Book Description
“There are places that I have never forgotten. A little cobbled street in a smoky mill town in the North of England has haunted me for the greater part of my life. It was inevitable that I should write about it and the people who lived on both sides of its ‘Invisible Wall.’ ”
The narrow street where Harry Bernstein grew up, in a small English mill town, was seemingly unremarkable. It was identical to countless other streets in countless other working-class neighborhoods of the early 1900s, except for the “invisible wall” that ran down its center, dividing Jewish families on one side from Christian families on the other. Only a few feet of cobblestones separated Jews from Gentiles, but socially, it they were miles apart.
On the eve of World War I, Harry’s family struggles to make ends meet. His father earns little money at the Jewish tailoring shop and brings home even less, preferring to spend his wages drinking and gambling. Harry’s mother, devoted to her children and fiercely resilient, survives on her dreams: new shoes that might secure Harry’s admission to a fancy school; that her daughter might marry the local rabbi; that the entire family might one day be whisked off to the paradise of America.
Then Harry’s older sister, Lily, does the unthinkable: She falls in love with Arthur, a Christian boy from across the street.
When Harry unwittingly discovers their secret affair, he must choose between the morals he’s been taught all his life, his loyalty to his selfless mother, and what he knows to be true in his own heart.
A wonderfully charming memoir written when the author was ninety-three, The Invisible Wall vibrantly brings to life an all-but-forgotten time and place. It is a moving tale of working-class life, and of the boundaries that can be overcome by love.
Customer Reviews:
A captivating story of a harsh life.......2007-09-03
This book is full of the details of a life that many of us will never experience. The authors story of extreme poverty living in a large family with a hardworking but struggling mother and a distant and often abusive father is both horrifying and captivating.
While it sounds like this should be a depressing book, the details of the moments of hope and happiness lifts it out of the dark side of life in Lancashire and made me wonder about the future for the various key characters. The book is set before and after the great War, but it could be timeless. The central location is a street of two rows of houses facing each other with the 'jews' on one side and the 'christians' on the other. For most of the book there is almost no mingling between the two sides. But at times when their lives are most difficult, they do get together to support one another.
I don't want to give away the story line too much. Some of the difficult scenes are extremely hard to endure, but the details really light up this book even things are hardest.
I would not recommend for anyone younger than about 13, there are too many difficult details here. But for the rest of us, there's LOTS to learn about the silly things that divide us and the fact that despite religious difficulties our lives are more similar than we'd like to believe.
Poignant and profound.......2007-06-26
An absolutely wonderful book written by a 93 year old author who captures the very essence of anti-semitism in pre-World War I England through his own childhood experiences. The last chapter is so descriptive and poignant...really tugs at the heartstrings. I hope Mr. Bernstein continues to share his gift of the written word.
Excellent book.......2007-05-28
Wonderfully written. This book surprised me because of its unpredictability. I couldn't put it down. Mr. Bernstein's story is beautiful, it's a wonder why he waited so long to share it.
A read to get you thinking.......2007-05-25
My six member book club read this last month, and all of us, including our most critical member, found this book very enjoyable and enlightening. The inclusion of dialog easily puts the reader in the time period. The tone and style of the author encourage empathy and understanding of both populations on either side of the invisible wall. The author conveys his and his sibling's emotions in the gentlest of ways while the reader easily grasps that at the time they were much more. While not quite a page turner, my attention never lagged and I would have willingly read more. I would have appreciated more wisdom on the overall subject such as was found in Arthur's letter to Lily.
Vivid Memoir.......2007-05-25
Harry Bernstein writes in a descriptive manner that makes all the characters seem to be living right in front of the reader's eyes. The story is so interesting that I could not put the book down until I finished. It was hard to believe that a man at ninety years of age could remember so much detail and emotion back to his early childhood. The book was well worth reading. I look forward to Mr. Bernstein's next book.
Book Description
A Night of Questions is a unique four-in-one Haggadah that includes outlines for customizing a Seder for the people present at the table. The four menus include a Seder for young children, a Seder for older children with adults, a Seder for groups of diverse backgrounds (including those who are not Jewish), and a Seder focusing on the role of women.
The Haggadah also features special color-coded graphic icons that highlight the different types of readings such as kavanot, which are introductions to the text that set the tone for the text, and readings for children. Readings and songs are drawn from a wide variety of sources, representing the diversity of the Jewish community and the world in which we live. Accompanying the text is compelling new artwork by Jeffrey Schrier, which itself serves as a commentary on the Haggadah liturgy.
Customer Reviews:
The only liberal Haggadah you will need.......2007-05-11
This year we had 25 to Sedar, so I ordered extra copies.
If you are looking for a liberal hagaddah, it has tremendous breadth and depth.
Most User-Friendly Haggadah.......2007-03-26
I have somewhere between 20 and 30 different Haggadot. A Night of Questions is not only one of the richest and most thought-provoking in my collection... it is also the most user-friendly. It's the only one that has a table of contents that breaks down the Maggid section into its familiar parts (4 Children, Dayenu, etc.) The outlines of 4 different types of seders in the back of the book are very helpful. There's something here for every one. The commentaries address the hard questions that are likely to arise in the minds of those who are really thinking about what we are saying, such as: "Would it really have been 'enough for us' had we come out of Egypt and not been given the Torah and not come into the Land of Israel?" IMPORTANT NOTE: I see that Amazon is showing this as 4-6 weeks delivery. I know that they are available from the publisher and you'll have them in time for Passover. Check out www.jrf.org."
Refreshing new Haggadah.......2007-03-25
This Haggadah has wonderful, contemporary discussions and presentations. The illustrations are beautiful.
The Best to Date.......2003-03-03
I have conducted sedorim (seders) for over 30 years and have used five different haggadot. This is the BEST! It explains, offers excellent commentary, provides choices in the kind of seder one might have, as well as providing frameworks for designing your own. I have used it for 2 years now and get rave reviews from the people who attend my sedorim.
The cd of the music of Pesach which is available, is a favorite as we prepare our home for the holiday.
It sure beats "Manishewitz".
This will get you out of a rut.......2003-02-13
Seders too often fall into a routine, with everyone slogging through the Hagaddah by rote. This is a lively, thought-provoking Hagaddah that will broaden and deepen your appreciation of Passover. It certainly has for my family.
Average customer rating:
- A New Encyclopedia Judaica - Modern Judaic Scholarship advances...
