E.L. Doctorow's 'World's Fair' is amazing. It's easily one of the most evocative expressions of childhood that I've read.

The story - largely autobiographical - takes place in the 1930s, at war's brink. The World's Fair is taking place in NYC, and young Edgar, a Jewish kid, is desperate to attend. What unfolds between the start of the book and the inevitable trip to the Fair is nothing short of brilliant.

Keenly-felt explanations of what it meant to be a youth in the 30s (and a Jew) are offered with just enough detail. The sense of a new world being born is palpable, and the fears of same are expressed subtly. Doctorow's own life appears in both Edgar's story and that of his brother Donald, a few years older, and it's enough to make me, at least, want to return to NY.

I really don't want to spoil any of the joy of this book. I had appreciated Doctorow's writing before: The Waterworks'' and 'Ragtime', specifically, but I haven't felt as if a text was a secret discussion between reader and author until reading 'World's Fair'. It really is that good.