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doc_erinnicole's review
5.0
I live very close to Squirrel Hill. I take a bus through the neighborhood several times a week on my way to work. Since moving to Pittsburgh, I have been curious about Squirrel Hill-- it's history and the tragedy that occurred within it. So when I saw a review of this book in the NYT, I knew I had to get it (and I knew I had to purchase it from a SH bookstore).
Oppenheimer is an incredible storyteller. Parts of it read almost like oral history. I learned some fun facts that I will now randomly throw out when walking on Forbes (the Dunkin' Donuts is kosher! Did you know there's a Jewish biker gang in PGH called Mazel Tuffs?!) I appreciated his in-depth analysis on how SH came to be and how it continues to keep its Jewish identity (spoiler alert: it includes some racist redlining polices because...of course).
Oppenheimer really captured the chaos of the days, months, years after a national tragedy. The trauma tourists. The want for appropriate messaging. As the author says succinctly, "the good intentions and bad ideas". Every community has fractures and after the shooting those pieces within the Jewish community were both mended together and torn apart. I appreciated the time spent with the victims and their families. I teared up and cried while reading this book more than I have with any other. My level of emotionality surprised me. I am not Jewish but I am a part of a community that is terrorized by White supremacists and racists on a regular basis so maybe there is a piece of marginalized communal trauma in there for me.
The intersectional portions really spoke to me. His description of Black students at Allderdice High School having no idea what had happened at The Tree of Life and their complicated feelings of having empathy for the victims but also frustration/anger that society seemed less interested in the killing of Black people (such as Antwon Rose who was killed by a police officer in PGH). It's a complicated amalgamation of pain, hurt, fear, anger that I know all too well because I have felt it too. I would have liked to have more of this approach (for instance, more Asian international students are moving into the neighborhood and this population shift is changing the landscape of the main shopping center [lots more Asian eateries-- which I'm absolutely not complaining about] and I'm curious how this new, younger, transient, Asian student population is integrating and contrasting with SH dwellers who have lived there for generations). But I also realize going into all of these intersectional pieces would have taken away from Oppenheimer's overall thesis. Perhaps that's another book for another time.
It's sad to read the fate of The Tree of Life and how as the congregation dwindles, its future is in jeopardy. I am not a religious person but something about that made me really feel for the members and the Jewish community of Squirrel Hill as a whole.
Highly recommend.
Oppenheimer is an incredible storyteller. Parts of it read almost like oral history. I learned some fun facts that I will now randomly throw out when walking on Forbes (the Dunkin' Donuts is kosher! Did you know there's a Jewish biker gang in PGH called Mazel Tuffs?!) I appreciated his in-depth analysis on how SH came to be and how it continues to keep its Jewish identity (spoiler alert: it includes some racist redlining polices because...of course).
Oppenheimer really captured the chaos of the days, months, years after a national tragedy. The trauma tourists. The want for appropriate messaging. As the author says succinctly, "the good intentions and bad ideas". Every community has fractures and after the shooting those pieces within the Jewish community were both mended together and torn apart. I appreciated the time spent with the victims and their families. I teared up and cried while reading this book more than I have with any other. My level of emotionality surprised me. I am not Jewish but I am a part of a community that is terrorized by White supremacists and racists on a regular basis so maybe there is a piece of marginalized communal trauma in there for me.
The intersectional portions really spoke to me. His description of Black students at Allderdice High School having no idea what had happened at The Tree of Life and their complicated feelings of having empathy for the victims but also frustration/anger that society seemed less interested in the killing of Black people (such as Antwon Rose who was killed by a police officer in PGH). It's a complicated amalgamation of pain, hurt, fear, anger that I know all too well because I have felt it too. I would have liked to have more of this approach (for instance, more Asian international students are moving into the neighborhood and this population shift is changing the landscape of the main shopping center [lots more Asian eateries-- which I'm absolutely not complaining about] and I'm curious how this new, younger, transient, Asian student population is integrating and contrasting with SH dwellers who have lived there for generations). But I also realize going into all of these intersectional pieces would have taken away from Oppenheimer's overall thesis. Perhaps that's another book for another time.
It's sad to read the fate of The Tree of Life and how as the congregation dwindles, its future is in jeopardy. I am not a religious person but something about that made me really feel for the members and the Jewish community of Squirrel Hill as a whole.
Highly recommend.
alexdpar's review
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.5
I’ve finished reading this while watching the coverage of the January 6th Committee. And all I can think about is how this country has crumbled in allowing for the takeover of militaristic Christian nationalism, inspiring killers like the one who sought to eliminate the Jews at Tree of Life in Squirrel Hill.
Regardless of such connections, this book is long, factual, and just. It looks to the restorative post-shooting process, doing a service not only to the victims, but to the community. It weaves the stories of dozens together in a beautiful narrative that recounts the grand tale of American Jewry while also detailing the struggles of modern U.S. Judaism. By every means it is worth reading - one gains an insight into the spiritual healing of High Holy Days and how different people handle trauma differently, even when one common identity is assumed.
