Jewish lore tells us that in the 16th century, Rabbi Judah Loew, known as the Maharal of Prague, created a golem, an inanimate being that was brought to life by use of the name of God. The golem, by virtue of his huge size and prodigious strength, protected the Jews of Prague from the violence of the rampant anti-Semitism of the time.
In our century, golem literature has become a sub-genre of Jewish fiction. Authors have often inserted golem figures into novels because the image is so powerful and evocative. An invincible guardian protecting the underdog from an inhospitable society resonates well with modern times. Even some of the superheroes of comic book and movie fame have been based on golem legend and lore.
Marc Estrin’s Golem Song is one such novel but this one has a twist. No outside force creates this golem. Estrin’s protagonist, Alan Krieger, makes his golem out of nothing more than his very own self. Alan, a registered nurse who sees himself as a healer to all the world, is a passionate Jew, a confirmed bigot and a character as wildly original as they come. It is his self-appointed mission to rescue the Jews of New York from his perceived menace, the black inhabitants of the city. Alan is larger than life, figuratively and literally. A huge man with huge appetites, he is brilliant, creative and multi-talented. He may be the most widely read fictional character ever to jump from pen to page. His stream-of-consciousness musing is filled with facts, interesting and obscure, and the cadence of his ranting is almost musical. His personality is so forceful that those around him can only tolerate his presence for a period of time before his obsessive paranoia interferes with his relationships and causes each friend or family member to abandon him for a calmer Alanless existence. Finally, Alan is alone, his mission to save New York’s Jews looming. The resolution of the story and this tragic golem figure will stay with the reader long after the final page has been turned.
Michal Hoschander Malen is the editor of Jewish Book Council’s young adult and children’s book reviews. A former librarian, she has lectured on topics relating to literacy, run book clubs, and loves to read aloud to her grandchildren.
