Assimilation and Its Discontents (Hardcover)

~ Barry Rubin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Historian Rubin (Revolution Until Victory) has written an insightful and provocative mix of analysis and history concerning the perpetual issue of Jewish assimilation. He concentrates on the ideas and actions of "leading intellectual and cultural figures," starting when the French Revolution and the Enlightenment appeared to give Jews a way to shed identity without conversion to the dominant religion. He follows Freud and Koestler, Brandeis and Lippman, and points out the contradictions exemplified by artists like Woody Allen, who is preoccupied by the Jewish background he rejects. The author offers interesting takes on the Jewish embrace of radical causes and victimized groups. He concludes that assimilation has both damaged Jewry and produced creative and professional success for Jews in Europe and America. Some quibbles: the book's tone is detached, it ignores recent movements of Jewish renewal in America and it barely examines the question of Jewish identity in Israel, where Rubin teaches at Tel Aviv University.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Although the Jew's absorption into mainstream society over the past few centuries is no laughing matter, Rubin has written a lively book about it. He surveys the reasons why so many Jews in Europe and the U.S. have wanted to join societies that scorn them, how the Jews have shaped modern civilization, and how Jewish culture continues to be shaped by extra-Jewish influences. Rubin's observations on ethnicity's role in shaping the thought of many modern icons (especially Freud and Kafka) are not new, but his unique arrangement of their ideas around shared concerns is shrewd. In describing Jews' reluctance and desire to be a part of mainstream America, Rubin cites literary and showbiz superstars, amusingly but unfortunately, for while their anecdotes (particularly Lenny Bruce's) make the book a fun read, Rubin's reliance on them undermines his credibility. Does anybody actually believe that Woody Allen speaks for the race? Still, although Rubin may not be the most accurate scholar on this topic, his presentation is certainly worthy of attention. Aaron Cohen

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 333 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1st edition (April 18, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081292293X
• ISBN-13: 978-0812922936
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,456,360 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)