Posted on May 4, 2021
Fig Tree Books LLC Publishes JACOBO’S RAINBOW
The Second Novel From Award-Winning Author
David Hirshberg
| Advance Praise for JACOBO’S RAINBOW:
“A beautiful novel set in the past but perfectly, scarily, relevant to our current moment.”—Gary Shteyngart, author of Lake Success “Blending together historical events and wonderfully imaginative settings, David Hirshberg explores the American Jewish experience in this evocative novel of self-discovery, belonging, and the complexities of identity.”—Shulem Deen, author of All Who Go Do Not Return “Hirshberg’s insights and observations about society, his peers, bigotry and anti-Semitism are both trenchant and currently relevant to the culture wars and threats to free speech we see on our college campuses and society at large today. Jacobo’s Rainbow is a deeply moving, sensitive, and profound novel—a definite must-read.”—Marcia Clark, author of Blood Defense and Final Judgment Winner of the 2021 Independent Press Award for Literary Fiction |
BEDFORD, NY (May 4, 2021) — Fig Tree Books LLC announced today that it has published JACOBO’S RAINBOW, the second novel by the award-winning author of My Mother’s Son, David Hirshberg.
JACOBO’S RAINBOW is an historical literary novel set primarily in the nineteen sixties during the convulsive period of the student protest movements and the Vietnam War. It focuses on the issue of being an outsider¾the ‘other’¾an altogether common circumstance that resonates with readers in today’s America. Written from a Jewish perspective, it speaks to universal truths that affect us all.
On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of a transformative event in Jacobo Toledano’s life¾the day he is sent to jail¾he writes about what happened behind the scenes of the Free Speech Movement, which provides the backdrop for a riveting story centered on his emergence from a secretive community into a world he never could have imagined. His recording of those earlier events is the proximate cause of his being arrested. Jacobo is allowed to leave jail under the condition of being drafted, engages in gruesome fighting in Vietnam, and returns to continue his work of chronicling America in the throes of significant societal changes.
Nothing is what it seems to be at first glance, as we watch Jacobo navigate through the agonies of divisive transformations that are altering the character of the country. Coming to grips with his own imperfections as well as revelations about the people around him, he begins to understand more about himself and how he can have an impact on the world around him … and how it, in turn, will have an effect on him.
JACOBO’S RAINBOW is a story of triumph over adversity (hypocrisy, loss, lies, murder, concealment, prejudice) that is told with vivid descriptions, perceptive insights, humor and sensitivity, which enables the reader to identify with the characters who come to life to illustrate who we are, how we behave, and what causes us to change.
For further information, requests for review copies, or to schedule an interview with David Hirshberg, please contact Rachel Tarlow Gul at Over the River Public Relations: Rachel@OTRPR.com, 201-503-1321.
JACOBO’S RAINBOW by David Hirshberg
Fig Tree Books LLC; May 4, 2021
ISBN hardcover: 978-1941493281, $19.95; e-book: 978-1941493298, $9.99
Audiobook Retail: 978-1705281567; Library: 978-1705281574
About the Author: David Hirshberg is the pseudonym for an entrepreneur who prefers to keep his business activities separate from his writing endeavors. As an author, he adopted the first name of his father-in-law and the last name of his maternal grandfather, as a tribute to their impact on his life. His first novel, My Mother’s Son was published in 2018 and won nine awards. Reviewers have compared Hirshberg’s writing to Michael Chabon’s and Saul Bellow’s, among others.
About Fig Tree Books: Fig Tree Books LLC, established in 2013, publishes literature that enlightens the unique American Jewish experience. It published the award-winning book by Thane Rosenbaum—Saving Free Speech … from Itself—in 2020 and its other titles include novels from debut and previously-published authors, as well as important works that had gone out of print, including Compulsion by Meyer Levin and The Pawnbroker by Edward Lewis Wallant. Forewords for the Company’s books have been written by Bret Stephens, Dara Horn, Marcia Clark, Tova Mirvis, Shulem Deen, and AJ Jacobs. Books are published in hard copy, e-book, and audio formats and distributed to the trade by Publishers Group West, a Division of Ingram Publishing.
More Advance Praise for JACOBO’S RAINBOW:
“David Hirshberg propels the reader into the mix of the turbulent nineteen sixties, as if this novel was constructed from personal conversations between the characters and the author. They are all agents and witnesses of their times with intersecting ethnicities, religions, races, genders, languages, and ages. Characters in this captivating narrative hide, discover, and reveal their true inner selves as they interact with events and each other. This is a saga that drops bread crumbs for the discerning eye and gratifies the reader who recognizes them and revels in the aha moments when the pieces come together. Hirshberg is immensely skilled at conjuring plausible events that serve the narrative. He captures the essence of anti-Semitism experienced by Jews of different hues and origins. The author represents with imagined accuracy the experiences of young men and women caught up in the Free Speech movement and in the jungles of Vietnam.”
—Debbie Wohl-Isard, former Editor, La Granada
“Jacobo’s Rainbow is a powerful, electrifying glimpse into the life of a young student advocating for the Free Speech Movement and protesting the Vietnam War. It’s a story about truth, loyalty, tradition, and the shortcomings of human perception, an all-too-often occurrence for those who haven’t yet experienced much of life. Hirshberg’s keenly nuanced characters will remain with the reader long after the last page.” —Crystal King, author of The Chef’s Secret and Feast of Sorrow
Praise for MY MOTHER’S SON:
“Hirshberg’s debut novel packs both emotional punch and a vivid portrait of Jewish American life in post-WWII Boston. . . . Readers will find connections here to Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay(2000) and to Saul Bellow’s classic The Adventures of Augie March (1953).”
—Booklist, starred review
“This amazing mosaic of fact and fiction will hold readers in its grip from the first to last page.”
—Library Journal, starred review
‘“When you’re a kid, they don’t always tell you the truth.’ With an opening line like that, it’s easy to see why My Mother’s Son by David Hirshberg should become a classic…”
—Fresh Fiction