A Fresh Look at 4,000 Years of Jewish History--Authoritative, Complete...Funny
Through witty, illustrated narrative, celebrated artist Stan Mack will take you on a rewarding pictorial journey through 4,000 years of ups and downs in Jewish history. The first "graphic history book" of its kind, The Story of the Jews celebrates the major characters and events that have shaped the Jewish people and culture, illustrating what it means to be Jewish.
In this book you will visit all the major Jewish happenings from biblical times to the twenty-first century--from Abraham and Sarah on the banks of the Euphrates to the diaspora, intermarriage, and the State of Israel.
* 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 * Life in the new Babylon (the United States) * The birth of the State of Israel * And--of course--the world's first "Oy!"
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
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Cute, I wish it was Accurate!:
I love the this book and concept behind it. It is light, fun and very informative. I really wish it was historically accurate. It could have been incredible edition to Jewish History books, instead it's a cute book of comics that happen to be Jewish in nature and coincide with Jewish history.
Fun and user friendly:
First off, I am biased. I love Stan Mack. He was my favorite cartoonist when I was in high school and college, back when he was with the Village Voice. The book is fun and user friendly. Perfect, no - there are some areas where his NYC Liberal Jewish impulses might have stifled a deeper or more balanced approach (I think the issue of "choseness" could have been explained differently.) But over all, I highly recommend this book. Solomon Graysel and others have deeper, richer, but tougher to read books... more info
Pretty informative...:
I enjoyed this book and found it to be very informative. Most books explain 20th century Jews. This gives a rare historical perspective.
A wonderful introduction to Jewish history:
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... more info
