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kapgar's review against another edition
5.0
With all the emphasis on WWII and the fronts on which Allied soldiers fought and died, many forget that a whole other war waged stateside simultaneously. A war that threatened the life of every child before they ever got to an age where they could die a victim of an Axis enemy. This war was polio and it claimed thousands of young lives every summer until a vaccine was finally discovered in the 50s.
In Weequahic, a heavily Jewish populated neighborhood in Newark, NJ, polio has hit but only in limited numbers. That is, until 1944, and a carload of self-proclaimed Italian infectees came to "spread" their disease amongst the Jews at a playground overseen by first-year teacher Bucky Cantor. From that point on, all Bucky can do is watch with terror as his children and others around him start falling victim to he polio scourge.
Although this book is a work of fiction, its setting and historical significance are sound and the writing is fantastic and powerful. This makes for a great read that is equal parts a condemnation of the disease and a god who would let it spread amongst the youngest of his flock as it is a devotional to the strength fostered by Bucky toward the kids he is trying to protect in the face of such terror.
In Weequahic, a heavily Jewish populated neighborhood in Newark, NJ, polio has hit but only in limited numbers. That is, until 1944, and a carload of self-proclaimed Italian infectees came to "spread" their disease amongst the Jews at a playground overseen by first-year teacher Bucky Cantor. From that point on, all Bucky can do is watch with terror as his children and others around him start falling victim to he polio scourge.
Although this book is a work of fiction, its setting and historical significance are sound and the writing is fantastic and powerful. This makes for a great read that is equal parts a condemnation of the disease and a god who would let it spread amongst the youngest of his flock as it is a devotional to the strength fostered by Bucky toward the kids he is trying to protect in the face of such terror.
crafalsk264's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Philip Roth was an American author and one of the clique of exceptional writers, artists and musicians who made the 20th century one of the most important periods in their lifetimes. Roth had a mechanism of writing his fiction as if he had lived it. He was known as an author who explored the American identity in a sensual and ingenious manner. This work of fiction, first published in 2010, was set in his home town of Newark NJ focused on a major American tragedy from the years after WWI through 1955 when Jonas Salk announced development of a successful vaccine for the polio virus which had terrified parents and the public by striking the most vulnerable members of society with a deadly disease leaving its victims maimed, disabled or permanently tied to machines to aid in breathing. It sapped the muscles of strength and ability and seemed to have a mania for the children of summer.
This book is written in first person through the POV of Bucky Cantor, a talented athlete who excelled as a diver, javelin thrower and weight lifter. Kept out of military service in the latter part of WWII by weak eyesight, he was a 23 year old coach and mentor to the kids in a working class immigrant Jewish community. Working as a camp counselor during the summer, Bucky is considered to be an exemplary young man of character, bravery, and integrity. Bucky contracts polio and we follow him through all the emotions evoked by the epidemic on the community. Roth takes us through the despair, suffering and pain wrecked on American childhood. Nemesis is an exploration of a personal disaster that challenged the country on a personal, family and community basis.
I have never read any of Roth’s 254 books that accounts for his legacy as a major talent on the literary field but this one was an excellent introduction to a gifted man’s inner life. I intend to make an effort to include more of his work in my reading plan. Highly recommend to readers of
Historical Fiction, American Literature, disease and community life.
loriewalsh's review against another edition
4.0
Usually Roth ends up pissing me off at some point in his books. Even the ones I end up really loving like American Pastoral. His ego or showing off his intellect or his treatment of women characters end up getting under my skin so by the end of the book I 'm furious at him. That didn't happen in this book. It was short and tight. The characters were believable and sympathetic. There was little grandstanding just a poignant well told tale.
liufanxi's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Simple, with everything in place.
calvinrydbom's review against another edition
One of the more enjoyable pieces of fiction of read in years. Enjoyed it immensely.
lauraecase's review against another edition
I need to give up on Roth. Haven't found one I liked yet, I find them all BORING.
kimbofo's review against another edition
4.0
Reading a novel about a polio epidemic while the world is grappling with the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic might seem like an odd thing to do. Aren’t we all scared enough? But I thought that Philip Roth’s Nemesis might offer some insights into how people behave during health scares and whether there are any lessons to be learned.
