In the Beginning Ballantine Books edition

Jacket Description/Back: All beginnings are hard--that is the lesson David Lurie learns early and painfully in his life. As a boy in the Depression-shadowed Bronx, he must begin to hold his own against neighborhood bullies and the treacherous frailties of his own health. As a young man in a world menaced by a distant, horrifying war, he must begin once more--this time to define a resolute path of personal belief that departs boldly from the tradition of his teachers and his own father, a courageous defender of their people. Publisher Marketing: David Lurie learns that all beginnings are hard. He must fight for his place against the bullies in his Depression-shadowed Bronx neighborhood and his own frail health. As a young man, he must start anew and define his own path of personal belief that diverges sharply with his devout father and everything he has been taught....

Contributor Bio:  Potok, Chaim Chaim Potok was born and raised in New York City. He began to write fiction at the age of 16, graduated summa cum laude with a B. A. in English literature from Yeshiva University, and earned a Ph. D. in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania. An ordained rabbi, he served as an army chaplain in Korea for sixteen months with, successively, a front-line medical battalion and an engineer combat battalion. His first novel, The Chosen, was nominated for a National Book Award and received the prestigious Edward Lewis Wallant Award. His other novels include My Name is Asher Lev, The Gift of Asher Lev (winner of the National Jewish Book Award), and I Am the Clay.