I started reading this book more because of interest in a historical subject I knew nothing about than because I was looking for a good read. How nice to have found both. After just a couple of chapters, the characters draw you in. Joesph is my idea of a hero, intense and with good instincts and intentions, but still flawed, complex and most important, real. Milofsky writes sharply and simply, but every now and then, he describes something with such tenderness and truth that you find the phrase popping back into your head, even when you aren't reading. Eternal People passed my most important test for a great read. After I turned the last page, I wished there were more.

ETERNAL PEOPLE is a wonderful book that touches the heart and mind. It tells the story of Joseph Abrams, a Ukranian Jew who comes to America in the early 1900s. The book beautifully depicts Jews in America and their adjustments to a new life. The characters leap off the pages. Joseph becomes a correspondent for the Jewish Daily Forward, then moves to a small commune in Wisconsin where he's introduced to the Utopian philosophy of the Am Olam movement. He falls in love with two women there, and is reunited with his only living relative. Joseph is sweet and tough, smart and sympathetic, and the two women are vividly described. We see Joseph's growth and change, his tenderness and determination. We watch as a threat to the commune's existence becomes real. The novel's last sections depict the powerful and gripping conclusion. The book moves from intellectual debate to drama to poignant love scenes and lyrical memories. ETERNAL PEOPLE is beautifully written, and Joseph's story lingers long after a reader has left his world.

and if I could find a copy,would read it again!

What a lovely book.... Milofsky's characters are human and whole. While the reader may not always like the way they behave we cannot deny how real they feel. I sobbed like a baby at the end. I knew what was coming, I just didn't know how and it was touching, sad, and beautiful. Please, support fiction not published by the major crank 'em out houses--buy and read this book.

David Milofsky's COLOR OF LAW is a wonderful, moving portrait of a 1959 racially motivated murder and a ground breaking Civil Rights trial that occurs 20 years later. Milofsky explores the limits of the legal system and creates vivid, compelling characters whose lives intersect in unexpected and powerful ways.
The novel takes place in Milwaukee and opens with the murder of a young black man, Jimmmy Norman, who has been stopped for a routine traffic violation. John Rogan, a police officer, claims that he shot Norman in self-defense. A second policeman, a witness to the murder, Tommy Paley, concurs with Rogan's story. Though the community is outraged by the murder, the case soon fades from public consciousness after the two officers are expelled from the police force. But 20 years later, a broken Tommy Paley telephones a newspaper reporter, Bob Joseph, and says that his account of the killing years ago was a lie.
The novel has a wonderful narrative sweep; Milofsky layers plot and character, creating a textured, rich world. The reader learns about politics and life in Milwaukee; the city is a charcter in its own right. We meet a mayoral candidate, the intellectual Andy Hedig, who is running against incumbent Emil Mueller. The book follows the lives of the candidates, of the police officers, of Jimmy Norman's sister, the proud, angry Oliva Brown who is intent on seeking justice on behalf of her dead brother. We meet Hedig's wife, Sarah, and watch as the reporter, Bob Joseph, becomes drawn to her. The novel portrays Charlie Simon, the lawyer representing Olivia Brown. He believes there may have been official complicity to conceal the murder, and he seeks justice on behalf of Jimmy but also wants to win the trial for the sake of victory alone. The trial itself is a gripping courtroom drama which changes the lives of many of the characters. The novel's end surprises with its twists of plot.
The book is tough and tender, beautifully described. With clear, elegant prose and profound observations about life, David Milofsky weaves a story that captures the heart of a search for justice and a search for love, a tale that lingers long after the novel ends.