Curiously enough, at age 53, and after about 47 years or more of reading, this is one of my favorite books. Perhaps my age makes it more significant, having lived through the 1960's, experiencing life on a campus near Kent State, where the university was closed down. But more importantly, it is a very personal journal that I feel somehow akin to. A graduate from Miami University with a degree in journalism, there are only about 3 books that I read over and over. One is "Little Women." One is "Catcher in the Rye." And one is "Tenth Month." Try it -- you'll like it.

Although the book takes place in 1946 and concerns rampant anti-semitism, both overt and subtle, it a book that trancends time. The book's anti-semitism could easily be replaced by any other kind of racism and feel right at home in 2003. The story concerns a liberal Christian writer who takes on a magazine assignment to write about anti-semitism and his angle is to pose as a Jew so he can find out firsthand. It is a rude awakening for him, whether it is a hotel that does not cater to "those people" or a fiancee making off-hand anti-semitic remarks and thinking nothing of it. Some people might get thrown by writing that was done fifty years ago, but it is a book well worth reading.