What Would Philip Roth Do? by Matthew Check is a memoir about a young Jewish-American man who finds himself in New York City, studying Hebrew and Jewish education. He is so much into Roth’s novels that he begins to have internal conversations with the great writer. He also has other obsessions – he loves bluegrass music and plays the banjo – and, of course, girls. These seemingly incongruous interests lead to some strange episodes. When he visits Israel, he becomes the resident banjo player at a bar near Haifa. Back in New York, he answers an ad for a Hebrew teacher, only to find that he’ll be teaching a group of “Jesus Jews.” He sticks with it for a while, eventually bringing the banjo into class. Under the influence of a pro-Palestinian girlfriend, he visits Morocco and comes face to face with a scholarly man who longs for the day when Jews and Muslims can peacefully co-exist in the Middle East.

Matthew Check is not only a good writer, but he also knows how to balance humor and seriousness. We laugh at some of the ups and downs of his two most serious relationships, but at the same time, we hope that they will work out and feel sorry when they don’t. Many people, both those who are familiar with Jewish communal life and those who aren’t, will be entertained by his description of “Tot Shabbat.” Interestingly, Check shows us that almost two decades before the 2023 Gaza war, he opposed the West Bank settlers and believed in a separate Palestinian state, but at the same time, he felt a strong attachment to Israel and was suspicious of the “free Palestine” crowd. What Would Philip Roth Do? is a fast-moving, funny, and extremely readable account of a young man with a multifaceted life.

Matthew Check’s What Would Philip Roth Do? is a rollicking, self-lacerating, and deeply human coming-of-age memoir that follows the author from his first banjo rolls in suburban Philadelphia through his adventures as a bluegrass-obsessed, Hebrew-loving grad student in New York. In the shadow of his literary idol, Philip Roth—who takes on the role of a wry, imaginary Obi-Wan Kenobi—Check recounts his romantic misadventures, from his teenage tryst with Paulette to his tumultuous relationship with the elusive Johanna Kahn. Along the way, he experiences cross-cultural mishaps in Spain at just twenty years of age, awkward sexual encounters, a stint teaching Hebrew to “Jesus Jews,” and a comically disastrous trip to Morocco. Each episode of this memoir is shot through with longing, self-doubt, and musical inspiration.

It's hard to find a memoir as entertaining and engaging as this one is. It is a chronicle of a young man's life as he seeks meaning in unrequited love, navigates family expectations, and pursues artistic and personal authenticity. The voice is one of the memoir's strengths; irreverent, neurotic, and fiercely honest. Matthew Check channels Roth’s spirit not only in the Jewish-American themes of alienation and desire, but also in his willingness to expose his most embarrassing moments with wit and candor. The gorgeous prose is energized by sharp, idiosyncratic details, whether describing the attack of a banjo solo, the politics of hummus in Israel, or the mortifying realities of STIs. The memoir is a musical through-line connecting heartbreak and creativity, and offers a fresh twist on the classic Bildungsroman. At times, the relentless self-mockery and sexual frankness feel like an homage to Roth at his most unfiltered, but Check’s warmth, humility, and capacity for self-reflection make What Would Philip Roth Do? uniquely his own. This hilarious, engaging romp is a must-read.