The Story of the Jews: A 4,000 Year Adventure (Modern Library) [Paperback]

Stanley Mack (Author)

Book Description

Series: Modern Library | Publication Date: March 16, 1999

"Funny and original, and it won't take 4,000 years to read."
--Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons

"Looking for a gift for a person of any age? Look no more."
--New Jersey Jewish News

Beginning on the banks of the Euphrates with Abraham and Sarah, Stan Mack takes us on an entertaining and rewarding journey across 4,000 years of Jewish history. The first book of its kind, The Story of the Jews celebrates the major characters and events that have shaped this enduring culture.
        Through a mixture of delightful sketches and witty narrative, we visit all of the major happenings from biblical times through the twentieth century: Moses receiving the Ten Commandments, the triumph of King David, the creation of the Talmud, the rise of Christianity and Islam, the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Enlightenment, the birth of the state of Israel, and, of course, the world's first "Oy!"
        The Story of the Jews has proven worthy of these sincere mazel tovs:

"Appealing to people of all ages." --Ron Chernow, author of The Warburgs and Titan

"Entertaining, informative and practical to all who want a brush-up course on Jewish history."
--Jewish World News

"This work is wonderful! What a refreshing view of the story. I didn't want it to end." --Leonard Nimoy

"Mazel tov: we really needed this opus to supplement all the long and stodgy Jewish history books."
--Rabbi Lawrence Goldmark, president, the Board of Rabbis of Southern California

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Villard (March 16, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375753362
• ISBN-13: 978-0375753367
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,884,509 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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Amazon Verified Purchase

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.