Genesis: Truman, American Jews, and the Origins of the Arab/Israeli Conflict Author: Visit Amazon's John B. Judis Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0374161097 | Format: PDF
Genesis: Truman, American Jews, and the Origins of the Arab/Israeli Conflict Description
Review
Praise for Genesis
“A morally serious and thoughtful work.” —Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
“[Judis] is a careful historian.” —Joseph Dorman, The New York Times Book Review
“Judis digs deeply into history, politics and diplomacy to explain the backstory of today’s headlines . . . [A] provocative book.” —Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal
“A standout book that will both teach and productively provoke . . . [An] excellent book.” —Jesse Singal, The Boston Globe
“John Judis has long been one of America's best political historians. Now he's proved himself one of the best historians of American foreign policy towards Israel. You don't have to agree with all of John's conclusions to be powerfully impressed by the extent of his research, the quality of his insight, and his deep empathy for both Jews and Palestinians in the tortured land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. One of the best books about the U.S.-Israel relationship I have ever read.” —Peter Beinart, author of The Crisis of Zionism
“John Judis fairly and carefully explores Harry Truman’s conflicted attitudes toward the establishment of the state of Israel—and he does far more. A conscientious attempt to deal with the ethical paradoxes involved in the establishment of the state of Israel, this book makes us aware of the implacable moral ambiguities with which we all must live as we make choices in a deeply flawed world.” —Alonzo L. Hamby, Distinguished Professor of History, Ohio University; author of Man of the People: A Life of Harry S. Truman
“This is the best kind of history—taking a historical episode we think we know about (Truman recognizing the new state of Israel) and probing what really happened and what it meant for the future. John Judis is one of America's best journalists. In Genesis he brings together both lucid writing and passionate insight in a way that sheds light on current American policy in the Middle East.” —James Mann, author of Rise of the Vulcans and The Obamians
“Genesis, John Judis's history of the Truman administration's relationship to Israel and its neighbors, is a smart, unsentimental, and independent-minded rendering of a complicated tale. His arguments and evidence challenge the comforting myths that sustain all sides of this tragic conflict and, in doing so, have the potential to point all its actors in a more hopeful direction in the future.” —Eric Alterman, author of The Cause: The Fight for American Liberalism from Franklin Roosevelt to Barack Obama
About the Author
John B. Judis is a senior editor at The New Republic and has also written for GQ, Foreign Affairs, Mother Jones, The New York Times Magazine, and The Washington Post. He is the author of The Folly of Empire and The Emerging Democratic Majority, among other books.
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- Hardcover: 448 pages
- Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (February 4, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0374161097
- ISBN-13: 978-0374161095
- Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
- Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
I just spent the weekend holding my Kindle Paperwhite and reading this entire 400-plus page book. What could possibly make a book about the history of Zionism, its entanglements in U.S. politics, and the agonized emergence of the State of Israel a page turner? Well, it is an experience almost like that of a person raised in a dogmatically religious household, hearing for years nothing but repetitions of the Bible, knowing no one except bible-school classmates, who suddenly picks up a careful scientific, reasoned,fact-based discussion of religion and reality. And sits muttering to himself: No one ever told me this! Why didn't anyone tell me this? How could I swallow all of that? Even knowing that when he begins to try to discuss his new ideas, his new insights, his mother will start crying--or cursing--and his dad may punch him in the mouth and kick him out of the house.
I am not and never was even FAINTLY as naive as the young man of my parable. I studied history, philosophy, and literature at Brown University. Was a newspaper reporter. Discovered the great novelist and philosopher, Ayn Rand, when I was 17, and dedicated myself to reason, independent thinking, and openness to the facts. But...
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