|
|
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent overview of Jewish history for kids, December 7, 1998
In Max Dimont's view of Jewish history, "the saga of the Jewish people is a fantastic adventure story" (xiv) of survival against unbelievable odds. Every period of Jewish history presented a new challenge, whether persecution by a rival nation, assimilation into a foreign culture, or internal religious dissent. In every time-period, Judaism, and the Jewish people, faced the real possibility of ceasing to exist. But through courage, creativity, religious insight, and luck, the "saga" continues to the present day.Because its scope is so large for such a short book, The Amazing Adventures of the Jewish People only touches upon each period of Jewish history briefly. In four or five pages, Dimont can cover hundreds of years. Nevertheless, by focusing on surprising facts and unusual situations, the book manages to present a very readable account. Because each of the thirty-six chapters is centered on a single issue or crisis in Jewish history, Dimont manages to simultaneously provide both a chronological and topical approach to the subject. History is presented as the result of the specific decisions of historical figures, presented at their most heroic (and villainous), within the context of the great events of their time-periods. Characterizations are tempered with interesting biographical details that help to personalize the constant stream of names. Religious, political, and intellectual figures share the spotlight, leading to a clear sense that Judaism is more than a religion or nationality. Written with so much clear enthusiasm, it is hard not to get caught up and to share Dimont's excitement. Dimont has a good sense of narrative and of detail, and knows how to balance between the two to tell an engaging story. Each chapter concludes by introducing the challenge that will be faced in the next, in the "tune-in-next-time" style of the old silent serials. Although the "gee-whiz" tone may be off-putting to some readers, most will find the book lives up to the title and is an exhilarating read.
|
by David Dishon
by Morris N. Kertzer
by Ethelyn Simon
by Paul M. Johnson
by Daniel B. Syme
See all 12 books this book cites
