The American Student

By Samuel Berkman

Book Overview

The next morning I arrived at the Lycee in the pre-dawn cold. I carried seven books, a sweat suit with sneakers and wore my new brown French shoes, which had a zipper on the top. After we bought the books the previous day, my father took me to a store "Chausettes Michel" and bought me the shoes.

"They'll make you fit in better," he said.

"It'll take more than shoes," I snapped, angry that the shoes were the most comfortable I'd ever worn.

The students formed a circle around me in the courtyard. They didn't ask questions; they just stared. They looked different from the kids back home. It went beyond their berets, scarves and pointed shoes and had more to do with the expressions on their faces as well as some of their features but I was too disoriented to notice what they were. I should have enjoyed the attention since at home my classmates ignored the foreign exchange students. My friends were mainly interested in fast cars, clothes, beer and sex.

I felt bad for those students because they were far from home and must have been lonely not realizing that one day I'd be one of them. But here I faced the opposite problem.

BOOK REVIEW A boy's coming-of-age story runs through this debut novel filled with Cold War history (including a cameo by Willy Brandt) about a scary struggle with a villainous family. In 1960s France, Roy Harrison's lawyer father, Steve, is serving a stint with the Air Force Reserve in Alsace-Lorraine. They've had a difficult relationship since Roy's mother died a few years ago, and Roy didn't want to go, but his father insisted. A man of discipline and few words, Steve is trying his best to be a good father, though intimacy doesn't come easily to him. He enrolls Roy in a lyc e, pitching him headfirst into French culture--not a welcoming atmosphere for an American kid. Barely speaking French is the least of Roy's difficulties. One of his classmates, Robert LePerrier, goes out of his way to bully and abuse him for no discernible reason. Readers will be well into the tale before the back story emerges, detailing the LePerrier family's sordid activities during WWII and their toxic attitudes that have infected their son. Their story (father Jean-Claude's specifically) brings in two real-life figures from the past: the notorious Klaus Barbie, "Butcher of Lyon," and Jean Moulin, hero of the Resistance. Steve confronts the LePerrier patriarch, exposing his dark past and bringing him to trial. Meanwhile, Roy has become fluent in French and has--much to his surprise but not the reader's--come to love his place in France and his French friends. He has grown up; his father is proud of him--and says so. At times, reactions from characters can be a bit over the top, not matching the provocations. Nevertheless, the narrative is nicely bookended by passages set in Paris in 1999, when Roy runs into Robert, his old nemesis. They will never be close, but they understand each other. In the epilogue--later that weekend--Dr. Harrison flies home to the States and to his wife and his kids and his good life. An impressive debut novel; hopefully, there's more. Kirkus Indie, Kirkus Media LLC, 6411 Burleson Rd., Austin, TX 78744 indie@kirkusreviews.com

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0595361048
• ISBN13: 9780595361045
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

This Story Rekindles Every Man's Personal Journey

This is a wonderful, emotional read that struck me as did the movie, Field of Dreams. It evokes and recalls every man's personal father/son relationship. The story is woven through the historical facts of the day also making it a history lesson from the eyes of a young name, and not a reporting network. It is a book that you'll read (at least) again.

Hemingway meets Grisham!

From its spare Hemingwayesque sentence structure to its Grisham like page turning courtroom drama this is a story that resonates.Anyone who has had an adolescence can identify with the central character. Anyone with a sense of history will be absorbed by the ensuing drama. And,as a bonus, in the enjoyable process of reading this wonderful book we get to learn something about a relatively unknown freedom fighter. A thoroughly enjoyable book. Highly recommended.

Surprising and Engaging Story

A surprising and an engaging story. The skill in developing the main character, Roy Harrison, is marvelous --I saw everything through his eyes, I listened to his comments, I felt the people and the events through him. I was delighted and rewarded with plenty of wonderful details and dialogue. The book communicated a sense of sadness and pensiveness, of terror and courage, and perseverance,... along with an underlying serious purpose of cultural history. A very fine and captivating book.

Excellent novel

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Dr. Berkman weaves historical fact and fiction to create a vividly realistic and spellbinding story. Highly recommended.

A Wonderful Read!

If the author is as good a doctor as he is a writer then there will be no sick people in his neighborhood. This book is a wonderful read!