| Review | Journal of Social History, 40.1

You have not been recognized as a subscriber to the Journal of Social History online. About 193 words from this article are provided below; about 530 words remain.

If you are an individual subscriber to the Journal of Social History, you may:: • login here if you have already registered for online access.; • Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.
• Set up your online account for the first time.
If you are not a subscriber to the Journal of Social History, you can:: • subscribe here.
• Purchase a research pass to gain two hour access to the entire History Cooperative web site. You will have full access to current issues of the Journal of Social History.
Instititutions can:: • Subscribe to the journal and receive print and electronic issues.
• Activate your existing subscription so that we recognize your IP number ranges.

| Review | Journal of Social History, 40.1 | The History Cooperative

REVIEWS

Jewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860–1920. By Melissa R. Klapper (New York: New York University Press, 2005. x plus 309 pp. $45.00).
Drawing on the voices of adolescent Jewish girls in the United States from 1860 to 1920, this book examines how several generations of young women navigated their Jewish identities and American identities, and how these negotiations shaped the experiences of girls, their families, and their communities. Using rich archival resources, including memoirs, diaries, letters, organizational reports, and American Jewish periodical literature, Klapper explores the ways in which Jewish girls acted as "keepers of tradition and agents of acculturation."	1
Klapper examines girls' lives during a time of rapid change in the United States and among American Jewish communities, change marked in part by immigration and urbanization. In 1860, there were roughly 150,000 Jews in America; by 1920, there were more than three and a half million. Jews also became increasingly concentrated in urban areas throughout this period. The desire to acculturate, to become American, was especially strong in these Jewish communities and is a central theme throughout the book. Another focus is on education, broadly defined.	. . .

There are about 530 more words in this article. Please log in (or, if you are not yet an authorized user, please go to the User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.