- A Series of Disappointments
- UNIQUE AND MONUMENTAL WITH ONE CAVEAT
- A preliminary report on a vital reference work for all those who take interest in the Jewish world
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Encyclopedia Judaica 22 Volume Set
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A New Encyclopedia Judaica - Modern Judaic Scholarship advances..........2007-08-06
The Encyclopaedia Judaica is a 22-volume English-language encyclopedia of the Jewish people, their faith, Judaism, History and Culture. It's a cumulative result of over three decades of prodigious study and research by about 2,200 contributors and 250 editors around the world and includes approximately 21,000 entries with 2,700 new entries by 1,200 new contributors. Its Scholarship, comprehensive scope, authority, and widespread availability make it a great first and often indispensable resource for Rabbis, Scholars and laypeople.
Three valid critiques of the new edition are 1. prominent scholars decry the wholesale reprinting of many outdated entries. Current scholarship is shortchanged... 2. Minor and marginal Jewish figures and events, are still included, while major figures and movements are absent or minimized. 3. A difference between the first edition of the 72' Encyclopaedia Judaica and the second edition of the New Encyclopaedia Judaica is the paucity of visual images though the new editions are in color.
Nevertheless, it is recommended by the Library of Congress and by the Association of Jewish Libraries for use in determining the authoritative romanization of names of Jewish authors. Furthermore it's guidelines for transliterating Hebrew into English are followed by many academic books and journals. Additionally there are many improvements such a separate category of Jewish Law, reducing Legendary material, Scholem's classic essay on Kabbalah, greater material on Hasidim, Many new findings in Archeology, Israel and Post-Holocaust material, etc. In sum, it is an indispensable reference purchase for Universities, colleges, seminaries, Libraries and all who care about Modern Judaic scholarship. Highly Recommended and still indispensable.
A Series of Disappointments.......2007-04-11
My first disappointment: The wealth of illustration of the first edition is virtually gone. You can still find a treatment of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, of course, but you will not see the great picture of him with his wife Hemdah, taken in 1912. Nor will you find the many other similar pictorial treasures of the first edition. If you must buy this edition, be sure to find a place on your shelves for the old one as well.
My second disappointment: The shoddy treatment of bibliographies. There are, to be sure, lists of books that are appended to the various articles. But there is no annotation. A bibliography without annotation, as it has been said so well, is like a body without a soul. These lists of books will not make it easy for anyone in search of knowledge to find the more helpful sources. But here the new editors have an excuse, if that is what you would call it: the first edition was just as bad in this regard.
My third disappointment: The new knowledge of the last 35 years, insofar as it finds its way into this new work, is often just appended as additions to the old articles. Even where new knowledge revolutionizes the old, the old is still accorded honor of precedent. What was obviously called for is a complete reworking, but this is not what the editors have done.
My fourth disappointment: At least some of the newer material is so superficial that it is useless for any scholarly purpose. I looked up "Exodus," hoping to find what archaeologists and historians have to say about the Biblical account. The article says, flatly, that it is the scholarly consensus that the Biblical Exodus is "unhistorical," meaning, I suppose, that it never happened. The article gives no reference to any archaeologist or historian, nor to any book or other article that would throw light on the subject. What can a student make of this ? Simply take on faith the word of the EJ II ? This is no way to write a work of reference. The writer of this article would receive a failing grade, easily, if he presented it for credit at a university.
There are of course many good things in this new work, and I am sure that with more time and perhaps more inclination I could have found many more than I did.
One good set of articles is about the Ethiopian Jews, even though it is not easy to find it unless you happen to know that the group is now called Beta Israel. The articles are by Steven Kaplan and his associates. Kaplan undoubtedly knows more about the subject than almost anyone else. But even here the EJ II's sloppy method of documentation gets in the way. As it happens, there is a small number of other scholars who have made seminal contributions to this subject, notably Kay Shelemay and James Quirin. Neither of these is mentioned by EJ II.
This work is serious enough - just - to constitute a required purchase for any general research library. If it was the aim of the editors to achieve this minimum, they have succeeded. But it does not seem that they will win any warm admiration of scholars. That, in my book, makes the work a failure, a squandered opportunity.
UNIQUE AND MONUMENTAL WITH ONE CAVEAT.......2007-03-30
I bought EJ #1 when it was published about 30 years ago, and have now already bought #2.
My problem with giving away (which I will probably soon donate to a large local university which just recently formed a Jewish Studies program), is the reason for witholding the last star:
IT HAS NO ILLUSTRATIONS! The brochure for EJ 1 stated 'over 2000 photos, maps, diagrams and illustrations', while the description of EJ 2 states '600 maps and diagrams'. This is a tremendous loss -- just look up 'illustrated manuscripts' or 'incunabula' in the older and see what you are missing in the newer. [Even Pinsk (now Belarus), my father's birthplace, has four photos (two showing the interior and exterior of its [previously] largest synagogue
while #2 shows none.
The project is better organized and has its basis in three parts: (1) Exact duplication from #2 where no update is needed; (2) Reproduction of #1 plus updates (even the bibligraphy makes the distinction between the older and newer references; and (3) Totally new subject matter.
Each of these three types of entries are clearly indicated.
I paid almost $500 for the older one in the late 70s, and if you look hard you can find this set for $1850 plus $8 (!!) shipping.
Contrary, for what is worth, the present edition took four years, not two as mentioned in the earlier ?analysis. However, it is as thorough as if it was written yesterday, which can be evidenced by its very current bibliography.
It is an outstanding contribution in all aspects relative to Jews/Judaism, and at a reasonable price.
Buy it, by all means, if this degree of information interests you and if you can afford its reasonable price.
A preliminary report on a vital reference work for all those who take interest in the Jewish world .......2007-02-21
I am writing this preliminary review of 'Judaica' in the hope that it can be of some help to potential purchasers and future readers of the work. No one asked me to write this review but the readers of it should know that I wrote five relatively small entries for the Encyclopedia, and am not thus a wholly unbiased reviewer.
Primarily though I do not so much intend to present my opinion but rather to report on one of the Encyclopedia's principal editors, Michael Berenbaum has to say about the Encyclopedia. I will I hope accurately paraphrase remarks he made about the 'Encyclopedia' in a talk given at the 'Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs' on February 19, 2007.
Michael Berenbaum says that the editors aimed to preserve the quality of the original Judaica while accurately reflecting the major changes that have taken place in the past thirty- five years in the Jewish world. In this regard one full- volume of the Encyclopedia is dedicated solely to dynamic and rapidly developing Israel. Berenbaum stressed that the Encyclopedia strongly reflects the changes that Feminism have brought in the past thirty- five years. There are three hundred new entries devoted to Jewish women. Many major entries such as the Gershom Scholem entry on 'Jewish Mysticism' were republished but augmented by a report on the work that has occurred since. In the 'Jewish Mysticism ' area Scholem's work was complemented by the work of a leading figure in the field. Prof. Moshe Idel.
