dialogues. You can be serious about the philosophical dialogues among the characters, but you will end up finding them funny. However, be ready for the character of Mr. Reb Smilonsky. You might go mad at him that you might feel like engaging him in a debate over religion and life. As a Jew, he is always preaching to his children( Masha, Bessie, Fania, and Sarah, the narrator) the teachings of the Old Torah especially the statement that , “ Women can’t go to heaven without men.” Or “ Only through a man can a woman an existence.” In other words, he teaches the traditional Jewish culture that men are superior to women. So there are times that I put this book down for a moment gnashing my teeth as though I can no longer stand listening to a character, a byword for hypocrisy, megalomania, and grandeur delusion.

Another highlight of the book is the grammar structures of the sentences. Anzia Yezierska’s English must be old –fashioned since she was a Jew. I cringe at the sentences, but they convey substantial tones and emotions. I am predisposed to anger, annoyance, and empathy, so I am no bothered at them at all. Every scene tends to carry me away.

Most importantly, I really liked the book -despite that it may not be among the crème de la crème of critically acclaimed novels - because it is scattered with different themes: hypocrisy, wrong culture, feminism, Americanism, human Independence, and determination.

Bread Givers is not the only one I have read dealing with immigrant life in America. My heart broke when I first read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. I was also astounded at The Assistant by Bernard Malamud which TIME magazine included in its list for 100 Best Novels of All Time since 1924.Last year, I rankedMy Ántonia by Willa Cather first in my top ten favorite books in 2015. For non-fictions, I read Richard Rodriguez's Hunger of Memorywhich narrates his education life in the US as a gringo and the other one,'Tis by Frank McCourt on his life adventure in America. For local books, I read Carlos Bulosan’sAmerica Is in the Heart: A Personal History and Bulosan: An Introduction With Selections .All of these books bear the same concept: American dream. No wonder reading just the likes of them have a significance impact upon readers like me.

Next time, I will read The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler Hooray!!! ^^

Sara Smolinsky, the youngest of four Polish daughters living in New York City, was caught between the culture of her Old World father and the desire to live in modern America. Her father was an oppressive, Jewish scholar who spent all his time studying the Torah and praying while his wife and daughters earned all the family income. Sara's mother and sisters relented to the submissive female role, but Sara eventually rebelled. In time, she finds a life for herself but always yearned for her fathers approval.

I said it before, but it stands repeating: Coming-of-age stories of young women straining against social inequities are important to tell as long as such inequities exist. Bread Givers places this common narrative in the social context of a Jewish immigrant enclave of early 1900s New York City, and stands slightly above the middle of the pack with the intensity with which Anzia Yezierska imbues the novel.

It's said to be heavily autobiographical, and that's easy to believe. There's a palpable hunger in Bread Givers, the hunger of the flesh and the soul. The vividness with which Yezierska depicts such experiences -- the despair at the prospect of no dinner, the pride of having sold a few herring from the bottom of a barrel -- pitches one headlong into her heroine's need for a way out. If the story is pitched at too high of a register to sustain itself, and the heroine's father too much of a caricature of the chauvinistic patriarch, there are more than enough moments of genuine feeling to make up for it. Months after reading Bread Givers, I'm still remembering the grievance of being ladled less at a soup kitchen, the eloquent joy at having a door*. Rating: 3.5 stars

*Yeah, take that, Virginia Woolf.

I really liked this book. Really. I felt like I was reading a biography and a very believable one of a Jewish immigrant family and how each member adapted or failed to adapt to their new country. Also, how past habits and thoughts hindered success of some. I was fully immersed in this book. A great read.

Bread Givers, by Anzia Yezierska is a compelling book, not only in its vivid descriptions of life in New York City during the 1910s-1920s, but also in its look into an Orthodox Jewish family, and its standards. It is a coming of age story, of the youngest of four daughters, told through her narration.

The familial patriarch is Rabbi Smolinksy, and his wife is Shenah, who is in awe of him, despite her nagging manner. His interactions, decisions and doctrine influence his daughters, Fania, Bessie, Mashah, and Sara in ways that mold their lives, in a negative manner. The three older daughters go along with his dogmatic and fanatical whims and attitude.

His manipulations, rants and raves eventually cause them to give in to his dictates. The youngest daughter, Sara, learns at the age of ten, about the family dynamics, and how each daughter was expected to turn over their entire income to support the family. She learns what she wants early in life, due to her father’s looming presence and demands. She is very strong-willed. Family life is seen through her eyes, and they are the eyes of a three-dimensional person, a person of substance and depth.

The masterful writing of Anzia Yezierska has given us an inspiring character to admire. The past is ever present, no matter how hard we try to leave it behind. One world was trying to compete with another, and not always successfully, as culture clashes were abundant. The book has much historical value, giving the reader a perspective on the Jewish immigrant experience, and bringing the reader insight into the life of Jews trying to assimilate into the American/New York City social structure.

Author Anzia Yezierska emigrated from Russian Poland to the USA with her family in 1890. They lived in the Jewish ghetto in New York City's Lower East Side. As a teenager, she rebelled against the traditional subservient role of women in that society and struck out on her own. Her writings were often autobiographical, and "Bread Givers" is now considered a classic. Of course, it immediately brought to my mind "Fiddler on the Roof" as the orthodox father arranges marriages for his daughters. The youngest, Sara, doesn't go along and is ostracized for leaving the family and getting an education. Since it is drawn from personal experience, it all rings true and is written in a style that evokes both the immigrant and the scholar.

It is a sometimes brutal depiction of the hard life in the tenements in the 1920's. Sara is torn between family and self-preservation and her doubts and stubbornness still resonate today. This edition of the book contains photographs taken from the silent movie "Hungry Hearts" which is based on Anzia's short stories along the same theme. I thought that was a nice touch.

This was my absolute rave-about-and-recommend-to-everyone favorite book in my early twenties because it explored all the things I cared about most: falling in love, a burning ambition to write, and Judaism. At the time, I said I wanted to be Anzia Yezierska, but in mirror image; whereas she ran away from Yiddishkeit, I was embracing it. I wanted to portray my world and choices just as poignantly as she. That's still my ambition, but now that I'm older, I see many more flaws in Anzia Yezierska, not just because she abandoned Judaism and her own daughter in favor of her writing, but in her style. Even still, I've ranked this a 5 for how much I loved it then and for this roughly-quoted, life-changing insight: Every time my heart broke over a man and I thought my world would end, it turned out to usher me into some newer, bigger world.

never felt more “seen” by an author/protagonist before