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I am now a fan of Leon Uris. Starting the Haj tonight and have ordered Trinity.
Like many, i thought this book had some tether to reality. It is outdated with a false corny heroism and pointedly zionist. Check out ARABS & ISRAEL FOR BEGINNERS by Jewish author Ron David if you would prefer a reality based starting point. Read his other works, not this trash
Re-read this for the zillionth time--one of my all-time favorites. Probably fairly romanticized, but what a topic....
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I've been on a Jews/Israel reading jag lately, and as part of this, I decided that rereading Exodus might be worth it. I had read it when I was much younger and I remembered being pretty enthralled by the adventure story aspect of the novel, but I also suspected that I might find other aspects of the narrative more problematic this time around...
Well, the adventure part holds up. One thing I will say for this story is that it remains a, albeit sappy and silly, page turner. I couldn't help myself, I did in fact enjoy the experience of reading this book, even if I would never rate it as "good" writing from a technical standpoint.
Nevertheless OH BOY is this a problematic book. It is, to put it diplomatically, a book of its era, propagating a very specific and Western-centric narrative about the virtuous Jews of Israel redeeming the land of their answers. More simply, it is CRAZY RACIST against Arabs. The Palestinians of Exodus are dirty, backward, lazy and at times, viciously violent against the Jewish settlers. Even the adopted Arab "brother" of the Jewish protagonist, cannot ultimately overcome his "baser" nature and dies an unheroic death because of it.
More subtle, but just as present in the book is this weird level of anti-Semitism. The main Jewish protagonist is Ari Ben-Canaan, a Palestinian born superman who is about as from the traditional Jewish stereotype of "weak" and "intellectual" as you can get. He is the definitive sabra (Israeli native), strong, brave, and silent. Karen, one of the other Jewish main characters, is an unusually pretty and well spoken girl, who constantly attracts well mean adults who want to take care of her. Whats heavily implied is that she is pretty enough and well spoken enough to "pass" in the Christian world. Christian outsiders (both in the story, and among the novel's readers) are able to identify with her,and thus empathize with Jewish suffering.
I really mean what I said above, this book is absolutely an artifact of its time. I get that the themes I've been picking up on are all part of much larger Israeli themes. I understand that early Zionism was designed to be a rejection of the traditional images of "weak" European Jews, and I also know that this led to many Holocaust survivors moving to Israel after the war and then suffering because of the prejudices of native Israelis.
I also understand that this book picks up on the almost overwhelming need by the Israel state of the 50s and 60s to establish a founding narrative and mythology as part of the process of creating a new state in the face of intense difficulties. "Exodus" is basically that narrative, packaged as an adventure novel.
Personally, I subscribe to the school of thought that much of the intransigence of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict has to do with conflicting narratives of past events, and the inability to reconcile one version of history with another. The Palestinians absolutely have their own, very valid version of the events surrounding the founding of the State of Israel and thus far the Israeli narrative has shown precious little interest or will in making room for an opposing understanding of events. Is it really very productive then, to keep retrenching the traditional Israeli side of the story, without at least trying to make room for something else?
So fine, read Exodus. Enjoy it on its surface level as a cheesy page turner. But understand it in its historical context, and be clear that its far from the only story out there about what happened during this period in world history
Well, the adventure part holds up. One thing I will say for this story is that it remains a, albeit sappy and silly, page turner. I couldn't help myself, I did in fact enjoy the experience of reading this book, even if I would never rate it as "good" writing from a technical standpoint.
Nevertheless OH BOY is this a problematic book. It is, to put it diplomatically, a book of its era, propagating a very specific and Western-centric narrative about the virtuous Jews of Israel redeeming the land of their answers. More simply, it is CRAZY RACIST against Arabs. The Palestinians of Exodus are dirty, backward, lazy and at times, viciously violent against the Jewish settlers. Even the adopted Arab "brother" of the Jewish protagonist, cannot ultimately overcome his "baser" nature and dies an unheroic death because of it.
More subtle, but just as present in the book is this weird level of anti-Semitism. The main Jewish protagonist is Ari Ben-Canaan, a Palestinian born superman who is about as from the traditional Jewish stereotype of "weak" and "intellectual" as you can get. He is the definitive sabra (Israeli native), strong, brave, and silent. Karen, one of the other Jewish main characters, is an unusually pretty and well spoken girl, who constantly attracts well mean adults who want to take care of her. Whats heavily implied is that she is pretty enough and well spoken enough to "pass" in the Christian world. Christian outsiders (both in the story, and among the novel's readers) are able to identify with her,and thus empathize with Jewish suffering.
I really mean what I said above, this book is absolutely an artifact of its time. I get that the themes I've been picking up on are all part of much larger Israeli themes. I understand that early Zionism was designed to be a rejection of the traditional images of "weak" European Jews, and I also know that this led to many Holocaust survivors moving to Israel after the war and then suffering because of the prejudices of native Israelis.
I also understand that this book picks up on the almost overwhelming need by the Israel state of the 50s and 60s to establish a founding narrative and mythology as part of the process of creating a new state in the face of intense difficulties. "Exodus" is basically that narrative, packaged as an adventure novel.