Berenbaum said that the world of Jewish learning has vastly expanded in the past thirty - five years. In 1972 there were only a few universities which had Jewish Studies programs. Now there are hundreds of scholars in the area. This means new work is being done in many different areas.
Berenbaum stresses the vastness of the world of Jewish learning, the impossibilty of any single scholar comprehending it. He is however filled with admiration for the creativity in all areas of life displayed by the Jewish people and believes this is reflected within the 'Encyclopedia' itself.
Berenbaum compliments the chief - editor of the work Fred Skolnik who he calls a Renaissance Man of Jewish studies. He notes that this update was done in two years but that it could have taken twenty. The relative speed is in part attributable to the new technologies ( Internet, E-mail, Fax) which did not exist thirty- five years ago
I cannot at this point honestly vouch for the quality of the work which has been done.I expect however that in months and years ahead I will be turning to the New Judaica. As one interested in the 'Jewish world' I cannot count the number of times the 1972 Edition provided vital information for my own work. I expect the new Judaica will do the same for many thousands of researchers, and readers.
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- Anne Frank Revisited...
- Ann Frank
- Amazing diary of a young woman
- A Powerful and Intimate Portrait
- Book Report: Diary of a Young Girl
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Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank
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Amazon.com
A beloved classic since its initial publication in 1947, this vivid, insightful journal is a fitting memorial to the gifted Jewish teenager who died at Bergen-Belsen, Germany, in 1945. Born in 1929, Anne Frank received a blank diary on her 13th birthday, just weeks before she and her family went into hiding in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. Her marvelously detailed, engagingly personal entries chronicle 25 trying months of claustrophobic, quarrelsome intimacy with her parents, sister, a second family, and a middle-aged dentist who has little tolerance for Anne's vivacity. The diary's universal appeal stems from its riveting blend of the grubby particulars of life during wartime (scant, bad food; shabby, outgrown clothes that can't be replaced; constant fear of discovery) and candid discussion of emotions familiar to every adolescent (everyone criticizes me, no one sees my real nature, when will I be loved?). Yet Frank was no ordinary teen: the later entries reveal a sense of compassion and a spiritual depth remarkable in a girl barely 15. Her death epitomizes the madness of the Holocaust, but for the millions who meet Anne through her diary, it is also a very individual loss. --Wendy Smith
Book Description
Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank's remarkable diary has since become a world classic -- a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the "Secret Annex" of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.
Customer Reviews:
Anne Frank Revisited..........2007-10-17
As just about every other student, I read The Diary of Anne Frank in middle school, probably during the 6th or 7th grade. I had a distant memory of it, but not much. Well, recently I watched Schindler's List and this got me re-interested in WWII, and especially the Holocaust. I read Night by Eli Wiesel (highly recommended) and decided to move on to The Diary of Anne Frank. Let me start by reviewing the book:
The Diary of Anne Frank is a diary of a young, Jewish girl (as the title obviously states, haha) whom is forced to go into hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation of Holland in the early 1940's. During this period, Jews were being segregated and even sent off to concentration camps by the Germans on a daily basis. When Anne's sister's name was next on the list, their father decided to take the family into hiding.
Aided by some of Otto's (Anne's father) former employees, the Franks seclude themselves in a small Annex of a business in Amsterdam. There, they are joined by the Van Daan family and later by an older gentleman, Mr. Dussel. Anne's diary chronicles their plight for the following two years, until they are discovered by the German secret police and ultimately sent to their death in Jewish concentration camps.
Anne addresses various topics, from their daily activities, to her interest in the son of the Van Daan's, Peter, to some of her inner most thoughts, fears, and aspirations. I have to share with you that I was EXTREMELY impressed with Anne's intelligence. I couldn't help but compare her to myself when I was only 15 years old and I am amazed not only at her intelligence but her strength to persevere during such horrible times. This young girl manages to keep faith in God and struggles with maintaining her morality, even as all around her she is witnessing a warped world full of sin, hatred and evil. I cannot say that in her shoes I would've reacted the same.
I encourage any reader to read and/or re-read The Diary of Anne Frank. You will be completely enveloped by her wit and warmth and are surely to fall in love with her.
Ann Frank.......2007-10-05
The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition is the diary Anne Frank a young Jewish girl growing up during World War II and the holocaust. Anne lives in Amsterdam with her mother, father, and sister Margot. When Anne is 13 she and her family must go into hiding to escape the Germans call ups, particularly one for Margot. They hide in the back of a warehouse where Otto (Anne's father) works. There are seven people at the beginning including the three van Daans an Anne and her family.
The diary reminds me of The Breadwinner which is about a young girl growing up in Afghanistan during the Taliban's rule. The main character must dress up as a boy when her father is arrested to earn money for her family. Unlike Anne's diary however this was written in modern day. They both had trouble getting food that they needed and lived in fear of getting arrested. Although they lived in different times the experiences of the girls were similar
After a bit Albert Dussel, a dentist, joins the group in, as it came to be known, the Secret Annex. Dussel became a bit annoying when he starts hiding food when the rest of the group need to get coupon books through the black market and are eating rotten potatoes and other foods. He did however give them dental checkups. Anne shared a room with Dussel when he came (before she shared with Margot) and was frequently woken up when he got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. "Mr. Dussel's Toilet Timetable" is some thing that Anne tacks to the bathroom door. "I might well have added "Transgressors will be subject to confinement!" Because our bathroom can be locked from both the inside and the outside." Is something Anne writes after the timetable.
Anne also makes friends with Peter van Dan and spends quite a few evenings in his attic bedroom because it has the only window that's not covered by a curtain. They become valuable resources for each other.
All in all this is a very good book and I highly recommend it.
Amazing diary of a young woman .......2007-10-01
Anne Frank is remembered for being a sweet young girl that went into hiding during the holocaust only to be found and sent to a concentration camp where she died 3 months befroe her 16th birthday. The time in between these two horrible events is full of fear, fights,learning, and love, basically life. This version of the diary has more material than the orginal, which some people think is too much, but it is what she wrote left alone. It has what she intended the book to be. It includes story from the restrictions put on her while she wasn't in hiding because she was Jewish to her chores that she did quietly in the Secret Annex such as peeling potatoes and rubbing beans. It is not always the most interesting book, but it does provoke thought. It's sad in the fact that you know how its going to end before you start, but Anne does not as she's wrting it. Anne Frank's writing surpass her age, she writes not as a stuborn teenager, but as an intelligent young woman.
