‘I felt I could turn the earth upside down with my littlest finger. I wanted to dance, to fly in the air and kiss the sun and stars with my singing heart. I, alone with myself, was enjoying myself for the first time as with grandest company.’

A stunning coming-of-age tale, Bread Givers is a moving depiction of the Jewish–American experience in the early twentieth century.

Set in New York’s Lower East Side, Bread Givers recounts the early life of Sara Smolinksy and her complicated family, who have immigrated from Poland. Her father, an Orthodox Jew, has committed himself to studying the Torah, refusing to contribute to the family household’s income in pursuit of his loftier endeavours. At first, Sara remains dutiful, selling herring on Hester Street to help pay rent. But after seeing her father’s self-interested actions and their tumultuous consequences, Sara makes an oath to herself to forge her own path. Deeply poignant and masterfully crafted, Bread Givers remains a masterpiece of Jewish American fiction.

Anzia Yezierska (1880 – 1970) was an American novelist and screenwriter. Born in Poland under the Russian Empire, she moved to New York as a child – an experience she drew upon in her writing. She is famed for her portrayals of Jewish-American life during the early twentieth century, for which she gained critical acclaim.