Personally, I subscribe to the school of thought that much of the intransigence of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict has to do with conflicting narratives of past events, and the inability to reconcile one version of history with another. The Palestinians absolutely have their own, very valid version of the events surrounding the founding of the State of Israel and thus far the Israeli narrative has shown precious little interest or will in making room for an opposing understanding of events. Is it really very productive then, to keep retrenching the traditional Israeli side of the story, without at least trying to make room for something else?
So fine, read Exodus. Enjoy it on its surface level as a cheesy page turner. But understand it in its historical context, and be clear that its far from the only story out there about what happened during this period in world history
There is some debate on whether or not Exodus was commissioned by American Jewish political groups to sway American sympathy towards the Israeli cause. Regardless of whether or not it was commissioned, that is how a lot of this book reads. There are some attempts, mostly cursory, to provide an Arab point of view, but these are flat and back-handed. However, this book is compelling. It made me want to see Israel and I emphatically stated that I had no wish to ever visit the Middle East not two months ago.
As a novel, it is compared to the film Birth of a Nation and the novel, Gone with the Wind. I've seen neither nor read Gone with the Wind, but they seem to be sweeping, quasi-romantic works and that is what Exodus is, as well. I was definitely caught up in it and I read it cover to cover in three days. The plot is based on pseudo-historic events, and therefore should maintain a level of plausibility. In the action and political sequences, it works. The romance sections, I'm very much torn. There is a great degree of insight given into the psychological motivations of the characters. There is heartbreak and a distinct lack of happy endings, which seems realistic given the world that the characters live in throughout the novel. However, greater care could have been taken with motivations, particularly with the character of Kitty Fremont. Just a little more time spent on what motivates her to follow Karen to Israel would have gone a very long way.
The other detraction of the book is that it is actually three very distinct stories and although I hate to say this, would have benefited from being split into a trilogy. Although I hate trilogies because they often seem to be created for no other reason than the Lord of the Rings was a trilogy. This book has three compelling sections that could have done with a little more care and time taken with each. The first part of the book is actually Exodus. It is about a ship named Exodus and the political machinations taken to get Jewish refugees into Palestine. The rest of the book never mentions Exodus again. The second part is about the creation of the Jewish state and the struggle of Palestinian Jews to gain independence from the British Mandate. This is a great story in and of itself and could have been its own book. The last part is the Arab-Israeli Civil War. The problem here is that this should have been a great story, but it was short changed. It could have been a separate work given its own breathing room.
All in all, its a compelling read. I would definitely caution against the obvious Israeli bias. As someone converting to Judaism, my sympathies and feelings are what they are, but as an amateur historian, I would just emphasize this is a work of fiction and is not even trying to portray an objective truth on the formation of Israel. Okay, that might not be true...I think it is trying to an extent, but it fails on that regard. As a compelling and interesting read, though, I do recommend this book.
As a novel, it is compared to the film Birth of a Nation and the novel, Gone with the Wind. I've seen neither nor read Gone with the Wind, but they seem to be sweeping, quasi-romantic works and that is what Exodus is, as well. I was definitely caught up in it and I read it cover to cover in three days. The plot is based on pseudo-historic events, and therefore should maintain a level of plausibility. In the action and political sequences, it works. The romance sections, I'm very much torn. There is a great degree of insight given into the psychological motivations of the characters. There is heartbreak and a distinct lack of happy endings, which seems realistic given the world that the characters live in throughout the novel. However, greater care could have been taken with motivations, particularly with the character of Kitty Fremont. Just a little more time spent on what motivates her to follow Karen to Israel would have gone a very long way.
The other detraction of the book is that it is actually three very distinct stories and although I hate to say this, would have benefited from being split into a trilogy. Although I hate trilogies because they often seem to be created for no other reason than the Lord of the Rings was a trilogy. This book has three compelling sections that could have done with a little more care and time taken with each. The first part of the book is actually Exodus. It is about a ship named Exodus and the political machinations taken to get Jewish refugees into Palestine. The rest of the book never mentions Exodus again. The second part is about the creation of the Jewish state and the struggle of Palestinian Jews to gain independence from the British Mandate. This is a great story in and of itself and could have been its own book. The last part is the Arab-Israeli Civil War. The problem here is that this should have been a great story, but it was short changed. It could have been a separate work given its own breathing room.
All in all, its a compelling read. I would definitely caution against the obvious Israeli bias. As someone converting to Judaism, my sympathies and feelings are what they are, but as an amateur historian, I would just emphasize this is a work of fiction and is not even trying to portray an objective truth on the formation of Israel. Okay, that might not be true...I think it is trying to an extent, but it fails on that regard. As a compelling and interesting read, though, I do recommend this book.
This is the book that started my obsession with Israel/Judaism. I read it for the first time when I was 12 or 13.
I didn't like the movie, despite the fact that Paul Newman was in it.
I didn't like the movie, despite the fact that Paul Newman was in it.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No