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Book Review  by Ida Nasatir

Whisper My Name by Burke Davis

May 12 1950—Ida Nasatir book reviews—Whisper My Name by Burke Davis—Southwestern Jewish Press, page 9: Of late, both in novels and in the movies, the theme of whether a Negro or a Jew can, by hiding his identity, find a place for himself in society and inner happiness, has been dramatically presented.  Thus, Lost Boundaries and Pinky in the movies and writings like Jo Sinclair's Wasteland and Davis' Whisper My Name deal with this problem of escaping from one's heritage of race and religion. All of these stories deal with the question of a man's or a woman's loyalty to his or her people. Does he have a moral right to escape? And if he does manage to escape, does he prove himself a more worthy citizen, a finer type of human being? Indeed, can he escape.  In spite of every precaution, did Dan Gordon in the novel, Whisper My Name, alias Daniel Goldstein, formerly of Philadelphia, now of Elizabeth, N.C., formerly a Jew of immigrant Jewish parents, now a member of the First Baptist Church—did Dan Gordon find peace and happiness?  Always inside himself was the haunting gnawing fear: "What if they knew that I was a Jew?" For twenty years he lived in Elizabeth, won a fortune for himself, brought unhappiness to Katie whom he loved, and to Lucy whom he married. Finally, he discovered the truth. The people in the town knew it all the time, they knew that he was a Jew. He discovered that they liked him for himself. There was no need for his pretense, of his quite obvious self-hatred, and equal hatred for his fellow Jews. It is true that Dan Gordon is far from being a type of Jew who brings distinction or honor to his people. But in posing the question as to the ethical problem involved in a person denying his spiritual heritage, he has, in a way, helped both Jew and Negro (through the tragic struggles of the Negro, Bud Wilkerson, who also seeks to hide his racial identity) to clarify and bring into the open, the issues involved. Unfortunately, the author leaves the reader in doubt, even as Dan Gordon is in doubt, with the qustion on his lips: "God, What am I going to do?"

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