The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Wisdom and Wit in the Wild West [Paperback]

Steve Sheinkin (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2006

After finishing school in New York, Rabbi Harvey traveled west in search of adventure and, hopefully, work as a rabbi. His journey took him to Elk Spring, Colorado, a small town in the Rocky Mountains. When he managed to outwit the ruthless gang that had been ruling Elk Spring, the people invited Harvey to stay on as the town's rabbi. In Harvey's adventures in Elk Spring, he settles disputes, tricks criminals into confessing, and offers unsolicited bits of Talmudic insight and Hasidic wisdom. Each story presents Harvey with a unique challenge--from convincing a child that he is not actually a chicken, to retrieving stolen money from a sweet-faced bubbe gone bad. Like any good collection of Jewish folktales, these stories contain layers of humor and timeless wisdom that will entertain, teach and, especially, make you laugh.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sheinkin's tales of Rabbi Harvey, wisest rebbe in the Wild West, are not quite the fish-out-of-water yarns you might expect. That's mainly because, despite the setting (the fictitious town of Elk Spring, Colo., circa 1870), nearly everyone he encounters is also a Jew; one verifiable gentile appears in the whole book. Transplanting Talmudic wisdom and Jewish folktales into the Old West without a sense of cultural contrast lessens some of the obvious humor. Luckily, Harvey himself is such a genial character—and these stories are so timeless—that the book's central conceit is rendered a moot point. While morality can be a tough pill to swallow, Harvey's adventures are so much fun you hardly realize you're learning anything until it's too late. Harvey is always on his toes, and in the tradition of great Jewish humor, self-deprecating one-liners and deadpan delivery abound—as do jokes about food. The stories are told in a standard comic-strip format, and the cartoonish art is endearing without being the least bit adventurous (experiments in wood-grain illustration notwithstanding). Kids of all ages will love Harvey's sugary wisdom and wit. (Aug.)
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Review

It's amazing what trolling the graphic novel section of the local library will catch these days. As a fer instance, I proudly bring this little number to your attention.

Rabbi Harvey is the functional wise man in the fictional town of Elk Spring, Colorado, back in the days when the west was wild. Through this collection of short adventures we are exposed to Jewish folktales and Hasidic legends, all in a place where high noon isn't a slapping of leather, rather a matching of wits with the clever and Solomon-esque Rabbi. My favorite is the opening parable where we meet the Rabbi for the first time and the way he deftly handles a would-be swindler.

Now, when it comes to lessons of morality, I'm usually not very quick on the uptake (I've been known to have "A-HA!" moments of realization several months after the fact, and usually in places where silence is golden and my outburst is not). Fortunately (for me), the writing in this graphic novel is very clever with a simplicity that isn't preachy. It's also laugh-out-loud funny, with sly humor reminiscent of the fantastic Bone series. The artwork is plain and unfussy, which is great because it allows the story train to roll unimpeded, yet there are well-executed expressions that add a dash of panache to the humor and a decibel to the guffaws.

One question I'm sure people will ask is about how religious the book is. Personally, I usually bristle when reading a book spawned from theology for I like my folktales as a solo entrée without a side helping of hellfire and brimstone. Mr. Sheinkin, however, delivers a book that is just about the stories, providing exposure to the Jewish culture, without it being a sermon or a recruiting effort. Sure, the Bible is mentioned, as is God (it's hard to have a story about a Rabbi without their mention) but they are only in passing as minor characters, never in a Thou Shalt kind of way. My favorite line comes when a boy questions how ugliness such as the Civil War, slavery, and stealing land from the Indians could occur in this country. "Where was God?" he asks the Rabbi. "Where were people?" is the Rabbi's wise response.

This book is appropriate for all ages. I think young children who enjoy fairy tales will enjoy and understand this book just as much as an adult will. Every reader can come away from the experience not only satisfied with the entertainment but also with a modicum of appreciation for the Jewish culture.

I give this book an A. -- Newsarama.com by Jeff Marsick, September 25, 2006

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Product Details

• Paperback: 123 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing (August 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580233104
• ISBN-13: 978-1580233101
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #277,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, Fun and Even a Little Educational, August 18, 2007

By 

Colleen McMahon ""Omnivorous Reader"" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Wisdom and Wit in the Wild West (Paperback)

I loved, loved, loved this "graphic novel" (not so much a novel but a collection of stories). The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey is a collection of Jewish folktales told as Western adventures featuring Rabbi Harvey of Elk Spring Colorado. Rabbi Harvey's stories involve his own travels and encounters with double-crossers and odd types like the boy who insists he is a chicken, as well as moral dilemmas brought to him for his rabbinical ruling. Since I'd read/heard some of the stories previously, I am assuming that many of them are based on traditional Jewish folktales but some seem to be original stories. It's a nice mix and all are deftly and humorously illustrated, with funny asides from the rabbi, onlookers, even the occasional animal or inanimate object (when a traveling merchant attempts to cheat a woman out of a bag of money he is supposed to deliver, throwing only one coin on the table, the head on the coin wonders, "Why am I not surprised?"

There is a distinct Jewish flavor to the tales, set in a neverland of all-Jewish Western towns, and I definitely recommend this book for older kids and adults alike who want a fun and easily digested book of Jewish stories. But even for non-Jews, this is an entertaining book of stories with moral points of view, told with a sense of humor. HIghly recommended, this one is a keeper for me and I sincerely hope there are more Rabbi Harvey books to come.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highest recommendation., September 4, 2006

By 

J. Karp "A librarian" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Wisdom and Wit in the Wild West (Paperback)

By far the best book about a rabbi in the old West ever written, it is both extremely funny and surprisingly wise. Harvey himself is an irresistible character who typifies the book's balance of wit and thoughtfulness perfectly. The quirky art is quite charming and the sepia toned palate is remarkably evocative. This would be a great book for entertainment or education: young readers in search of fun would get a little wisdom thrown in and adults looking for some intelligent reflection would get a great deal of laughter as a bonus. I couldn't recommend this book more highly.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rabbi Harvey, the Western Chacham, January 4, 2007

By 

J. A. Berman (Ohio, America) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Wisdom and Wit in the Wild West (Paperback)

The stories here serve up some of the best short (and very short) "wisdom stories" of the Yiddish tradition, presented in the unfamiliar environs of the Old West of the USA. Arguments are settled, bullies get their comeuppance, and the good guys (the ones with the black yarmulkes) win. A great intro to Jewish short stories and novels, and much of it is very funny (even if you can see the punchline coming from 200 cubits.) Get your kids (and the kid in you) interested in Jewish Literature in a painless fashion.