David Hirshberg – författare

"Hirshberg''s debut novel packs both emotional punch and a vivid portrait of Jewish American life in post-WWII Boston. . . . Readers will find connections here to Michael Chabon''s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and to Saul Bellow''s classic The Adventures of Augie March." —Booklist (ALA), starred review

"This amazing mosaic of fact and fiction will hold readers in its grip from the first to last page." —Library Journal, starred review

Winner, Independent Press Award 2019 Literary Fiction

Gold Medal Winner, Best Regional Fiction, 2018 Independent Press Awards

Winner, Best Regional Fiction, 2018 National Indie Excellence Awards

Winner, NYC Big Book Award in two categories: 2018 Historical Fiction and Debut Fiction

Winner, Three CIPA EVVY Awards: 2019 Literary Fiction First Place; 2019 Historical Fiction Second Place; 2019 Debut Fiction Second place

My Mother''s Son, the meticulously-crafted debut novel from David Hirshberg, is a story told by a radio raconteur revisiting his past in post-World War II Boston, the playground and battleground for two brothers whose lives are transformed by discoveries they never could have imagined. From the opening line of the book, "When you''re a kid, they don''t always tell you the truth," the stage is set for this riveting coming-of-age story that plays out against the backdrop of the Korean War, the aftermath of the Holocaust, the polio epidemic, the relocation of a baseball team, and the shenanigans of politicians and businessmen. Hirshberg deftly weaves together events, characters, and clues and creates a rich tapestry of betrayal, persecution, death, loyalty, and unconditional love that resonates with today''s America.

Winner, National Indie Excellence Award 2021 Best Regional Fiction – Southwest

Finalist, National Indie Excellence Award 2021 Literary Fiction

Finalist, National Indie Excellence Award 2021 Best Fiction Cover Design

Winner, Independent Press Award 2021 Literary Fiction

Jacobo''s Rainbow is an historical literary novel set primarily in the nineteen sixties during the convulsive period of the student protest movements and the Vietnam War. It focuses on the issue of being an outsider the ‘other’ an altogether common circumstance that resonates with readers in today’s America. Written from a Jewish perspective, it speaks to universal truths that affect us all.

On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of a transformative event in Jacobo’s life the day he is sent to jail he writes about what happened behind the scenes of the Free Speech Movement which provides the backdrop for a riveting story centered on his emergence into a world he never could have imagined. His recording of those earlier events is the proximate cause of his being arrested. Jacobo is allowed to leave jail under the condition of being drafted, engages in gruesome fighting in Vietnam, and returns to continue his work of chronicling America in the throes of significant societal changes.

Jacobo’s Rainbow is a story of triumph over adversity (hypocrisy, loss, lies, murder, concealment, prejudice) that is told with vivid descriptions, perceptive insights, humor and sensitivity, which enables the reader to identify with the characters who come to life in a realistic fashion to illustrate who we are, how we behave, and what causes us to change.

It can be read on three levels: (1) The story of what it was like to have lived through and been a participant in the Free Speech Movement and the Vietnam War (‘The Sixties’); (2) A metaphor for what is going on college campuses today, in terms of the shutting down of speech and the rise of anti-Semitism; and (3) What life is like for the ‘outsider.’