A Powerful and Intimate Portrait.......2007-09-30
You know the storyline - a Jewish girl, her family, and some friends go into hiding for two years during the Nazi regime in Holland. Said girl writes her thoughts and observations of her life during this time in a diary, which is found and published after her death in a concentration camp. It has become a classic, and it was written by a young teenager.
My favorite aspect of this book will forever be Anne's powerful narrative voice. Her words speak, and more than that they smell and taste and touch. She gives her diary, "Kitty," an intimate portrait of life in the "Secret Annexe," both public and private - of the ups-and-downs of people's relationships, of her inner struggles and growth, of her love. Reading her diary is like looking through the window at the war from two perspectives - one from the outside in, at the life of a girl and a family who were sucked into the Nazi vacuum through no fault of their own; and the other from the inside out, at the crazy world war swirling around the epicenter of one fourteen-year-old girl.
Book Report: Diary of a Young Girl.......2007-09-30
This book tells an amazing story of a young girl living in Germany in World War II. And to think it was all a journal is amazing. Anne Frank, a brave young Jewish girl, spends two years hiding in the secret annex from the Nazis. Anne Frank started to keep this diary on her thirteenth birthday. She called her diary, Kitty. At the start of her diary, Anne describes fairly typical experiences, writing about her friendships with other girls, her crushes on boys.
Later, the Franks had moved to the Netherlands in the years leading up to World War II to escape persecution in Germany. They were forced into hiding with another family, the van Daans. There, they listened closely to the radio and everything that happened during the war. Anne kept up with everything that happened while she was there. It was very hard for her because she was separated from all her friends and her normal life style.
I suggest this book for all ages. It is a very inspirational story. It gives a different perspective on life.
-Hayley Robertson
6th period
10/4/07
Book Description
For sixty years, Jewish refugees and their descendants have prospered in the Federal District of Sitka, a "temporary" safe haven created in the wake of revelations of the Holocaust and the shocking 1948 collapse of the fledgling state of Israel. Proud, grateful, and longing to be American, the Jews of the Sitka District have created their own little world in the Alaskan panhandle, a vibrant, gritty, soulful, and complex frontier city that moves to the music of Yiddish. For sixty years they have been left alone, neglected and half-forgotten in a backwater of history. Now the District is set to revert to Alaskan control, and their dream is coming to an end: once again the tides of history threaten to sweep them up and carry them off into the unknown.
But homicide detective Meyer Landsman of the District Police has enough problems without worrying about the upcoming Reversion. His life is a shambles, his marriage a wreck, his career a disaster. He and his half-Tlingit partner, Berko Shemets, can't catch a break in any of their outstanding cases. Landsman's new supervisor is the love of his life—and also his worst nightmare. And in the cheap hotel where he has washed up, someone has just committed a murder—right under Landsman's nose. Out of habit, obligation, and a mysterious sense that it somehow offers him a shot at redeeming himself, Landsman begins to investigate the killing of his neighbor, a former chess prodigy. But when word comes down from on high that the case is to be dropped immediately, Landsman soon finds himself contending with all the powerful forces of faith, obsession, hopefulness, evil, and salvation that are his heritage—and with the unfinished business of his marriage to Bina Gelbfish, the one person who understands his darkest fears.
At once a gripping whodunit, a love story, an homage to 1940s noir, and an exploration of the mysteries of exile and redemption, The Yiddish Policemen's Union is a novel only Michael Chabon could have written.
Customer Reviews:
Slow-starter but good.......2007-10-10
After slogging my way through Yiddish references ad infinitum, this book finally got good after the halfway mark. I was disappointed as it wasn't nearly as engaging as his other books. (Maybe if I had a strong Jewish heritage, I would have enjoyed it more.)
Another Classic From Chabon.......2007-10-09
If you loved Summerland, Wonder Boys, Mysteries of Pittsburgh order The Yiddish Policemen's Union today. Chabon delivers another classic.
Go With the Flow.......2007-10-09
Like many reviewers, I found this book hard to follow, but I gave it a chance and found myself getting into the flow of the story. What I was confused about, I let go, and then I was swept into the telling of an amazing tale. I eventually found it hard to put down.
After finishing the book this morning, one of the wonderful things I love about reading happened regarding the journey it takes you on and the connections it forges. I watched Bill Moyers Journal which I had taped and was amazed to watch the short film about John Hagee and CUFI, Christians United for Israel and Moyers' discussion with Rabbi Michael Lerner and Dr. Timothy Weber. Suddenly Michael Chabon's story did not seem so outlandish. Suddenly I was sore afraid.
Disappointed.......2007-10-01
I heard so many good things about Chabon that I decided to read his new book. I am struggling. It is hard to understand--too many Yiddish phrases that I don't comprehend. I have lots of Jewish friends, so you would think that something would be familiar. Oh well, I will try to finish this book as I hate to give up on anything, but it will be hard. Don't think I will try Chabon's other books.
Too Cutsey.......2007-09-24
Hard to fathom and follow, thanks to too many cutesy Yiddish expressions and associations. And I'm familiar with Yiddish.
Average customer rating:
- Struggling to Read this book
- Informative, but Not a Very Compelling Story
- Best Richard North Patterson book to date
- Not-so-classic Patterson
- a balanced view of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict
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Exile
Richard North Patterson
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Contemporary
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Patterson, Richard North
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ASIN: 0805079475
Release Date: 2007-01-09 |
Book Description
From one of America's most compelling novelists comes the mesmerizing story of a lawyer who must defend the woman he loves against a charge of conspiring to assassinate the prime minister of IsraelDavid Wolfe's life is approaching an exhilarating peak: he's a successful San Francisco lawyer, he's about to get married, and he's being primed for a run for Congress. But when the phone rings and he hears the voice of Hana Arif-the Palestinian woman with whom he had a secret affair in law school-he begins a completely unexpected journey. The next day, the prime minister of Israel is assassinated by a suicide bomber while visiting San Francisco; soon, Hana herself is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder. Now David faces an agonizing choice: Will he, a Jew, represent Hana-who may well be guilty-or will he turn away the one woman he can never forget? The most challenging case of David's career requires that he delve deep into the lives of Hana Arif and her militant Palestinian husband, both of whom have always lived in exile. Ultimately, David's quest takes him to Israel and the West Bank, where, in a series of harrowing encounters, he learns that appearances are not at all what they seem. Culminating in a tense and startling trial with international ramifications, Exile is that rare novel that both entertains and enlightens. At once an intricate tale of betrayal and deception, a moving love story, and a fascinating journey into the lethal politics of the Middle East, this is Richard North Patterson at his most brilliant and engrossing.
