Customer Reviews

A Scapegoat in the New Wilderness: The Origins and Rise of Anti-Semitism in America

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I used this book in my qualifying exams for my doctorate and it was invaluable!

This book is probably not what you are expecting it to be based on its title. You probably expect it to cover the history of American anti-Semitism up to the present day. In fact it stops at around the year 1870. To me the title is (deliberately) misleading, intended to create sales to readers who, like myself, feel cheated when they discover there is not a word of any event of the twentieth century. Furthermore, my impression of this book's style is not favorable. It seems to me to be a compilation of historical factoids without much of the author's "heart and soul" showing through. It strikes me as being rather dry, lacking the feeling of being taken under one's wing that one gets from the excellent compilation, "History and Hate: the Dimensions of anti-Semitism" editied by David Berger. On the bright side, Jaher's book is only 249 pages so at least it doesn't take half a year to read. It has favorable reviews printed on its back cover from the likes of the "New York Times Book Review", so obviously this book is not entirely without merit. Perhaps it is ultimately a matter of personal preference. For me, this book was not what I expected based on its title. I felt the tone was inappropriately impersonal, giving me an impression of the author as a person trying to pretend he himself is not in the end the books' inner soul. To me this book seemed cold and soul-less, failing to communicate to me a sense of an author possessed of passion or strong feeling.