Don Futterman, the Author of “ ADAM UNREHEARSED” has written an amazing, witty, and memorable novel. The genres for this novel are Coming of Age, Jewish Literature, and Fiction. The timeline for this story is set in 1970 in mostly Flushing, New York. I appreciate how the author discusses the political and multi-environmental society of the times. Adam Miller is the almost thirteen year old boy, who learns to find his voice for both his Bar Mitzvah, and the circumstances, trials and triumphs of life. I can relate to the heartbreak of Adam losing his best friend, for no reason that he can think of. Not only does he lose his friend, the friend convinces other friends to abandon Adam. The camp girlfriend that Adam has hoped would come to his Bar Mitzvah, is not at all the girlfriend he dreamed of.

Adam finds his voice in the enriched classes in Junior High, when he becomes active in theater. With the help of new friends, he creates a powerful dramatic play that becomes significant in his growth. Adam has to learn to stop running from bullies and gangs, who try to frighten him. One of the most difficult lessons that Adam has to learn is how to understand the complicated adult voices that offer different opinions. Adam also has to learn what is right and wrong, and to stand up for what is morally correct.That is certainly difficulty when antisemitism is prevalent. I highly recommend this powerful and thought-provoking novel for others.
5 s Stacy40pages1,608 208

Adam Unrehearsed by Don Futterman. Thanks to @getredpr for the gifted copy ??????????

Adam is growing up in New York City in the 70’s and studying for his bar mitzvah. After a subway mugging, he makes enemies and his friends desert him. He finds solace in stage as he uses the power of theatre to bridge divides in his school and community.

This story was right up my alley. I love stories of boys coming of age, especially in unique times and settings. The background of Vietnam and the politics of Zionism added history to the story and an extra dissonance to the adolescent character, who is not only studying for his bar mitzvah but dealing with community issues, anti-semitism, and youthful peer problems as well. There were moments that will make you laugh and moments that you will you cry. You will fall in love with Adam as he becomes himself and a man.

“Adults can’t understand true thoughts that make no sense. They want to solve feelings as if they are problems, overeager to erase them. I won’t be that when I grow up.”

Adam Unrehearsed comes out 11/14.
4 s Mindy206

I received a free advanced Kindle copy of this book in exchange for a review. I'm not sure why I entered the drawing for this book, and after the first couple chapters I was certain the book wasn't for me. I was wrong, though. This ended up being a lovely read, more complex and nuanced than its YA facade would make you think. Futterman covers a lot of ground here: antisemitism, racism, white flight, street gangs, etc. Even with all that, though, it's definitely Adam's story, and at the end of it all, I really d the kid. A good read for anyone, but I think especially for young people!4 s Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews1,141 1,525

Growing up is never easy, but it seems worse for Adam Miller because he got himself on the wrong side of some gangs in his neighborhood.

To make it even worse, he had to tell the police the identification of gang members who harassed him because they are then ordered to not get near him.

Then his friends all abandoned him.

We follow Adam as one gang after the other gets after him.

Today, the Italian gang was waiting for him. It was actually hilarious at what he did along with a friend

I felt sorry for him, but he took it in stride or so it seemed.

He did find his niche. He was great in the theater.

It is a bit slow at times, but those readers who enjoy a coming of age read and a lovable main character should enjoy this book.

2 s Harris359 17

Oh to be 12 going on 13 again. A thoroughly entertaining read about navigating life as a seventh grader and figuring out who our real friends are.

This book brought me back to planning for my bar mitzvah, attending Hebrew School three times a week, Junior Congregation on Saturday mornings, taking the LIRR to Shea Stadium to watch Mets games. A lot of similarities with Adam Miller's experiences.1 Al305 1 follower

I don’t understand the raves for this book. Setting aside the editing mistakes, the story felt flat and unrealistic (and I was a Jewish kid on Long Island just a few years younger than Adam).There was an attempt to throw in a whole bunch of social issues and then deal with them superficially and without resolution, and Adam was put in situations that felt overly contrived for a 12/13 year old boy. 1 Jesse52

WOW! Such a marvelous, lived-in, deeply moving book. I loved it from start to finish.1 Pamela SchoenewaldtAuthor 5 books108

In the way of all enduring fiction, Adam Unrehearsed uses vibrant specificity of time and place to wrench readers into a new world that feels emotionally familiar. Anyone who has passed through adolescence will recognize the push/pull of family, intense and fickle friendships, and the desperate need to belong and succeed without knowing how.

It’s 1971 in Queens, New York. Adam is a smart, too-sensitive Jewish boy, an avid Yankee fan, bewildered when his best friends shun him, discovering theater, sure he’ll monumentally embarrass himself at his coming bar mitzvah, in love with a girl he’s much too shy to contact—the whole messy, bewildering tangle of teenage years.