The story is set in Newark, New Jersey during the summer of 1944. It’s a scary time — there’s a war raging in Europe and the Pacific — but closer to home there’s another threat, a contagious disease that largely targets children. It’s called polio and is known as the “summer disease” because it only appears during the warmer months.
It starts with a headache and a fever and then leads to paralysis of body and limbs. In severe cases, patients are put in “iron lungs” — a mechanical respirator which enables a person to breathe on their own — for months at a time. Survivors can end up in wheelchairs or have to wear calipers to support withered limbs. Many die. There is no known cure.
The story is framed around 23-year-old Bucky Cantor whose poor eyesight means he hasn’t been able to enlist in the Army. His thoughts are never far away from the battlefield: two of his best friends signed up and are fighting somewhere in France. Bucky finds a good job as the director of a playground, in a Jewish part of town, where he teaches his young charges physical education and supervises their games.
He is well-liked and popular; never more so than when he stands up to a group of Italian teenagers who arrive in two cars to “spread polio” one sunny afternoon. “We got it and you don’t, so we thought we’d drive up and spread a little around,” says one of the guys, who then proceeds to spit all over the sidewalk.
Several days later two of Bucky’s students come down with polio; both eventually die. There is no proof the Italians spread the disease (after they spat on the sidewalk, Bucky washed it all down) but no one really knows how the contagion is passed on. Is it via human contact? Maybe it’s from food? Or is it the water? Why are some neighbourhoods more badly affected than others? So little is known that rumours and conspiracies abound. People want the playground shut down, the Italian gang to be lynched, the local hotdog vendor to close, entire apartment blocks to be quarantined.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.
The story is set in Newark, New Jersey during the summer of 1944. It’s a scary time — there’s a war raging in Europe and the Pacific — but closer to home there’s another threat, a contagious disease that largely targets children. It’s called polio and is known as the “summer disease” because it only appears during the warmer months.
It starts with a headache and a fever and then leads to paralysis of body and limbs. In severe cases, patients are put in “iron lungs” — a mechanical respirator which enables a person to breathe on their own — for months at a time. Survivors can end up in wheelchairs or have to wear calipers to support withered limbs. Many die. There is no known cure.
The story is framed around 23-year-old Bucky Cantor whose poor eyesight means he hasn’t been able to enlist in the Army. His thoughts are never far away from the battlefield: two of his best friends signed up and are fighting somewhere in France. Bucky finds a good job as the director of a playground, in a Jewish part of town, where he teaches his young charges physical education and supervises their games.
He is well-liked and popular; never more so than when he stands up to a group of Italian teenagers who arrive in two cars to “spread polio” one sunny afternoon. “We got it and you don’t, so we thought we’d drive up and spread a little around,” says one of the guys, who then proceeds to spit all over the sidewalk.
Several days later two of Bucky’s students come down with polio; both eventually die. There is no proof the Italians spread the disease (after they spat on the sidewalk, Bucky washed it all down) but no one really knows how the contagion is passed on. Is it via human contact? Maybe it’s from food? Or is it the water? Why are some neighbourhoods more badly affected than others? So little is known that rumours and conspiracies abound. People want the playground shut down, the Italian gang to be lynched, the local hotdog vendor to close, entire apartment blocks to be quarantined.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.
mexscrabbler's review against another edition
4.0
A good, but somewhat dated, fictional story about the Jewish community in Newark dealing with a polio epidemic. It is a bit of a morality play, dealing with what the "right thing to do" is when faced with a great challenge. Short and fairly entertaining, however ultimately sad and unsatisfying