The Hebrew Tutor of Bel Air

By Allan Appel

Book Overview

A full-throttle joyride on the highway of love, adolescence, and enlightenment.

Set in 1963 Los Angeles--after the Cuban Missile Crisis, but before JFK's assassination--a bewildered young tutor is hired to prepare a stubborn Bel Air heiress for a bat mitzvah she doesn't want and finds himself in a strange new world where everything but her cooperation is for sale. The two teenagers may not be learning Hebrew, but through the miracle of motorcycles and the epiphanies of the road, this unlikely couple might learn to shape their own destinies. And--for a few momentous hours--become a latter-day Bonnie and Clyde searching for a Reverse Jewish Nose Job in the City of Angels. Poignant and hilarious, this is an unforgettable story of lost innocence and found passion.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1566892244
• ISBN13: 9781566892247
• Release Date: July 2009
• Publisher: Coffee House Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

If Radio Days, Brighton Beach Memoirs and The Graduate Combined

You might get something along the lines of The Hebrew Tutor of Bel Air. Set in the early 1960's this is an endearing story about Norman, a young Jewish man and his first love. Norman comes from a poor Jewish family. His mother is a kind yet overbearing woman who smothers her son and dreams of getting close to the Hollywood stars she sees on TV. Norman's father is a gambler who leaves his wife and son on a nightly basis to drink and play poker. Norman has one special talent. He excels in Hebrew School and is hand selected by his teacher to take on the difficult task of tutoring Bayla Adler for her Bat Mitzvah. Norman learns quickly that Bayla, the daughter of a wealthy nursing home king, is unlike anyone he has ever encountered. She is wild, restless and uncontrollable. Norman and Bayla form a unique friendship and many adventures ensue.