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Focus Paperback – September 1, 2001

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 73 ratings

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Written in 1945, Focus was Arthur Miller's first novel and one of the first books to directly confront American anti-Semitism. It remains as chilling and incisive today as it was at the time of its controversial debut. As World War II draws to a close, anti-Semitism is alive and well in Brooklyn, New York. Here, Newman, an American of English descent, floats through a world of multiethnic neighborhoods indifferent to the racism around him. That is, until he begins to wear glasses that render him "Jewish" in the eyes of others, making him the target of anti-Semitic prosecution. As he and his wife find friendship and support from a Jewish immigrant, Newman slowly begins to understand the racial hatreds that surround him.
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arthur Miller was born in New York City in 1915 and studied at the University of Michigan. His plays include All My Sons (1947), Death of a Salesman (1949), The Crucible (1953), A View from the Bridge and A Memory of Two Mondays (1955), After the Fall (1963), Incident at Vichy (1964), The Price (1968), The Creation of the World and Other Business (1972) and The American Clock. He has also written two novels, Focus (1945), and The Misfits, which was filmed in 1960, and the text for In Russia (1969), Chinese Encounters (1979), and In the Country (1977), three books of photographs by his wife, Inge Morath. More recent works include a memoir, Timebends (1987), and the plays The Ride Down Mt. Morgan (1991), The Last Yankee (1993), Broken Glass (1993), which won the Olivier Award for Best Play of the London Season, and Mr. Peter's Connections (1998). His latest book is On Politics and the Art of Acting. Miller was granted with the 2001 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He has twice won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and in 1949 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Publishing Group; Reissue edition (September 1, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0142000426
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0142000427
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.51 x 5.08 x 7.76 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 73 ratings

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Arthur Miller
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Arthur Miller (1915-2005) was born in New York City in 1915 and studied at the University of Michigan. During his lifetime he was celebrated as the pre-eminent playwright of his generation and won numerous awards for his work including two New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards, two Emmy awards and three Tony Awards for his plays, as well as a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement. His 1949 play Death of a Salesman was the first play to scoop all three major US awards: the New York Critics Circle Award, a Tony Award for Best Author and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. His many plays include All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, A View from the Bridge, A Memory of Two Mondays, After the Fall, Incident at Vichy, The Price, The Creation of the World and Other Business, and The American Clock; later plays include Broken Glass, Resurrection Blues and the aptly-titled Finishing the Picture. His other published work includes the novel Focus, The Misfits which was filmed in 1960, two collections of short stories, the memoir Timebends and various volumes of non-fiction including three books in collaboration with his wife, photographer Inge Morath.

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4.4 out of 5 stars
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Customers find the book compelling and thought-provoking. They appreciate the interesting story and the focus on anti-semitism.

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5 customers mention "Pacing"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's pacing engaging. They describe it as an interesting story with an intriguing concept. The story is described as solid, though some readers felt it did not meet their expectations.

"...The idea of the book is an interesting concept. Lawrence Newman is mistaken for a Jew because of his glasses...." Read more

"...A fascinating novel from one of our great playwrights." Read more

"Interesting story...first learned of Miller's novel when re reading Phillip Roth's "I Married a Communist"." Read more

"Compelling and brilliant" Read more

3 customers mention "Anti-semitism"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's focus on anti-Semitism.

"This book was an insightful account of anti-semitism during WWII in the United States, specifically in the boroughs of New York City...." Read more

"A Brave Attack on American Antisemitism..." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2012
    I have long known of Arthur Miller's writing through his plays - "Death of a Salesman," "The Crucible." Little did I know of the punch of his fiction writing. "Focus" is a small jewel - and by far his most controversial work. In this compact novel he attacks the antisemitism that boiled beneath the surface in America during World War II.

    Lawrence Newman lives in Queens and commutes to his safe job in Manhattan working for The Corporation. He is a nondescript personnel officer. In this corporation, Jews need not apply, but what is that to Newman? He is safe and secure. Then his world slides out of focus. Too vain to be willing to get glasses as his eyesight deteriorates, he tries to hide his myopia. Unfortunately, he hired a woman who clearly looked Jewish, but his eyesight was too poor to pick up on the stereotype. He is reprimanded by his boss. The eyeglasses he finally gets accentuate his facial features in such a way that many people assume he is Jewish. He is asked to move to an office where he will be less visible, and he resigns in protest.

