David Schearl arrives in New York in his mother's arms to begin his new life as an immigrant. David is hated by his father, but is fiercely loved and protected by his Yiddish-speaking mother. This novel interweaves the love between a mother and son with the terrors and anxieties David experiences, as he seeks to find his own identity.



David Schearl arrives in New York in his mother's arms to begin his new life as an immigrant in the 'Golden Land'. David is hated by his father - an angry, violent man unable to find his niche in the New World - but is fiercely loved and protected by his Yiddish-speaking mother. An innovative, multi-lingual novel, Call It Sleep subtly interweaves the overwhelming love between a mother and son with the terrors and anxieties David experiences, as he seeks to find his own identity amidst the cultural disarray of early twentieth-century America.