Larger social forces loom over Adam. High school and street gangs threaten him every day. Racial tensions pit Black, white and Jewish communities against each other despite their common needs. He must secretly leave a neighborhood he loves. His best friends turn against him, but the new boy from India gets him. His synagogue’s vandalized and the older brother becomes a Zionist militant, to the dismay of a father who believes against all evidence that people of good will can talk out their grievances.

Futterman is masterful in portraying the vastly separate worlds within each family, as when Adam laments: “Adults can’t understand true thoughts that make no sense. They want to solve feelings as if they’re problems, overeager to erase them. I won’t be that when I grow up.” Funny, wise, heartbreaking and heart-healing, Futterman’s novel reaches across time, ethnicity and faith traditions to bore into the universalities of youth. Non-Jewish readers may have a small critique, that a glossary would be helpful, but all the fundamentals of a classic coming-of-age tale shine through in Adam Unrehearsed.
My review originally published in Historical Novel Review John Rosove1 review2

One would think after reading Adam Unrehearsed that Don Futterman has been writing fiction for years. This is a masterfully crafted novel with a compelling and timely story-line about the coming of age of a pre-bar mitzvah 12 year-old Jewish boy who deals with the emotional and psychological complexities of friendship, betrayal, self-discovery, first-love, loyalty, and family relationships. Though set within the specific cultural milieu of the early 1970s in Queens, NY, the novel holds universal relevance and appeal for any age and community. Don knows a lot about a lot of things: pop-culture, film, television, politics, Jewish, Zionist, American, and world history, the theater and acting, literature and the writer’s craft, and all of it is reflected in his richly told story. He weaves, with seeming ease, disparate strands of the plot and subplots into a unified whole in which every detail carries relevance and importance. Don’s writing is wonderfully descriptive in this page-turner of a novel that springs surprises and the unexpected continuously upon the reader. I didn’t want the novel to end, and I look forward to Don’s next work.
John L. Rosove, Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Israel of Hollywood, Los Angeles


1 Chelsea (gofetchabook)291 51

Thank you to Get Red PR Books and Post Hill Press for an advanced copy of this book.

My rating of this book fell between 4 and 5 stars. It wasn't the typical genre that I read, and it is not one that I would have picked up on my own, if it wasn't brought to my attention for a book feature. I greatly appreciated the opportunity because I ended up really enjoying it. I read it in one sitting (in fairness, I was on a plane, so there weren't many distractions).

This book is about a twelve-year-old boy named Adam and the year leading up to his Bar Mitzvah. I will be honest and say that I don't know that much about Jewish culture, but felt I learned a lot from this book.

The story follows Adam as he deals with everyday preteen issues, planning his seating arrangement at his Bar Mitzvah when his group of friends is ever changing, and bullying. The book also delves into harsher bullying, and Adam's experiences with antisemitism. I felt that the author did such a great job with telling the story from a young boy's perspective.

I felt the book was sad at times, but quite heartwarming overall. 1 Susan Ballard1,801 74

4.5 ??

Thank you @getredprbooks @post_hill_press and @donfutterman for a spot on tour and a gifted book.

It’s Adam Miller’s bar mitzvah year, and it’s proving to be quite the year - one Adam wishes he could thrive in; maybe he better just survive it.

Set in 1970 New York, Adam is a Jewish boy facing some big challenges: not wanting to disappoint his parents, keeping his friends, standing up to antisemitism, and he’d love not to get beaten up. Adam is at that age where friendships and loyalties are shifting, and the ever-present bullies and gangs strain those bonds even more.

Adam gets involved in the theatre, which helps him to act out his feelings. He also does his studies for his bar mitzvah, searching for answers to the troubling situations that surround him.

Mr. Futterman does an excellent job of telling Adam’s story. Even though it has a weightiness with the antisemitism and cruel bullying, it felt hopeful and even humorous at times as we are privy to Adam’s inner thoughts. It is an interesting look at multicultural dynamics through a young boy’s eyes, especially one Adam - who has a big heart and is just trying to find his place in life.
books-i-own Jame_EReader922 1 follower

Thank you @getredprbooks for having me on this booktour. I am so delighted to have read this literary-historical fiction about reformed Jews in Flushing, NY back in the 1970s.

This book is mish-mosh of what our current society is today. There’s anti-semitism, racism, segregation, red-lined communities, the crapy NYC, reformed secular society, sarcasm, immigrants, death and living. It is really an unputdownable because this fictional book hit every single one of the major issues of NY urbanization. I try not to pull any politicalization or parallelism to current situations, but this draws some attention and similarities to today’s Jews in NY. I remember baby-sitting a boy who was prepping his bar mitzvah, and what he went through what Adam had to go through, but Adam’s (the protagonist) life was more colorful and adventurous. Overall, this book is entertaining, teachable moments, historical stories and feel-good book.read-2023 Ayezu Tamarapreye Okoko573 11

BOOK:ADAM UNREHEARSED -A NOVEL BY DON FUTTERMAN.

