Let Me Create A Paradise, God Said To Himself: A Journey Of Conscience From Johannesburg To Jerusalem [Hardcover]

Hirsh Goodman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2005

Hirsh Goodman's childhood in South Africa was white — and Jewish — in ways he did not initially appreciate. While the local culture brutally suppressed the black population, Hirsh and his friends marched off to Zionist Socialist meetings, full of rhetoric about equality, justice, and democracy — all within the context of Israel. By his midteens, Goodman could no longer ignore South Africa's anti-Semitism and racism. He soon left for Israel, never expecting that the promised land of his dreams would also prove to be riven by ethnic and religious conflict. It was after marching victoriously through the Sinai as a paratrooper in the Six-Day War that Goodman heard David Ben-Gurion on the radio warning that Israel must rid itself of its Arab territories lest it "become an Apartheid state," a warning that had a very specific meaning to the young soldier. Then, as a journalist, Goodman witnessed firsthand all of Israel's subsequent troubles, from frontlines, to occupied zones, to the summits that attempted to find even a temporary peace.

Let Me Create a Paradise is a wise, warm, and wry memoir. It is one man's life story and the story of two divided nations in two different eras; the tragedies in their histories, and the hope that still exists for both of them.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This memoir by veteran journalist Goodman has a split personality. The first part is personal, a chronicle of his childhood in apartheid South Africa and his decision to move to Israel in 1965, when he was 20. Goodman conveys the ironies of growing up white and Jewish in Johannesburg, where the family servant was his "executive mother" and he imbibed an ideology of social justice in his Zionist-socialist youth group. With his Zionist passion and growing awareness of South Africa's injustices, Goodman went to Israel wide-eyed and eager, joining the paratroopers in his quest to become a real Israeli. But after serving in the 1967 war, Goodman became a reporter, and slowly this memoir shifts into its second gear, as reportage. He describes his growing awareness of "the big lie" behind the 1982 war in Lebanon and the massacre of Palestinians in Sabra and Shatila. He highlights his view of a changing Israel through generational contrast: his own eager military service and the elation of the Six-Day War victory versus his son's escape from Israel in disgust after military service in the occupied territories. Goodman's writing is appropriately sober, almost hard-boiled, offering unsentimental insight into the trajectory many have made from Zionist passion to pain, from naïvete to realism.
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Review

"Fascinating and readable... [Goodman's] ability to tell a tale hard to resist. We commend the book to you." -- Jerusalem Report, April 4, 2005

"Goodman's tone as he recalls... events is journalistic, humorous and to the point, and he is a convincing narrator." -- Washington Post Book World, June 12, 2005

"Hirsh Goodman and Israel came of age together, and this proud and poignant memoir shines a light on both." -- Glenn Frankel, author of Rivonia's Children

"Shows how ... social forces and great political upheavals... have shaped the lives of the people caught up in them." -- Michael Mandlebaum, author of The Ideas That Conquered the World

"[A] sharp, fast-moving insider's account of...Israel's recent history... Goodman is a trenchant writer with a sharp eye." -- Times Literary Supplement, July 22, 2005

"[An] excellent new memoir... If anyone can compare the old South Africa with the current Israel, it's Goodman." -- Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, April 1, 2005

"[Goodman's] sharp insight, disarming honesty and quirky sense of humor shine through... A colorful account... A compelling and cozy read." -- Jerusalem Post, April 21, 2005

"[Goodman] presents people, incidents, stories in a very straightforward way and makes his point effectively... I recommend this book highly." -- Montreal Gazette, April 2, 2005

"a very moving, page-turning story of Goodman's personal life...Let Me Create a Paradise is a must read." -- The Cleveland Jewish News, November 10, 2005

Goodman's conscience continues to inform his journey as he participates in the growth of the dream that is Israel. -- Chicago Jewish Star, May 12, 2005

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: PublicAffairs (March 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586482432
• ISBN-13: 978-1586482435
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,805,802 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars from the frying pan into the fire, September 7, 2005

By 

Rebecca Brown "rebeccasreads" (Clallam Bay, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Let Me Create A Paradise, God Said To Himself: A Journey Of Conscience From Johannesburg To Jerusalem (Hardcover)

Rebeccasreads highly recommends LET ME CREATE A PARADISE GOD SAID TO HIMSELF (long title notwithstanding!) as a memoir of an extraordinary journey from one country -- South Africa -- of extreme prejudice to another -- Israel, during the 1960s & onward.

An outstanding read, packed with vibrant memories of youthful bliss, immigrant confusion, war, politics, philosophies & love, offering a unique, mature & articulate inside look into this passionate region.