Fagin the Jew by Will Eisner, ill. New York: Doubleday, 2003.

ISBN: 0385510098 

Media: inkpen

This is the story of Moses Fagin who is the Jew in the story of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.  Fagin is an Ashkenazim Jew who lives at a time when Jews in a time (late 1700's to mid 1800's) when these types of Jews had to work very hard to change their status in society which often times was not possible.  Fagin protrays the struggle of Ashkenazim Jews living in that time.

Literary Devices:  onomatopoeia and sophisticated language 

Curriculum Connection: This book can be used for history lessons in grades six to twelfth to help children understand Jewish life in England during the late 1700's and mid 1800's.  This story explores the hardships of Jewish immigrants, particularly that of the Ashkenazim Jews.   

Rating: 5Q/5P

Wess Garcia, August 2009