    Meanwhile, back in his gentile neighborhood, changes are taking place. A Mr. Finkelstein has moved in and opened a candy store. A group of vigilantes make sure that Finkelstein - and the presumptive Jew, Newman - are made to feel uncomfortable.

    Throughout the ordeal,Newman's own values and assumptions are shaken to the core as he confronts racists neighbors and his own wife.

    Miller captures the anguish of Newman in a way that reminds me of the memoir, "Black Like Me." As he experiences what it feels like to be marginalized, he is forced to reassess every part of his life and his thoughts.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2010
    This book was an insightful account of anti-semitism during WWII in the United States, specifically in the boroughs of New York City. Arthur Miller has once again written a piece where every sentence and paragraph is artistically weighted with nuance and symbolism. The character, through a happening of circumstances, is forced to face the social cruelty in his world of which he himself is a part. At some point he has to choose where he stands and what kind of person he wants to be. This is where Miller is at his best in digging deep into the very essence of one's character.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2004
    Before coming across this book, I was not aware of the prejudice that faced Jews in America during World War II and the years before the war. The idea of the book is an interesting concept. Lawrence Newman is mistaken for a Jew because of his glasses. Even though he is actually a Gentile, he endures anti-semitic prejudice.
    The story has two serious flaws that take away from the overall story. Lawrence's wife, Gertrude, is foul and annoying women. Arthur Miller seems to create most of his female leads with great flaws. I desperately wanted Lawrence to just tell her to shut up. The other flaw is the passive nature of Lawrence. I wanted him to stand up for himself. The issue in the story is not so much anti-semitism as it is Lawrence's extremely passive nature. It is almost predictable that he does not get angry enough to strike back until after he gets beat up and there is nobody around.
    The flaws written into the characters take away from the serious issue addressed in the story. While Miller is to be commended for raising the issue, he failed to make a serious statement about it. In other words, it lacks focus. The book claims to be Miller's most controversial work, but it never fully attacks the issue. Finkelstein, an actual Jew, is most compelling character because he is real and has something to say. He fought back, making him the only character that the reader can identify with.
    Certainly this is not Miller's best work. Death of a Saleman is one of my favorites stories. This story is solid, but fails to meet expectations.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2012
    Although written in the 1940s, and dealing with a man mistaken for being Jewish when he has to wear glasses, you could transport the themes to any era and almost any ethnic group. The book demonstrates how mistaken ethnic identity affects the lead character Newman, in terms of how the world perceives him, how his relationships even with those who know he is not Jewish are affected, and how he perceives himself and his own prejudices. As the book ends inconclusively, you must fill in your own blanks as to what Newman's future will bring. A fascinating novel from one of our great playwrights.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2012
    "Focus," by Arthur Miller, was written during WWII, when there was widespread anti-Semitism in America and a holocaust was taking place in Europe. For a non-Jewish person to be taken for a Jew because he "looked" Jewish in his new glasses must have been quite a shock as well as a revelation to the main charcter. As the story progresses, the reader becomes increasingly aware of what the hatred toward Jews engendered as the protagonist suffers the consequences of his appearance. There are those who perpetrate, those who standby, and those who suffer. At the end, there is only the question. Why?
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2015
    I read this for (my favorite) lit class, and I've been happy to keep and to re-read it. It's incredibly complex and deep. They are so many layers you miss on first read. You never really know where it's going, but once it gets there you see why. It feels like /everything/ is a symbol of something else... And the overall message(s) is soooo powerful. The plot develops slowly but don't confuse the pace for boredom! I couldn't put the book down the first time I read it.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2021
    A case against wearing glasses (and anti-Semitism).
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2019

Top reviews from other countries

  • dorothy prince
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 11, 2015
    Not a well known novel here in UK. A fascinating topic.
  • Neil Brough
    1.0 out of 5 stars Boring
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2013
    A very poorly written,predictable, piece of written garbage. Avoid like the plague. Why this was ever published is a mystery to me.