This was a difficult book for me to rate. It's not at all the type of book I usually read. I was torn between giving it a 6 or a 7. I finally decided on a 6. For me, to earn a 7, a book has to be one I'd recommend, and I couldn't think of anyone I would recommend it to. I expected the book to be dark and depressing, but it really wasn't. I cared about the characters and was interested in what happened to them. It taught me quite a bit about the philosophy of art. It challenged me. Its point of view was compelling, yet, I felt, dangerous. I was forced to think about why I disagreed. Here are some thoughts/questions I had: 1. Is art so important in and of itself that an artist is compelled to express what he feels even when it violates his own morals or offends society? 2. Is art so important in and of itself that the artist is obligated and justified in working at the expense of his own well-being or the happiness of those around him? 3. If the answer to either of those questions is yes, what is art? Who defines this "thing" that steps outside the bounds of convention? Is art what anybody says it is? How can one tell if an artist is sincere or just making excuses to justify his behavior? 4. Is art the only thing that qualifies for this exception from expectations? What about music? Writing? What about anything? What if I feel (I'm using a personal example, but I don't intend this as a joke) that bird watching is performance art? What if I'm totally convinced that my ultimate purpose in life can only be expressed by the act of bird watching — by the positioning of myself in such a way that a bird is captured in my vision? Am I justified in denying society's demands that I make a living? My family's needs? My relationship with other? 5. I think there is a valuable lesson in My Name is Asher Lev. It is important to find something you're good at and that you enjoy. You shouldn't let other people force you into doing something that you don't want to do. Everyone needs to find his own place in life. But this philosophy can easily be taken too far. I'm not sure if Asher Lev took it too far in his actions (except for his disobedience to his parents), but the book seemed to say that he would have been justified to take it as far as he wanted to. 6. My conclusing is this. Find what you are good at and pursue it. Don't let other people stand in your way — as long as you're not hurting other people. Relationships and Biblical truths and standards of right and wrong are always, in every case, more important than art. One is never justified in hurting others or sinning for the sake of art. I know none of these thoughts or questions are original or particularly profound — but that's where the book took me.