Customer Reviews:
Struggling to Read this book.......2007-10-17
I have read most-if not all- of Richard North Patterson's books. I was very excited to get this book and begin reading. This has to be the most difficult read I've had in a very long time. I've been reading it for a few weeks and am only 1/3 of the way through.
The book is too long, has too much detail on the Israel / Palestinian conflict and is slow moving...at least to the point I am at.
I'm not dissappointed to the point of giving up. I know at some point this book will pick up & be readable...but WHEN???
Informative, but Not a Very Compelling Story.......2007-10-12
EXILE is pretty much an excuse for Richard North Patterson to explore issues related to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. I found this book quite educational, and it's clear Patterson did a huge amount of research in how Jews and Palestinians currently live and think. If you're curious about life in modern day Israel, Patterson does a great job of re-creating it for the reader. I almost felt like I was there myself.
Unfortunately, as another reviewer noted, EXILE reads more like a lecture than an actual story. For the most part, I found the plot to be quite slow moving, and the characters quite cardboard. None of the characters talk in a realistic manner -- instead, they endlessly debate each other and speechify about their political point of view. The lack of believable, in-depth characterization made this book a rather dry experience in the end.
In particular, I found the "romance" in EXILE between the Jewish lawyer David Wolfe and Palestinian Hana Arif to be completely unconvincing. I didn't believe for a minute that Wolfe would throw his entire career away to defend this woman. This is an unfortunate shortcoming, since the romance is supposed to be the emotional centerpiece of the novel.
In short, EXILE is enjoyable at an intellectual level, and I would recommend it to readers who are looking for such an experience. But if you're interested in exciting storytelling that affects your emotions, this novel will probably not satisfy you.
Best Richard North Patterson book to date.......2007-10-10
I have enjoyed, and re-read, all of Richard North Patterson's books--but this is in my opinion his best to date. Anyone interested in, bewildered by, scared of, what goes on in the middle east -- as well as enjoying a good read -- should read this. You may not like all the opinions and viewpoints, you may not like some of the characters, but you will certainly do a lot of thinking.
Along the same lines, I recomment John Le Carre's "Little Drummer Girl".
Not-so-classic Patterson.......2007-10-07
There was once a time when Richard North Patterson wrote straight thrillers and was one of the better at them. In recent times, however, his books have turned much more political, focusing on hot button topics like abortion, gun control and the death penalty. Exile continues with this trend, with a story about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Patterson's books may be getting more controversial, but they're not necessarily getting better.
The protagonist in Exile is David Wolfe, a secular Jewish lawyer in San Francisco who seems to have it all: he's successful, he is about to marry a beautiful woman who he loves (and who is more devoutly Jewish) and he's about to embark on the political career that he's aspired to. Into this ideal life pops an old lover from his college days: Hana Arif, a Palestinian. Their star-crossed romance ended because of her arranged marriage to Saeb, a Muslim with rather extreme views. Hana is in the United States along with her husband and daughter, speaking out against Israeli policy.
A terrorist attack in San Francisco kills the visiting Israeli Prime Minister and Hana is implicated through hearsay and circumstantial evidence. Despite his better judgment, David becomes her lawyer, destroying his political career and threatening his engagement. The case involves a possibly large conspiracy, and David will eventually need to travel to Israel to seek important evidence.
Compared with his other recent books in which Patterson definitely supports a particular viewpoint, his treatment of this conflict is much more evenhanded, which is sure to anger people on both sides. I can live with politically slanted stories - even if I don't agree with the politics - but the stories need to actually be good. While I agree with a lot of what Patterson says, this novel is just average.
It seems Patterson is more interested in lecturing than in entertaining. From a storytelling standpoint, this book has issues, with the foremost being the relationship between David and Hana. I never really understood why the two of them were so deeply in love; their conversations seem to only focus on Israeli-Palestinian issues (which they do not fully agree on) and I could never see where they emotionally linked. Lust, I could see, but not love. In addition, Patterson gives us a plot twist towards the end of the book; sadly, most readers will have figured it out long before David, and it's implausible that David would not have even guessed the possibility of this twist long before he actually did.
The biggest problem, however, is that this book feels more like an educational piece that is told in story form to make it easier to take. That is, I felt that the plot was almost incidental. For a book that tops 700 pages (in paperback), that's asking a lot of the reader, and my patience was tried more than once. Patterson has enough skill to make Exile passable, but this is not a good book. If you're a Patterson fan, this one is a disappointment.
a balanced view of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.......2007-09-28
Exile is the most balanced view I have ever read on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in either fiction or non-fiction literature. The characters are well developed and sympathetic. The story albeit somewhat predictable is an easy and enjoyable read. What better way to learn about the history of two peoples.
Amazon.com
In 1988, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin undertook a mission to heal "Jewish ignorance," an affliction whose symptoms include the ability to name the three components of the Trinity, coupled with an inability to explain mitzvah. Telushkin's contribution to the cure is his wide-ranging, entertaining Jewish Literacy. First published in 1991, Jewish Literacy contains almost 350 entries on subjects ranging from the Ten Commandments to The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Entries are numbered (for easy, encyclopedia-style reference) and organized topically (to smooth the experience of reading each page straight through). And the revised edition contains several new entries (including articles about the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the vice-presidential nomination of Joseph Lieberman) as well as numerous corrections, enlargements, and updates. One might expect Rabbi Telushkin's project of inspiring Jewish literacy to be overly earnest, but the author's understated wit adds considerable levity to most entries. The entry on "Sodom and Gomorrah," for instance, ends this way: "A number of years ago, some Israeli promoters of tourism suggested transforming the modern city of Sodom into a tourist haven with casinos, nightclubs, and even strip shows. The Chief Rabbinate in Israel sharply demurred, warning that there was nothing to prevent God from destroying the city a second time. The plan was dropped." --Michael Joseph Gross
Book Description
How much do you know about Judaism?
- How did the Ten Lost Tribes become lost ?
- Are circumcisions performed on the Sabbath ?
- Which country first granted Jews equal rights ?
- When was polygamy outlawed for Jews ?
- Why does Jewish law compare gossiping to murder ?
You'll find the answers to these questions -- and much more -- in this insightful and comprehensive guide. Written by esteemed rabbi and bestselling author Joseph Telushkin, Jewish Literacy has become one of the most respected and widely used reference books on Jewish life, culture, religion, and tradition. Now revised and updated, this fascinating volume distills a vast body of scholarship into 348 short, readable chapters, making the rich and complex history of Judaism accessible to any reader.
