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A review by darwin8u
Judaism: A Very Short Introduction by Norman Solomon
4.0
"The spirit of Judaism is freedom in doctrine and conformity in action."
- Norman Solomon quoting Moses Mendlssohn, Politics: VSI
Vol N° 11 of Oxford's Very Short Introductins series, Judaism, covers all its bases and delivers a useful, if uninspiring look at Judaism. Don't get me wrong. There are several sections I enjoyed, but even in the beginning, Solomon might have been able to condense Judaism down to 150 pages, but he extracted the joy and the energy. He is locked, in this book/format, in a strict academic style that both wastes time and patronizes. Let's just pretend a book by Oxford already exists that lets us know that in all following VSI books that 1) English isn't neutral, 2) the part is not the whole and the whole is not the part, and 3) religion can't be divorced from society, history, language, every group has the right to define itself. Great. Again, too much time spent on the appetizers and you've kind let the main course get cold.
- Norman Solomon quoting Moses Mendlssohn, Politics: VSI
Vol N° 11 of Oxford's Very Short Introductins series, Judaism, covers all its bases and delivers a useful, if uninspiring look at Judaism. Don't get me wrong. There are several sections I enjoyed, but even in the beginning, Solomon might have been able to condense Judaism down to 150 pages, but he extracted the joy and the energy. He is locked, in this book/format, in a strict academic style that both wastes time and patronizes. Let's just pretend a book by Oxford already exists that lets us know that in all following VSI books that 1) English isn't neutral, 2) the part is not the whole and the whole is not the part, and 3) religion can't be divorced from society, history, language, every group has the right to define itself. Great. Again, too much time spent on the appetizers and you've kind let the main course get cold.