Leaving Eastern Parkway

By: Matthew Daub

Narrated by: Luzer Twersky

Brooklyn's Hasidic community of Lubavitchers is turned upside down when family tragedy strikes and everyday life changes forever in the life of Zev Altshul. He is first placed into the care of the closed and close-knit community where he grew up, but soon realizes he can't stay. His saving grace is handball; it's his gift from God, and the one thing he can rely on as he is shuttled, chased, and abandoned by trusted elders, family, and friends.

Even as Zev never fully escapes from the guilt of his choices, he sets course across the United States to discover where loyalty really lies and what it means. He seeks out his long-lost sister, only to find himself as unprepared for life outside the Lubavitcher community as he was unwilling to remain. Forced out of his second home, Zev plays handball to support himself in the goyische world, but obligations he doesn't fully understand still tie him to Crown Heights and follow him to Chicago and New Mexico threatening always to return Zev to life among the Lubavitchers.

Lyrical, vivid, and thoroughly engaging, this is certainly among the first novels of its kind.

©2022 Matthew Daub (P)2022 Tantor

Very detailed

Really enjoyed a different point of view -male- ultra orthodox boy leaves the path.. leaving his community.

Not your typical ex-Hasidic tale

I developed an interest in this book because I am a Luzer Twersky fan and his is the narrator. This is a fascinating story about how a young man who is forced to leave the Crown Hasidic Community after the death of his parents. He goes to live with his secular sister and quickly realizes how difficult it is to be frum outside a Hasidic community. Fortunately he befriends a man who his shows him how to survive and the two develop a loving father son band.. The story is full of heart, pain, self discovery and suprisingl happy ending. You will instantly fall in love with the characters and want to know what happens to them. Highly recommend.

Jewish traditions

I liked the traditions and could identify with his guilt that everything was his fault.

Captures a young man’s feelings, confusion, and teenage angst through unusual and highly atmospheric circumstances and events.

It could have been louder. Sometimes I had to struggle to hear what the narrator was saying.

A Great Read

This is a well-written coming of age tale of a young man who leaves his Hasidic sect and faith and struggles to reconcile familial and cultural issues. The description of Hasidic culture is well drawn and the difficulties of reconciling the search for identity in a religious system that discourages individuality is wonderfully portrayed.