Regardless of such connections, this book is long, factual, and just. It looks to the restorative post-shooting process, doing a service not only to the victims, but to the community. It weaves the stories of dozens together in a beautiful narrative that recounts the grand tale of American Jewry while also detailing the struggles of modern U.S. Judaism. By every means it is worth reading - one gains an insight into the spiritual healing of High Holy Days and how different people handle trauma differently, even when one common identity is assumed.
sfredberg's review
4.0
I still think of Squirrel Hill as home, and though it was obviously heartbreaking to read so many familiar names, locations, and references, it was also a reminder that my Jewish identity is intrinsically linked to Pittsburgh. So many people in this book (Rabbi Ron Symons, Rabbi Jamie Gibson, and Sara Stock Mayo, to name a few) shaped me as a Jewish adult, but it was also Community Day School, the kosher Dunkin Donuts, meeting Holocaust survivors, and reading The Diary of Anne Frank at an age that was probably too young. Oppenheimer definitely did justice to Squirrel Hill and Jewish life in Pittsburgh, but (surprisingly) I’m not sure he actually did justice to the shooting and its victims.
Oppenheimer dedicated chapters to shaming “Trauma Tourists,” but he ended up being one himself. He definitely did his homework, but I found myself wondering why this was has story to tell. Ultimately, it isn’t. I found a lot of the interviews to be sensationalized, especially with people who are not all that important to the story at its core. Crosses for Losses, for example, is by no means an institution in the city, yet Oppenheimer starts the book with this story. It almost feels like he cherry-picked captivating scenes and imposed meaning where there originally was none.
Still, if I view this book as a love letter to Squirrel Hill, I love it. Though I was never a member of Tree of Life, New Light, or Dor Hadash, my synagogue was a few blocks away, my house was less than a mile away, and I attended bar and bat mitzvahs at literally every synagogue in the city. Squirrel Hill was small, safe, and warm. It was a good place to grow up. When the shooting happened, I think I subconsciously assumed that warmth and sense of home would be gone. Thankfully, this book reassured me that the Jewish community is resilient, and the spirit of Squirrel Hill is still there.
Oppenheimer dedicated chapters to shaming “Trauma Tourists,” but he ended up being one himself. He definitely did his homework, but I found myself wondering why this was has story to tell. Ultimately, it isn’t. I found a lot of the interviews to be sensationalized, especially with people who are not all that important to the story at its core. Crosses for Losses, for example, is by no means an institution in the city, yet Oppenheimer starts the book with this story. It almost feels like he cherry-picked captivating scenes and imposed meaning where there originally was none.
Still, if I view this book as a love letter to Squirrel Hill, I love it. Though I was never a member of Tree of Life, New Light, or Dor Hadash, my synagogue was a few blocks away, my house was less than a mile away, and I attended bar and bat mitzvahs at literally every synagogue in the city. Squirrel Hill was small, safe, and warm. It was a good place to grow up. When the shooting happened, I think I subconsciously assumed that warmth and sense of home would be gone. Thankfully, this book reassured me that the Jewish community is resilient, and the spirit of Squirrel Hill is still there.
catstonelibrary's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Tells the story of the neighborhood, neighbors, and the Jewish communities after a violent attack with major political and historical ties. Trauma affects so many more than we acknowledge. Resilience is very difficult to achieve. Left with much to contemplate.
audreylee's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
A mass shooting always garners more attention than the individual tragedies of everyday. Sometimes the articles and books written about these events focus on the diabolical character of the perpetrator, their history and their hatred. Sometimes the reader is forced in a minute by minute account to watch as people are gunned down. Often, those who have been injured or have lost their lives lose their humanity also when we turn them into "angels" and martyrs instead of allowing them to be the people they were--worthy of love and dignity and life despite their flaws.
This book is a dignified look at a neighborhood which has met and overcome many obstacles. The perpetrator isn't given cinematic-type attention. The event is covered in a "just the facts, ma'am" way. The injured, those who died, and those who suffered their loss are treated as real people. They are shown with all of their strengths, weaknesses, ambitions, and pettiness. In other words, they are allowed to retain their individuality and humanity and not just become "victims". The reader is introduced to the diversity of the community, the diversity of the faithful, and the different traditions amongst them in a natural way. The writer effortlessly makes the unfamiliar seem like a distant home and the people, neighbors.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the Publisher for an digital ARC. This book is to be released in early October. Watch for it.
This book is a dignified look at a neighborhood which has met and overcome many obstacles. The perpetrator isn't given cinematic-type attention. The event is covered in a "just the facts, ma'am" way. The injured, those who died, and those who suffered their loss are treated as real people. They are shown with all of their strengths, weaknesses, ambitions, and pettiness. In other words, they are allowed to retain their individuality and humanity and not just become "victims". The reader is introduced to the diversity of the community, the diversity of the faithful, and the different traditions amongst them in a natural way. The writer effortlessly makes the unfamiliar seem like a distant home and the people, neighbors.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the Publisher for an digital ARC. This book is to be released in early October. Watch for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Antisemitism
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