BOOK REVIEWER -OKOKO AYEZU TAMARAPREYE

A poetic style fiction on Adam Miller and family.The story discusses a wide range of interesting subject matters from high school gang and street fighting to racism and student associations;being a teacher and the job of a teacher in a white environment;ray-sea-zim (with Zim for presence in ikwerre language in Nigeria);racism and the Nazi situation;cops and police role and intervention in ray-sea-zim;the Jewish(ju-wee-shhh with ju for right to mean right the "wee shutters or closers) struggles;black militant reprisal; immediate family and link to nuclear wars using Vietnam (ve-ate-nam with Ve for victory and nam for "go" in Igbo) and Nazi(for presence of go with na as "go" and Zi as "presence" in Igbo and ikwerre language in Nigeria) example;fight against racism and it's link to a fight encouraging poplar ,rape and "in's" ,coitus or the absence of coitus. Lisa Kempler1 review

Having come of age in the 70s, just as Adam, the main character in Adam Unrehearsed, did, I was somewhat overwhelmed and amazed as Futterman's first novel transported me back to that time. It's unusual to have a chance to see the world through the eyes of a young teen; they don't write first-class novels for adults. Futterman enables us to go back, to remember and understand what it means to be that age, how adult choices can be baffling and have lasting impacts, and how friendships and adult role models can matter so, so much.

Not only does the book draw you in and demand that you read voraciously to the end, it forces the reader to consider important questions about who we include in our community, how we treat each other, and what is important to fight for and which means to employ to achieve those ends.

In other words, it mesmerizes its readers and challenges our beliefs all at the same time. A must-read new book, and an ideal book-group choice. Lora1 review1 follower

I loved every aspect of Adam Unrehearsed, from the universal coming of age theme to the time capsule of Queens in the 1970's. Don Futterman has done an amazing job capturing the whit and wisdom of Adam as he encounters many obstacles in the months leading up to his bar mitzvah. Adam is challenged on many levels; he encounters antisemitism, gang violence, and unexplained ostracism from his best friend group. This novel fully captures the inner-workings of this early adolescent boy and displays his determination and resilience to overcome the conflicts on all of these challenging domains. Adam is a survivor and reaches across cultures and socioeconomic groups to create connections that help himself and others to not just survive, but thrive. Using his own humor and whit, Futterman is able to bring us along as Adam develops into his own path from stage actor to life director. I can't recommend this novel highly enough! Dana9

I received a free Kindle copy of this book with the promise of an honest review. If I am honest, I began this book and had a difficult time connecting with the main character. Because of the requested review, I did not give up on this book. I am glad that I continued reading. While the beginning felt slow to me, it picked about halfway through. I felt the main character, Adam, became more multifaceted and able. His interactions with Michael and the Cantor were my favorites parts. They made him look outside himself and how others have alternate realities and experiences. I did struggle with some of the events surrounding the Jewish people during that time period. I know many high schools teach Night and this would be a great companion to that text. I would recommend this book to other readers.ya Tim Goldstein1 review2

Adam Unrehearsed is a touching, thoughtful, moving and at times surprisingly funny novel by Don Futterman. Adam Unrehearsed follows a soon to be 13-year-old Jewish kid in 1970s NY during the year of his Bar Mitsvah preparation as he deals with complicated friendships and bullies, love and betrayal, antisemitism and racism and so much more. The book gripped me and didn't let go the whole way - I couldn't put it down. It is a truly fantastic story with fantastic and nuanced characters.
I must also add, that this a truly universal novel about growing up and what that means, I implore you to read it, especially if you are not Jewish!
Don writes with an astounding voice that feels extremely refined for a first-time fiction author. Can't wait for the next one!
5 stars Isabel56

I got this book sent to me from #getredpr.

This book follows Adam who lives in New York City in the 70's. When a subway mugging causes him to gain some enemies and lose some friends he turns to the stage for peace. Adam starts to do theater in hopes of finding a mending in his own life but realizes that he is mending bridges in his community.

