Art Books / Religion Books / Both?

My Name is Asher Lev - Chaim Potok
I read this amazing book one weekend several years ago (199?) while in Boston staying with Rob, Chris, Tim and Willis. The book remains fresh in my mind largely due to it's crisp imagery and healthy use of dialogue. Centered around the life of a Hasidic Jewish family and their artistic son it gives a new perspective on generational struggle and independence of expression. At first blush it does not appear to be more than a good story, but at further examination the universal themes and easily identifiable character types set it firmly in the category of decent literature. Beyond literature though the "coming of age" nature of the story is particularly relevant to people who have ever had serious disagreements with family, as such it can be both revelatory and painful, depending on your experience.

Rating: A-
Related:
(a bunch, stories of Jewish life in New York city are fairly common yet quite diverse: see Roth, Updike, Bellow, etc.)