his teachers, and his peers. Art is Asher's real religion, and not only he, but his mother suffers for it. When Asher tries to portray his mother's suffering, "[his] search for a motif reveals none powerful enough in [his] own tradition, and so [he] turn[s] to the central theme of suffering in the Christian tradition: crucifixion." Beauty Asher Lev's pursuit of art is complicated by his upbringing and training to see Jewish perspectives on beauty. Via his training, Asher Lev explores aesthetic traditions of beauty. Self-identity The book title itself signals Asher's issue with self-identity. Jacob Kahn tells Asher, "As an artist you are responsible to no one and to nothing, except to yourself and to the truth as you see it." Reception Considered one of Potok's best works, it has a sequel, The Gift of Asher Lev. The first "Brooklyn Crucifixion", a work by Asher which plays a central role in the novel's conclusion, is an actual painting by Potok, who was an accomplished artist as well as a novelist and rabbi; the second Crucifixion, which is described in the book as being superior to the first, does not have a real-life counterpart. The book is a thinly disguised depiction of the Lubavitch community. "Brooklyn Parkway", with its heavy traffic and island promenades, is a reference to Eastern Parkway. However, contrary to popular opinion, the character of Yudel Krinsky is not meant to refer to Chaim Yehuda Krinsky, one of the assistants to Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Adaptation In January 2009, Aaron Posner's adaptation for the stage premiered in Philadelphia at the Arden Theatre Company. It was subsequently produced by the Round House Theatre in Bethesda, Maryland in March and April 2010. In 2012, the play was staged at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven and by the Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta. The first New York City Off-Broadway production of the play opened at the Westside Theater on November 28, 2012. The play won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play and the John Gassner Award. See also Bildungsroman References 1972 American novels Jewish American novels Psychological novels Novels by Chaim Potok Novels set in Brooklyn Fiction set in the 1950s American novels adapted into plays