Book Description

A “truly enjoyable” journey through one man’s Jewish American experience by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Marjorie Morningstar (Newsday). Israel David Goodkind is a minor bureaucrat in the Nixon White House, killing time in the office by writing the story of four generations of his large, sprawling Russian Jewish immigrant family. As he recounts his brief stint in show business, his torrid affair with a showgirl, and his encounters with a hassled and distracted President Nixon, Goodkind also witnesses historical events firsthand—the Watergate scandal, the Yom Kippur War—and eventually finds his way back to his Jewish faith. Combining Pulitzer Prize winner Herman Wouk’s wildly comic streak with his deep respect for religious tradition, Inside, Outside is both an individual’s story and “a social comedy of Jewish-American life reaching from New York to Jerusalem and spanning much of the 20th century” (Publishers Weekly). “Extremely funny.” —The Wall Street Journal “Wouk reaffirms his position as one of the nation’s eminent storytellers.” —Newsday “Wouk’s most significant work since The Caine Mutiny.” —Chicago Tribune “Generously stuffed with zestfully old-fashioned humor and sentiment.” —Kirkus Reviews