When I started this I honestly didn't think I was going to it as much because I mostly read Romance however, I really enjoyed this Coming-Of-Age book. This book was good, it is the first coming-of-age book I have read where it was a male story. It gives you a different insight into the way people grow in different years and states. Matthew Futterman1 review

Don Futterman captures the zeitgeist of Queens, NY so well in addition to painting a portrait of Jewish life 50 years ago. But because it is a coming of age tale it is both relevant and mote universal than particularistic in its essence. Its relevance is further underscored by the its wrestling with the antisemitism confronting kids even back then. And graduates of high schools Stuyvesant and Bronx Science will surely recognize the school attended by the main character as their own. Finally the spirit of the late Elie Wiesel and his impact on an entire generation of Jews and non Jews is an additional treat for some readers and thinkers. One of my most important reads this year.1970s antisemitism coming-of-age ...more Betty1,027 27

"Adam Unrehearsed" is a nostalgic and relatable coming-of-age story set in Flushing, Queens, in the early 1970s. The novel follows twelve-year-old Adam Miller as he navigates the challenges of adolescence, faces muggings, shifts in friendships, family issues, and the complexities of growing up in a rapidly changing urban environment.

Futterman is a great storyteller who effectively captures Adam's internal thoughts, humorously showcasing the character's clever yet anxious nature.

The story made me laugh and cry as it captured the universal challenges of growing up and finding one's way in the world.jewish tbi-book-club Susan G17 2

In the tradition of Mark Twain, Sholom Aleichem, and Herman Wouk, Futterman brilliantly uses the eyes and experiences of a child as a window into the very grown up complexities of a society at a time of historical change and societal upheaval. The charm and humor of Adam’s adolescent adventures make for a pleasant read, so the important reflections and insights never feel forced or pedantic.
You are going to love this one. I’m going to be giving this one as a gift; there are so many people I can think of who would really enjoy it. Stewart Greenberg2

Adam Unrehearsed is a masterpiece. Don Futterman captures the essence of Flushing in the early 1970s. Futterman’s characters carry out a story line which accurately describes those days in Flushing and in fact the NY metropolitan area as well as the posture of America as well. His writing addresses some of the main issues of the times - anti-semitism; race relations; acceptance; education and how adults viewed life and their families. The book brought back many emotions and helped me remember what life was in those days. Great job by the author of capturing so much! Lori45 7

Finding Your Voice in America

In this story, Adam shows us what it means to be a young person in America- finding the intersection between his heritage, his religion, his interactions with other young people from diverse backgrounds and circumstances. Adam, through the love of his family, his cantor, circumstances, unly friends,and an inspiring teacher, finds his voice, his faith, and his friendships while working through the many layers of history and stereotypes that exist in our society. Throughout the story, Adam finds that the true answers lie within yourself. Riss 🫶🏻??591 14

Adam Unrehearsed is a great coming-of-age story about a young Jewish boy coming into adulthood. A truly remarkable read with characters that readers will love. This book has both hilarious and heartbreaking moments, but Adam discovers his place through theater. I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, it introduces the characters well and touches upon friendships during childhood. I truly enjoyed this one from start to finish and definitely recommend. David Silver1 review1 follower

This is easily one of my favorite books of this year. It is a beautifully written novel, with compelling and relatable characters and a fast and gripping pace. I couldn't put it down! This book managed to move me. I found myself tearing up at places and laughing out loud in the middle of the night at others, afraid I would wake up my family! I would recommend it to anyone, readers of all ages and backgrounds. A truly wonderful book and a must read in my opinion.adventure beautiful coming-of-age ...more Len Levitt1 review

The characters are intriguing and real. The situations are comical, true, honest, and occasionally inspiring. It brings back memories of being a young teen, and of the 70's. Futterman manages to mix insight about humans and family relationships with frank commentary about race and class relations. And, it gives an honest portrayal of being a Jewish kid in America. It's funny, smart, and goes down easy. I read it in a few sittings, as it was way too fun to put down. Kelly O'Mara Whites40 1 follower

I received a free copy of this book. At first, I was not interested in finishing the book about a pubescent teen boy and his struggles in life. But as I read more, I couldn’t stop reading. I wanted to find out how Adam was going to deal with losing his friends, get through his bar mitzvah and survive the bullies. I enjoyed the way the author wrapped up the story. It’s definitely worth your time. Ziporah Janowski1 review

I grew up in Brooklyn in the 70s - not Queens. But other than that I was at home reading this beautiful, unexpected tale of a young teen navigating his confusing, changing world. Danger, friendship, family, religion, education - there is so much to contemplate. My own at time scary subway rides, encounters with bullies, after school Hebrew school, all rushed back. Thank you Don Futterman for the gift of Adam and his world. More please. Lisa8

So enjoyed the character Adam as he navigates friendships, and family, prepares for his Bar Mitzvah, and explores his love of theater. Heartwarming, funny, and original. I grew up not too far from Flushing in the 70s and am Jewish. Found it very relatable and loved the Bar Mitzvah seating conflict throughout the book hilarious and loved how it was resolved. Thank you, Mr. Futterman, for a great read!This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review Lisa S.1 review

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