Someone to Run With- Post 1B

Although I have noticed many differences between the Israeli and American culture, some similarities have stricken me as slightly surprising. For instance, Grossman uses an analogy to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit in chapter one. "a magic sword, a bewitched ring, a treasure chest, and a greedy dragon watching over it" (Grossman, Pg 18). To me the analogy seems obvious, and I find it likely that he used this analogy because of Israeli students' familiarity with the book as well. Clearly, both cultures are familiar with the work of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Someone to Run With- Post 1A

I found two major ways which the culture of Israel and the United States differ. First, people are much more comfortable talking to random strangers, even having deep conversation with them. For instance, the protagonist Assaf had a long conversation with a nun who invited him into her house: "Assaf was surprised by the question- what did that have to do with the dog he brought her? Why was she so fascinated by the history of what had happened before he came here" (Grossman, Pg 24)? In this case we must recall the novel ELIC and remember that Oscar has many conversations like this with strangers, and we know this to be uncommon in America. So, this instance may not have been a reflection of the Israeli culture, but a part of Grossman's story.

The next example of contrasting culture in Israel is shop owners allowing dogs in their stores. When Assaf follows the dog through the streets of Jerusalem, it bolts into a pizza shop it had been to with its former master, and the baker fixes Assaf a pizza and throws the dog slices of cheese as if everything is "business as usual:" "The man gives it a friendly whistle, as if they're old aquaintances, and with one quick flick [...] throws a thick slice of chees, and the dog catches it in the air and swallows it.

Someone to Run With

My outside reading book for fourth quarter is Someone to Run With, by David Grossman. This story takes place in Jerusalem, also the home and birthplace of Grossman. It was given Israel's most prestigious book award and was also awarded by a German book award. Following its awards, it was translated into English, proving its authenticity as a worldly book. It follows a 16 year old boy, Assaf, who must return a stray dog to its unknown owners while working for the Jerusalem sanitation department. It seems like a great read.