Organized by subject, the book's fifteen sections include:
History and Contemporary Life
From the biblical and Talmudic periods through the Spanish Inquisition to modern times, with special sections on the Holocaust, Israel, and American-Jewish life.
Beliefs, Ethics, and Rituals
From monotheism to Judaism's views on the afterlife, "chosenness," and human relations with God; ethical concerns ranging from the proper treatment of animals to the real meaning of "an eye for an eye"; along with explanations of the major prayers and synagogue practices.
Jewish Holidays and Life Cycle
The origins and distinctive customs of each holiday, and the rites sanctifying every major life event from circumcision and baby naming to burial and mourning.
Answers to the questions from the front flap:
- They were dispersed when the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 B.C.E. (see Chapter 45).
- The United States (see Chapter 203).
- Around 1000 C.E., when it was proscribed by Rabbi Gershom; however, most Sephardic Jews did not accept the ban (see Chapter 95).
- Because gossip, like murder, can do irrevocable damage (see Chapter 271).
Customer Reviews:
Nice survey.......2007-10-10
This book is intended for people, Jew or non Jew, to whet their appetite into the vast storehouse of Jewish history and all things that pertain to Jews in literature. I thought that it was (tob), good. The vastness of our history and literature is beyond reach in this life time. So, suffice to say, their exist certain fountains of knowledge such as this book that helps us mere mortals gain a foothold into our past. I want to say that this book could be used like, cliff notes, but that would trivialize the Rabbi's hard work. Nay, this book is needed and handy for a quick glance into Judaism past it is well written but like all surveys it makes you desire more.
It's a must have.
Shalom
Informative but some "don't go there" moments.......2007-09-25
In general, this was a good book. It is well-written, informative and intelligent. My only criticism is that the Rabbi's statements on Christianity and Islam were not always accurate of fair. (In fairness, these misinterpretations often come from the followers of the religions themselves.) If you keep these biases in mind this is a wonderful book.
Wonderful.......2007-09-24
This book is terrific. Absolutely terrific. Rabbi Telushkin is simply an incredible writer. This book should be read by everyone who is Jewish as well as by everyone who is interested in world religions.
God vs. G-d,etc. by a Rabbi who is a Rabbi(not a "rabbi").......2007-09-11
I remember when I first started seeing God spelled G-d,never having a clue what the reason was-and bumbling my way to some type of mystical bs answer that pissed me off;I don't remember how long my "explanation" predated this book,but I was pissed off until I finally saw the real answer:(p.56-57)"The Third Commandment also has not fared well in English:Lo tissa et shem Ha-Shem Eloheikha la-shav is usually translated as "You shall not take the Lord your God's name in vain."Many people think that this means that you have to write God as G-D,or that it is blasphemous to say words such as "goddamn".Even if these assumptions are correct,it's still hard to figure out what makes this offense so heinous that it's included in the document that forbids murdering,stealing,idolatry,and adultery.However,the Hebrew,Lo tissa,literally means "You shall not carry(God's name in vain);in other words,don't use God as your justification in selfish causes.The Third Commandment is the only one concerning which God says,"for the Lord God will not forgive him who carries His name in vain"(Exodus 20:6-7).The reason now seems to be clear.When a person commits an evil act,he discredits himself.But when a religious person commits an evil act in the name of God,he or she discredits God as well.And since God relies on religious people to bring knowledge of Him into the world,he pronounces the sin unpardonable."Amen.
One of the worst books I have ever read........2007-08-07
Before I express the criticism from my title I should begin by saying that this book is well written and very informative. It contains a lot of really interesting information about Judaism and were it not for the profound biases and ignorance of its author I might even rank it among one of the better books I have read recently.
In order to understand why I so thoroughly dislike this book it might actually help to briefly discuss another book that really has nothing to do with this one. A few years ago I read Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy - another good book with a very similar abysmal nature. My issue with Russell is his utter dismissal of any other view point from his own. Thus Nietzsche is dismissed after only a page. Schopenhauer is rendered inconsequential while fundamental thinkers such as Kirkegaard and Wittgenstein are ignored. Meanwhile trivial thinks such as Dewey are praised because they agree with Russell's own positions. So while the book is well written, the general sense of history and context is brilliant, unless you already know something about philosophy, and can escape the many pitfalls, Russell's text is one to be avoided. And if you do know something it ends up seeming somewhat pathetic.
I have pretty much the same critique of Jewish Literacy by Telushkin. Yes this is a well written book. Yes there is a lot that is good here. A reader who wants to know a little something about Judaism and is willing to consult it more like a dictionary than a reading it cover to cover (like I did) might get some value from owning this book. If you want to occasionally look up different holiday's or get some brief illumination regarding Torah passages or even know a little something more about thinkers like Maimonides or Rabbi Feinstein this is a good introductory source.
What you don't want to do is think of this as having any value when it comes to that can be in any way impartial. Telushkin is an Orthodox Rabbi, so I guess I can forgive some of his opinions in much the same way I can forgive say... Pat Robertson some of his ignorant and backwards positions simply by say well... he is a Southern Baptist he probably doesn't know better.
As an example upon finishing this I was shocked and dismayed to discover that I am an Anti-Semite. I admit to not being Jewish. I can't help that my father's father was Jewish but that is matrilineally irrelevant. But felt that my admiration of so many Jewish writers, thinkers, artists and friends that I actually took the time to well... anee m'daber ktzat eevreet. But it turns out that according to Telushkin that anybody who has even the smallest criticism of Israel is Anti-Zionist and because of this also an Anti-Semite struck me as well... unkind. Or said another way, if disapproving of Israeli missiles killing unarmed Lebanese civilians, or disliking the racist and apartheid policies directed against the Palestinian population makes me an Anti-Semite the so be it; I guess I am one.
Some of his positions such as the position that only Orthodox Jews are really Jews, while Reform Jews and Conservative Jews aren't, seem to be just part of the overall position of Orthodoxy and can probably be ignored in pretty much the same way that say Ann Coulter's position that Democrats and Liberals are un-American are equally as bigoted and unfounded.
In fact if it makes my dislike of this book any easier to understand, just imagine a history of America written by an right-wing republican, then transfer the narrative into a history of Judaism. The same points would be covered 1) The troubled early years and the politically safe interpretation 2) The historical justifications for contemporary amorality 3) The veiled denouncing of political opponents 4) One hell of a lot of revisionism and glossing over.
So yes. I did not like this book. It was at times a fun read. There were a couple of funny anecdotes that I told some of my friends. I did learn a fair bit that I didn't know. The book was well written and kept my interest enough so that it only took me three days to finish reading, like I said cover to cover. But I would never recommend it to anyone. And to the people who do read it, I say be careful, read between the lines because while the author seems reasonable he really is not.
