The Story of the Jews: A 4,000 Year Adventure [Hardcover]

Stanley Mack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 1998

Beginning with Abraham and Sarah, celebrated artist Stan Mack takes us on a rewarding pictorial
journey across 4,000 years of Jewish history, through its ups and downs. From the biblical era to the twentieth century, with Mack's signature wit and delightful sketches, we witness Moses receiving the Ten Commandments, the world's first "oy," the creation of the Talmud, the Crusades, the Holocaust, the birth of the Israeli state, the evolution of the stand-up comic, and much more. In addition, we meet the men and women who have shaped the Jewish experience, including Maimonides, Theodor Hertzl, Irving Berlin, and Golda Meier. An illustrated narrative that celebrates the major characters and events that built this enduring culture, The Story of the Jews is a first of its kind and worthy of a sincere mazel tov.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For every Talmudic scholar there are 10 well-intended souls who can't scan a page of Genesis without snoring. But thanks to Stan Mack, the history of the Jews is accessible to anyone who's ever succeeded in reading the comics. With humor, biblical quotes, cartoon sketches, historical accuracy, and an irreverent tone, Mack sums up 4,000 years of Jewish history in a fast-paced, delightful narrative. So a few incidents and details get lost along the way--more important is that what's included actually gets read, because Mack's style and drawings are so beguiling. From Abraham's covenant with God and the introduction of monotheism (a Jewish soldier instructs a Canaanite at sword point, saying "Y'see, our God isn't really fighting your God because our God is your God and your God isn't really a God because...") to today's diverse denominations ("My synagogue is unaffiliated. Our members have an equal say, are nonideological, and have low dues"), Mack's quips and sketches cover a lot of ground, from the Exodus, Romans, Christians and Moslems, onward. He sashays through ghettos and shtetls, illustrates Europe's anti-Semitism and Zionist fever, breezes through immigration to the U.S., WWII, and the establishment of Israel, ending with Jewish culture in the late 20th century. Backed by an index (which makes this a reference instead of a comic book) and a savvy political cartoonist's eye for irony, Mack's book emanates a fondness for his subject. And he tells a good story. --Stephanie Gold

From School Library Journal

YA-At a near breakneck pace, this graphic-novel-style capitulation of history may be short on explanations but does an extraordinary job of presenting the experiences of the Jewish people in relation to social developments and political exigencies of every era. Humorous line cartoons with the occasional dialogue balloon expressing an "Oy" or an exemplary bit of pilpul carry readers through centuries of Biblical trials, tribulations, and discoveries. Secular Jews may find themselves deeply engaged by this facile journey through a past they haven't been able to reconstruct from traditional world-history courses. Other readers, too, will find a gem or two to nod and smile over. The greatest strength of this text is Mack's ability to humanize the nexus of cultures, whether it is Jews with Syrians, Jews with Greeks, or Jews arriving in the U.S. A supplement to ethnic-studies texts as well as an informative choice for casual readers.
Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 273 pages
• Publisher: Villard (April 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375501304
• ISBN-13: 978-0375501302
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,379,410 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful introduction to Jewish history, October 1, 2003

By 

F. Orion Pozo "Orion Pozo" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Story of the Jews : A 4,000-Year Adventure (Paperback)

A wonderful introduction to Jewish history in graphic novel format. Brief, but well-told, with a sensitivity to women that is a delight to see. Where else will you find Queen Alexandra, whose reign in the 1st century BCE was a golden age for the Jews, and Dona Gracia Nasi, a Jewish Italian business woman, who helped Portuguese Jews escape persecution in the 16th century CE.

Stan Mack's book is not as funny as Larry Gonick's cartoon histories, but more factual. As a result it serves as a good brief one volume history of the Jewish people. Only thing missing is a bibliography of further readings to pick up where this overview leaves the reader clamouring for more information.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertainment, information, and a whole lot of fun, March 30, 2000

By 

David Dressler (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Story of the Jews: A 4,000 Year Adventure (Hardcover)

I worked as a Jewish History teacher, and I used this as a supplementary textbook with my 7th-grade students. I can't begin to tell you how useful it was; this was a book that was entertaining, and yet still managed to give the basic information, its tongue planted firmly in its cheek.

Some of the darker moments in Jewish history (the Holocaust, for example) do not lend themselves easily to cartoonization (Maus notwithstanding). These were understandably the weakest parts of the book.

But I would recommend this book wholeheartedly for absolutely anyone over the age of 9...including adults.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reasonably Good, October 25, 2002

By 

Lal Chakraborty (Stoughton, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Story of the Jews : A 4,000-Year Adventure (Paperback)

Good Cartoon histories are not an easy find. If you have stumbled onto this one,then, by now you must have read Larry Gonick's Cartoon history of Universe too (if you havn't check it out).

The story of the Jews is a reasonable good history. It is a little pro-Jew rather than impartial. However once you take that into account and stop looking for Palestine-Israel struggle history, it becomes a good introduction to overall Jewish history throughout the ages. Cartoon Histories are fun to read and create a better impact than raw text.

I initially checked it out from my library but then I bought it. Of course it would be better if the author could become a litle more critical. Larry Gonick's Cartoon history of USA is a good example where the author went beyond normal textbook history and added his insights. Another good cartoon history is the Latino USA: A Cartoon History by Ilan Stavans. But then with so few cartoon histories (6 precisely - 4 from Gonick, 1 from Stavans and this one) you can't really afford to pass this one.