Scan barcode
alees's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
4.0
Incredibly smart, thoughtful, and important. And also rambling.
"I had mistaken the enormous public interest in past Jewish suffering for a sign of respect for living Jews. I was very wrong."
"One cannot be true to the human existence while pretending to make sense of the world."
"I had mistaken the enormous public interest in past Jewish suffering for a sign of respect for living Jews. I was very wrong."
"One cannot be true to the human existence while pretending to make sense of the world."
youngthespian42's review
5.0
This book is devastating and haunting. I had to read it one chapter a day because I was so tired and overwhelmed with how the author portrays her people’s collective history and struggle. She slices into America notions of “doing the right thing” by the Jewish people with medical precision.
The true history of Anne Frank, Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof, and Shylock from Merchant of Venice are not spared by Horn as she exposed the stories we tell ourselves about Dead Jews to feel better about ourselves. It ends as she explain Yiddish literary tradition ends: without closure, a call to action, or feel good moment. Read this book.
The true history of Anne Frank, Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof, and Shylock from Merchant of Venice are not spared by Horn as she exposed the stories we tell ourselves about Dead Jews to feel better about ourselves. It ends as she explain Yiddish literary tradition ends: without closure, a call to action, or feel good moment. Read this book.
jlblumenfeld's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Antisemitism
nitsabean's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
It's with no small amount of irony that I say, this is just for us... Not to discourage others from reading it.
Being Jewish can be quite isolating at times, and I've found that certain works will sometimes shift everything for a bit, and you get a reprieve from the constant slight discomfort of thinking and feeling just a little bit off from the world around you. This did that for me.
People without a Jewish background could absolutely benefit from reading this... But, I imagine it will make them uncomfortable.
Being Jewish can be quite isolating at times, and I've found that certain works will sometimes shift everything for a bit, and you get a reprieve from the constant slight discomfort of thinking and feeling just a little bit off from the world around you. This did that for me.
People without a Jewish background could absolutely benefit from reading this... But, I imagine it will make them uncomfortable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Genocide, and Antisemitism
dasbooch's review
5.0
A masterpiece. This is a series of essays on various and diverse topics relating to antisemitism and Jews today. It was deeply moving and inspiring. It was often painful and I needed to take a break from this short and well written work. She visits the Anne Frank House and their bizarre treatment of Jewish employees, the attempts by researchers to preserve information on Jewish communities that were ethnically cleansed from Middle Eastern Countries, wrestles with the way Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is defended and more. I recommend this to anyone who wants to understand antisemitism today.