Book Description
"Welcome to the Faith Club. We're three mothers from three faiths -- Islam, Christianity, and Judaism -- who got together to write a picture book for our children that would highlight the connections between our religions. But no sooner had we started talking about our beliefs and how to explain them to our children than our differences led to misunderstandings. Our project nearly fell apart."
After September 11th, Ranya Idliby, an American Muslim of Palestinian descent, faced constant questions about Islam, God, and death from her children, the only Muslims in their classrooms. Inspired by a story about Muhammad, Ranya reached out to two other mothers -- a Christian and a Jew -- to try to understand and answer these questions for her children. After just a few meetings, however, it became clear that the women themselves needed an honest and open environment where they could admit -- and discuss -- their concerns, stereotypes, and misunderstandings about one another. After hours of soul-searching about the issues that divided them, Ranya, Suzanne, and Priscilla grew close enough to discover and explore what united them.
The Faith Club is a memoir of spiritual reflections in three voices that will make readers feel as if they are eavesdropping on the authors' private conversations, provocative discussions, and often controversial opinions and conclusions. The authors wrestle with the issues of anti-Semitism, prejudice against Muslims, and preconceptions of Christians at a time when fundamentalists dominate the public face of Christianity. They write beautifully and affectingly of their families, their losses and grief, their fears and hopes for themselves and their loved ones. And as the authors reveal their deepest beliefs, readers watch the blossoming of a profound interfaith friendship and the birth of a new way of relating to others.
In a final chapter, they provide detailed advice on how to start a faith club: the questions to ask, the books to read, and most important, the open-minded attitude to maintain in order to come through the experience with an enriched personal faith and understanding of others.
Pioneering, timely, and deeply thoughtful, The Faith Club's caring message will resonate with people of all faiths.
For more information or to start your own faith club visit www.thefaithclub.com
Customer Reviews:
What is "faith?".......2007-10-14
What I didn't see in this book is how "faith" translated into relationship with God within each of the three religious paths. While there were discussions of how their religions made them feel good/comforted them, I didn't see how God transformed them into his image. It seemed to be more about creating God/Allah in images they could be comfortable with - "I couldn't believe in a God who...would require particular rituals such as prayer/require belief in original sin, etc.
What does it mean to believe? If God created us (rather than vice versa) then what does he require of us? How does God speak to us and guide us when we stray? Because if we don't stray (no such thing as original sin after all and God loves us all just the way we are and we don't need to bend our wills to his) why do we need God at all? In which case, any road truly will lead home after all.
The Faith Club.......2007-10-11
I bought this book when on a business trip and looking for something to read in the evenings. I thought it would be a "soft" book to use as a "sleeping pill," as it were. In reality, it is an excellently written book on the journey of three women of different religions who discover, through the process of "agreeing to disagree," that their "religions" are in reality the same faith. In the beginning, one of the women describes them as "one having a religion with no faith, one a faith with no religion, and one having both." The three women set out to explore their differences and their similarities -- arguing, discussing, and perhaps even compromising -- until they find themselves supporting each other in their differences. I believe their method could be applied to other "differences" as well. Our media and our politics (as well as our religions) have become too egocentric and not willing to honestly explore what people of the opposite party really think, believe, and want. Read this book, discover the process, and "agree to disagree."
Faith Club.......2007-09-17
My wife purchased this book and is reading it for a book club. I heard her tell a friend that she loved this book.
The Faith Club.......2007-09-13
This book was full of good information and challenged me to think about my faith and to acknowledge the similarity between all three of these faiths.
As a Christian I was disturbed by the fact that the Christian seemed to give up some of the basic Christian tenets (that Jesus is truly the son of God and the way to salvation)but that did not ruin the intellectual\spiritual challenges of the book. I could discuss the topics of this book for years.
One Book; Three Pespectives.......2007-08-24
This was an informative yet personal book about the challenge of living in a diverse culture during a time of religious and political debate. Hearing the three women's voices alternatively helped to reveal different viewpoints and interpretations of the events and policies that affect us all. I appreciated some of the new information I read about Palestinians in particular. Yet more than gaining great new knowledge, I gained a broader perspective and deeper insight into many of today's most pressing national and international issues. At the same time, I was given the opportunity to glimpse into the homelife and family life of three different families dealing with three different realities and backgrounds. Fascinating, personal, introspective and heartwarming!
Amazon.com
Daniel Mendelsohn's The Lost is the deeply personal account of a search for one family among his larger family, the one barely spoken of, only to say they were "killed by the Nazis." Mendelsohn, even as a boy, was always the one interested in his family's history, but when he came upon a set of letters from his great uncle Schmiel, pleading for help from his American relatives as the Nazi grip on the lives of Jews in their Polish town became tighter and tighter, he set out to find what had happened to that lost family. The result is both memoir and history, an ambitious and gorgeously meditative detective story that takes him across the globe in search of the lost threads of these few almost forgotten lives.
A whole culture lies behind the story Mendelsohn tells, and a lifetime of reading as well. For our Grownup School feature, he has given us a tour of some of the books behind his own, in a list he calls 10 Great Novels of Family History, the Holocaust, New York Jewish Life (And Other Things That Helped Me Write My Book). And you can watch his own moving introduction to the book in this short video:
Watch Daniel Mendelsohn introduce The Lost: high bandwidth or low bandwidth |
Book Description
In this rich and riveting narrative, a writer's search for the truth behind his family's tragic past in World War II becomes a remarkably original epic—part memoir, part reportage, part mystery, and part scholarly detective work—that brilliantly explores the nature of time and memory, family and history.
The Lost begins as the story of a boy who grew up in a family haunted by the disappearance of six relatives during the Holocaust—an unmentionable subject that gripped his imagination from earliest childhood. Decades later, spurred by the discovery of a cache of desperate letters written to his grandfather in 1939 and tantalized by fragmentary tales of a terrible betrayal, Daniel Mendelsohn sets out to find the remaining eyewitnesses to his relatives' fates. That quest eventually takes him to a dozen countries on four continents, and forces him to confront the wrenching discrepancies between the histories we live and the stories we tell. And it leads him, finally, back to the small Ukrainian town where his family's story began, and where the solution to a decades-old mystery awaits him.
Deftly moving between past and present, interweaving a world-wandering odyssey with childhood memories of a now-lost generation of immigrant Jews and provocative ruminations on biblical texts and Jewish history, The Lost transforms the story of one family into a profound, morally searching meditation on our fragile hold on the past. Deeply personal, grippingly suspenseful, and beautifully written, this literary tour de force illuminates all that is lost, and found, in the passage of time.
