Straddling Worlds

About this book

"Steven J. Harper, another Northwestern alumnus and Leopold student, met with Leopold every Sunday morning when the professor was ninety-three and ninety-four years old and confined to a wheelchair. At first they met to formulate the professor's obituary, but the journey took them far beyond, leading to places neither expected." "Leopold was a culturally assimilated, non-practicing Jew who made his way through anti-Semitic America in the early twentieth century. As Harper delved deeper into Leopold's life, he discovered parallels with the life of his own father-in-law, William Loeb, who eventually joined their conversations. From their Ivy League educations to their triumph over anti-Semitism, from their service in World War II to their postwar professional achievements, these two men shared a Jewish-American experience rarely discussed in such intimate detail."--Jacket.