(Nonfiction, 368 p., 2025)
In this literary biography from Yale’s Jewish Lives series, Steven J. Zipperstein captures the complex life and work of Philip Roth (1933–2018), one of America’s most celebrated Jewish writers. Born in Newark, New Jersey—where his short stories and books were often set—Roth wrote with ambition and awareness of what was required to produce great literature. No writer was more dedicated to his craft, even as he was rubbing shoulders with the Kennedys and engaging in a spate of famous and infamous romances. And yet, as much as Roth wrote about sex and self, he viewed himself as socially withdrawn, living much like an “unchaste monk” (his words). Drawing on extensive archival materials and over one hundred interviews, including conversations with Roth about his life and work, Zipperstein provides an intimate and insightful look at one of the twentieth century’s most influential writers, placing his work in the context of his obsessions, as well as American Jewishness, freedom, and sexuality.
Review from Kirkus Reviews
Review by Brian Hillman, Jewish Book Council, October 27, 2025
Review by Benjamin Balint, The Wall Street Journal, October 30, 2025
Review by David Mikics, Jewish Review of Books, Fall 2025
Review by Sheldon Kirshner, The Times of Israel, February 12, 2026
Review by Megan Peck Shub, Haaretz, November 20, 2025
Interview with Andrew Silow-Carroll, Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), October 26, 2025
Interview with Julius Taranto, The Forward, October 7, 2025
