My book review for Mark Lichterman's "Becoming". Definitely worth the read!

I had the privilege to read a book called "Becoming" by Mark Lichterman, one of our AD members. His short, rather explicit, stories caught my attention and caused my curiosity to need the book. I can honestly say that the book was intriguing and I have become a fan of his.

I knew by the stories that he posted that it is similar to what I like to read and write about. It's raw reality, coming of age, real situations, and written the way life "speaks".

For a short summary of my own, I will explain "Becoming" from my point of view. You are taken back to the innocent times of 1950's. From Mitchell's point of view, the eyes of a child's all the way up to becoming a man, you witness his hardships, his ordeals, and his shortcomings. He is a Jewish boy, which I love to read about different cultures other than my own, so this was a plus! Being Jewish in the 1950's had prejudices and not so much as shame, but as a quiet demeanor of who he was.

Poor Mitchell was coming of age, learning about girls, needing to be with girls, feeling ashamed of wanting to be with girls and so forth. It is quite sexually frustrating and yet, causing you to grin with each passing page.

I was taken back to an innocent time where mystery was everything, respect had value, and life was just a little bit more simple than nowadays. Curiosity plagued many and impulsion wasn't at it's peak. People still married people because they wanted to have sex and tradition still held true . I like this era. I absolutely love this era in time.

And whether Mark Lichterman knew that he was explaining a lot about Jewish Culture or not, he did a fine job at this, too. I was very interested in the Jewish culture while reading his novel. I learned about Lox and Bagels and meat and diary combinations. I seriously didn't know what the difference of being Jewish and non Jewish meant except the religious differences. And just to note, I hold no prejudice against anyone and love to inform myself of everyone's culture. So an inner look into a Jewish family still has me thinking of them, today.

And, as I knew from the stories, the funny instances and the heat of passion stories, this book would be sexually frustrating and it was. At some times in this book, I wanted to jump in there and help poor Mitchell out, give him what he was seeking because the poor guy didn't get justice. I can label this novel as "suspense" because it caused me to sit on the edge of my seat, praying and crossing my fingers that next time poor Mitchie may get lucky. I won't ruin any details by explaining more. As a reader, just be prepared to be sexually frustrated along with him. You may need a short break and breathe for him because it can get that exhaustingly frustrating. Don't take this as an insult. It can be comical, hilarious, and ...begging God for mercy.

The three main descriptions that stick out to me are: 1950's, Jewish culture, and sexually frustrating.