Fanny Herself

Rating:
Summary: A classic that stands the test of time
Review: Last year I had to do a research paper about three American authors for an English class. I picked Edna Ferber as one of the authors, hoping that I would be able to relate better to a female author. I was at first skeptical about the book, because I'm not a big fan of classic books, but I sat down with it and after a few hours of convincing, I finally opened the book. To this day I'm still glad that I did. The story tells the tale of Fanny, a young independednt Jewish girl from a small midwestern town who's drive to become a business woman soon takes her from the small town she grew up in and plops her down in the middle of a large city where she takes a job as a sales lady, determined to prove herself. Through light humor and a playful tone Ferber shows the reader how Fanny at first struggles, but then succeeds in turning a thriving business completely around, and giving the company a whole new meaning to life. Though at first I didn't think this book would be any good at all, I encourage everyone who has ever strived for a goal in life to read this book--it will give you such a respect and admiration for Fanny that you won't be able to put it down until the very last page.

Rating:
Summary: An engaging, personal, affirming biography.
Review: The daughter of a Hungarian-born father and Milwaukee-native mother, Edna Ferber spent much of her childhood years in small midwestern towns. Her family, while not observant, always closed their store for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, never missing a Passover seder. Ferber felt that being Jewish was to be subjected to anti-Semitism. In 1917 she wrote Fanny Herself, based largely on the experiences she had while growing up in Appleton, Wisconsin and later in Chicago, Illinois. Her's is a tale of a young Jewish girl trying to become a successful businesswoman in early twentieth century America without denying her Jewish roots or subverting her social conscience. This newly abridged, four cassette, six hour audiobook edition (wonderfully narrated by Suzanne Toren) will introduce a whole new generation of listeners to a remarkable literary talent and an engaging, personal, affirming biography.