Jacobo's Rainbow is an historical literary novel set primarily in the nineteen sixties during the convulsive period of the student protest movements and the Vietnam War. It focuses on the issue of being an outsider the 'other' an altogether common circumstance that resonates with readers in today's America. It is a story of triumph over adversity (hypocrisy, loss, lies, murder, concealment, prejudice) that is told with vivid descriptions, perceptive insights, humor, and sensitivity, which enables the reader to identify with the characters who come to life in a realistic fashion to illustrate who we are, how we behave, and what causes us to change.
Jacobo’s Rainbow
David Hirshberg, educated at Dartmouth College, and the University of Pennsylvania, is a very successful entrepreneur—a former CEO and Chairman of the Board of several major Life Sciences companies--who writes under a pseudonym. He is an historical fiction writer who writes about the American Jewish experience. His first novel, My Mother’s Son published in 2018 won nine awards and reviewers compared his writing to Michael Chabon and Saul Bellow.
“A beautiful novel set in the past but perfectly, scarily, relevant to our current moment.”- Gary Shteyngart, author of Our Country Friends, Lake Success, Absurdistan, The Russian Debutante’s Handbook, and Super Sad True Love Story “Jacobo’s journey takes him from that remote enclave [ the tiny New Mexico town of Arroyo Grande],to a college campus, where he becomes immersed in the Free Speech movement, and to the battlefields of Vietnam. His insights and observations about society, his peers, bigotry and anti-Semitism are both trenchant and currently relevant to the culture wars and threats to free speech we see on our college campuses and society at large today. Jacobo’s Rainbow is a deeply moving, sensitive, and profound novel—a definite must-read.” - Marcia Clark, author of Blood Defense and Final Judgment “Blending together historical events and wonderfully imaginative settings, David Hirshberg explores the American Jewish experience in this evocative novel of self-discovery, belonging, and the complexities of identity.” - Shulem Deen, author of All Who Go Do Not Return “In Jacobo’s Rainbow, as he did in My Mother’s Son, David Hirshberg explores that stunning moment when youth gives way to maturity—and uncovers the lasting effects of that profound transformation…. A highly original novel by an inspired chronicler of fact and fiction that reveals our darkest instincts while celebrating our innate humanity.” - Barbara Josselsohn, author of The Last Dreamer “Jacobo’s Rainbow is a powerful, electrifying glimpse into the life of a young student advocating for the Free Speech Movement and protesting the Vietnam War…. Hirshberg’s keenly nuanced characters will remain with the reader long after the last page.” - Crystal King, author of The Chef’s Secret and Feast of Sorrow