New York: St Martin's, (1995) dj. Hardcover first edition - The second volume in the Mercy of a Rude Stream, set in 1920s literary New York. This follows adolescent Ira Stigman from 921 to 1925 as he begins to encounter the harsh realities of life, and also awakens to the beauties of modern literature. It depicts him as a tormented teenager doomed to near madness by the violent urges he carries within. Glossary of Yiddish and Hebrew words and phrases. 418 pp. Photo illustrated endpapers. ISBN: 0-312143419.