Customer Reviews:
THE LOST: A SEARCH FOR SIX OF THE SIX MILLION.......2007-10-17
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author manages to make it funny and entertaining even though the subject matter is sober. He makes it funny talking about his relatives from the USA. Having lived on the East Coast as a child, I can see the humor.
His tenacity in locating his lost relatives is amazing and I enjoyed the journey with him. I would and have recommended this book.
A very powerful, wonderful book!.......2007-10-01
The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million
I read a lot (about 1-2 books per week) and this is by far the best book I have ever read. It is SO powerful and poignant. It is a book about healing from the horrors of the holocaust, how it affected the family of survivors and their descendants here in the US and how one descendant, searchin for his lost relatives helped start the healing process. This book is also very good for those interested in genealogy work.
I got lost reading "The Lost".......2007-09-24
The book seem to mesmerize me with its many fragile old photos. I soon found myself frustrated and lost due to the author's lack captions for the photos -- frankly, it was maddening. Oftentimes photos were not even placed within the text properly.
This book was in desperate need of a good editor: (1) organize the photos, (2) edit the rambling run-on sentences, (3) get rid of the overuse of parenthetical remarks, etc.
At first I read the biblical sections and enjoyed reading about Rashi, etc. but later on I skipped these portions because they dragged the pace of the story and could not hold my attention.
This was one of the most frustrating books I have ever read and the victims were buried twice: first in Eastern Poland and then within this book with its myriad details and a most obsessive, jumpy and horrible author. Sorry... that's how bad this experience was for me. This guy desperately needed an editor.
Where oh, where is Elie Wiesel when I need him?
Don't waste your time........2007-09-22
This book is entirely too slow. It seems to just repeat the same thing in every chapter. I agree with the the other review that says this is just an extended guide on Jewish genealogy. Very disappointed.
A Must Read.......2007-09-16
This is a page turner with characters that every Jewish baby boomer will be able to identify with. On every page you will find one of your relatives, friends of your parents or the parents of your friends. It is beautifully written and difficult to catagorize. It is neither a mystery or a memoir, a history or a biography, but it is all of the aforementioned. I found myself very emotionally involved in the story and I even found myself and my parents in the book. Read it.
Average customer rating:
- Hilarious if ultimately a one-joke enterprise
- Eye-opening, politically-incorrect and challenging satire.
- If anyone should be in jail it should be the author of this satire.
- How would you like your sacred cow?
- The humor ends pretty quickly
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My Holocaust: A Novel
Tova Reich
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Satire, General
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Historical
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ASIN: 0061173452
Release Date: 2007-04-03 |
Book Description
A satire on the culture of victim glorification and Holocaust memory exploitation, My Holocaust follows the careers of the father–son team, Maurice and Norman Messer, who know a good product when they see it. That product is the Holocaust–and Maurice, a survivor with a self–enhancing inflated personal history, and Norman, enjoying vicarious victimhood as a participant in the second–generation movement, proceed to market it enthusiastically. Not even the disappearance of Nechama, Norman's daughter and Maurice's granddaughter, into the Carmelite convent at Auschwitz, where she is transformed into a nun, Sister Consolatia of the Cross, deters them from pushing their agenda. The novel follows them on a tour of the Auschwitz–Birkenau death camp, which Maurice, now the driving force behind the most powerful Holocaust memorialization institution in the U.S., organizes to soften up a major potential donor, and which Norman takes advantage of to embark on a surrealistic search for his daughter.
The novel reaches its climax in the takeover of the U.S. Holocaust museum by a coalition of self–styled victims all seeking Holocaust status, bringing together a large cast of characters from every side of the spectrum–from Holocaust wannabees (African and Native Americans, Muslims, women, etc.) to Holocaust professionals– who proceed to mindlessly sacrifice their own children and drain all meaning from suffering and memory in the fevered competition to win the grand prize.
Customer Reviews:
Hilarious if ultimately a one-joke enterprise.......2007-06-19
I feel ungrateful not giving more stars to a novel that made me laugh as much as this one did but it's not a completely successful venture. The author is a true satrist with a real, stinging wit and you can read her book as a sort of breezy riff on the explotation of tragedies/victimhood but it's not really a developed novel. The characters aren't formed, they're just there to make points. That's fine but the downside is that the book feels slight and doesn't linger. I kept wishing that Reich had really brought the characters to loony life (a la "A Confederacy of Dunces"). Still, this is a really talented writer and I can't wait to read her next book.
Eye-opening, politically-incorrect and challenging satire........2007-06-17
MY HOLOCAUST isn't the usual nonfiction account one would expect: it's a fictional satire packed with social commentary, and its premise is certain to spark debate, interest and controversy. Here other minorities and causes want to profit from the Holocaust and its attention - and two opportunity-driven businessmen make their living peddling the Holocaust to groups that seek status through victimization. A Holocaust Museum effort backfires when terrorists try to take over the memorial in this eye-opening, politically-incorrect and challenging satire.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
If anyone should be in jail it should be the author of this satire........2007-06-16
I think it is discussing to trivialize any massive massacre in human history. Amazon sells "Lectures on the Holocaust" by Germar Rudolf which is a revisionist classic that questions the Holocaust facts in a scholarly and academic and non-hateful and very loving way. Yet the author, Germar Rudolf, is in jail in Germany for THOUGHT CRIMES for writing "Lectures on the Holocaust." If anyone should be in jail it should be the author of this satire. Shame on her! BUT, I give high marks for her unique writing style.
How would you like your sacred cow?.......2007-06-03
An A for effort - great writing, a sharp eye for detail, and the brazen concept. The author bravely goes to the edge - and then jumps right off. The first 3/4 of this book contain some brilliant bits of savagely funny satire - there were several times when I put the book down and just laughed for a minute or two. Loses steam and becomes tiresome in the last 100 pages.
The humor ends pretty quickly.......2007-04-20
I do not object to a humorous book about the exploitation of the Holocaust. There is no doubt that the Holocaust has made too many scoundrels rich and famous. There is also no doubt that it deserves a comic treatment, at least as part of a normalization of the abnormal.
At first the novel is indeed funny, hilariously so. It is no crime on the part of the author to be unable to keep this up for the whole length of the book. The humor quickly ends and the rest of the novel is deadly dull. I am in no position to complain about this, there is considerable talent in this book. It just cannot sustain itself long enough to be taken seriously. Nice try thought.
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Books Index
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MY FATHER'S SECRET WAR: A MEMOIR
Sala's Gift: My Mother's Holocaust Story
The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: My Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World
The Diary of Petr Ginz
