Reviews

Lovesong: Becoming a Jew by Julius Lester

alexisrt's review against another edition

4.0

Conversion memoirs aren't really my thing, but I had this one specifically recommended to me, and it was an interesting read. Lester, the son of a Black Methodist minister who grew up in Kansas City and Nashville, learned he had a Jewish ancestor as a child and ultimately converted in his 40s. He struggles with his desire to be Jewish, his sense of himself as a Black man, and his relationship to God and religion. Lester was a gifted writer who published in multiple genres, which puts this above the usual tier of religious memoir.

starrylemon's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I loved this book. So much. 

robberbaroness's review against another edition

5.0

Some parts of this book upset me. There are some that, as a white Jew, it's not my place to comment on. But this book screamed out to so many of my own experiences I can't articulate- and others I will never truly know- that I'm going to recommend it to everyone I know who's Jewish. And maybe everyone who's not, too.

skeskali's review against another edition

2.0

Purple prose takes away from what could be a unique conversion story. The part I was most interested in - Lester's decision to convert, and the conversion process, only covered approximately a scant third of the book. Instead, Lester dedicated far too many pages on how he always felt like an outsider, how his estrangement from the Black community affected his world view, and and on life experiences that, while may have greatly informed his ultimate decision to convert, didn't advance the narrative at all.

I'm hoping to discover other narratives by African American converts, because Lester's work left me with more questions than answers.

pturnbull's review

5.0

I wrote this review at Amazon about
this book.
I gave it 5 stars then for being a good spiritual autobiography.

beccak's review

5.0

Outstanding memoir detailing Lester's transformation from the child of an African American reverend to a Civil Rights pioneer to a professor and Jew. I love the style, which shows what he's thinking and feeling at each stage along the way...this generates more suspense about his choices and highlights the internal contradictions and struggles within each human being. While his love for Judaism is clear, touching, and profound, I also really appreciated his love of humanity as a whole and - still more - his reflections on fatherhood. Touching, poignant, surprising, funny, and poetic, the book really made me want to meet Professor Lester.