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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Quite a disappointing read. The history provided is so distorted and Zionist. You'd think that someone wanting to provide a critique of Israel could read a little Rashid Khalidi and Ilan Pappe. It's unfortunate that the authors couldn't take their questioning all the way.
Harvey was a pathetic pseudo-intellectual who as a child got off on beating people up, but he did later in life find some peace and began to question how his parents had inculcated him into the cult of Zionism. I applaud his attempt to come to terms with that in this book, and he does start off OK, questioning a god who would make everything so hard for everyone, but he then descends into the typical Jewish trope of playing the victim (Jews were not hounded for 1000s, as they were the oppressors and not the oppressed in most cases).
His parents told the typical lies, that Jews couldn't be safe without their own country, and that they had a right to a land promised to them by an imaginary being. He propagates the lie that Jews were enslaved in Egypt for 400 years--modern anthropology says now that there was never a single Jew enslaved in Egypt, making their foundations Exodus myth a lie--as well as the fiction of Babylonian captivity and the Masala. ALL of these are now repudiated by anthropologists and historians. He calls the relationship with Samaritans a 'lost alliance' when in fact the Jews spurned them because they were truly giving and poor. He also claims that it was swords v. a superpower when they took on Rome, but Jews had military tech the equal of any culture of the time (which is why they were able to commit genocide on the Hittites, Canaanites, Hyksos, Amonites, and most other dead cultures from the period). Indeed, the Jewish term Sinat Chinam, meaning baseless hatred, is one of their greatest feats of propaganda, as ALL hatred toward them is based in the injustices and genocides they've enacted upon other cultures (not to mention the fascist bible that so plagues modern society still).
What's good is that he admits that, like almost all Jewish kids, he was taught to read Hebrew without knowing what ANY of the words meant, in order to pass his Bar Mitzvah. However, he fails to note that the Jews massively violated the Marshall Plan, which allowed for a half million Jews to settle in the region in a one year period (the total was 2 million in 6 months according to historian David Fromkin), and he tries to paint the Jews as indigenous to the Ukraine, when the 10th century is awfully far from what he is calling 'ancient times'.
The fact is that Jews have NEVER lived in poverty. They are the richest people by both religion and ethnicity in the world (78K INDIVIDUAL income in the US when a 81K FAMILY income is upper middle class). He falsely blames Arabs for rejecting a two state solution in 1947. He fails to note that EVERY other culture in human history has suffered far more than Jews, for one simple reason: they have always had economic superiority, the greatest fascism and class based form of hatred and violence.
It's an interesting book and works as biography, but Harvey was a very confused soul who could not really let go of his cultural brainwashing.
His parents told the typical lies, that Jews couldn't be safe without their own country, and that they had a right to a land promised to them by an imaginary being. He propagates the lie that Jews were enslaved in Egypt for 400 years--modern anthropology says now that there was never a single Jew enslaved in Egypt, making their foundations Exodus myth a lie--as well as the fiction of Babylonian captivity and the Masala. ALL of these are now repudiated by anthropologists and historians. He calls the relationship with Samaritans a 'lost alliance' when in fact the Jews spurned them because they were truly giving and poor. He also claims that it was swords v. a superpower when they took on Rome, but Jews had military tech the equal of any culture of the time (which is why they were able to commit genocide on the Hittites, Canaanites, Hyksos, Amonites, and most other dead cultures from the period). Indeed, the Jewish term Sinat Chinam, meaning baseless hatred, is one of their greatest feats of propaganda, as ALL hatred toward them is based in the injustices and genocides they've enacted upon other cultures (not to mention the fascist bible that so plagues modern society still).
What's good is that he admits that, like almost all Jewish kids, he was taught to read Hebrew without knowing what ANY of the words meant, in order to pass his Bar Mitzvah. However, he fails to note that the Jews massively violated the Marshall Plan, which allowed for a half million Jews to settle in the region in a one year period (the total was 2 million in 6 months according to historian David Fromkin), and he tries to paint the Jews as indigenous to the Ukraine, when the 10th century is awfully far from what he is calling 'ancient times'.
The fact is that Jews have NEVER lived in poverty. They are the richest people by both religion and ethnicity in the world (78K INDIVIDUAL income in the US when a 81K FAMILY income is upper middle class). He falsely blames Arabs for rejecting a two state solution in 1947. He fails to note that EVERY other culture in human history has suffered far more than Jews, for one simple reason: they have always had economic superiority, the greatest fascism and class based form of hatred and violence.
It's an interesting book and works as biography, but Harvey was a very confused soul who could not really let go of his cultural brainwashing.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
It's a comic, so it's not a detailed exhaustive survey of the history or the issues. If you can take a deep breath and relax about a conversation along the lines of "the Jews this, the Arabs that..." then it's yet another pleasant afternoon with good ole Harvey Pekar.
Harvey is not anti-Israel, just very critical of the direction the country (right wing, a lot of religious influence) has taken and thinks the peace process should include the withdrawal from the occupied territories, Palestinian right of return and some kind of sharing of Jerusalem. So I am actually more radical than he is but that is maybe also a generational thing.
There were some things I hadn't expected... I learned that I am a little fuzzy on the history of 1930s Palestine. There were also some great scenes of Cleveland. We've seen his favorite bookstore before, but there's also a great Italian market and a public library branch. The epilogue about Harvey's funeral allowed me to mourn him a little.
"Not the Israel" is maybe not the best introduction to Pekar, but definitely one of his best comics overall.
Harvey is not anti-Israel, just very critical of the direction the country (right wing, a lot of religious influence) has taken and thinks the peace process should include the withdrawal from the occupied territories, Palestinian right of return and some kind of sharing of Jerusalem. So I am actually more radical than he is but that is maybe also a generational thing.
There were some things I hadn't expected... I learned that I am a little fuzzy on the history of 1930s Palestine. There were also some great scenes of Cleveland. We've seen his favorite bookstore before, but there's also a great Italian market and a public library branch. The epilogue about Harvey's funeral allowed me to mourn him a little.
"Not the Israel" is maybe not the best introduction to Pekar, but definitely one of his best comics overall.
Leaving unrated because I read this book for educational purposes and do not believe I am qualified to determine if this is a good interpretation. However, I enjoyed the presentation of information and perspectives in the story.
funny
informative
fast-paced
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Once again, GoodReads crashed and lost my review.
I’ll add only the key insight gained: that the drawings add immensely to the reading experience.
I’ve ignored graphic novels until now. I’ve been a snob. I’ve deprived myself of worthwhile experiences because of that snobbery.
How dumb is that?
I’ll add only the key insight gained: that the drawings add immensely to the reading experience.
I’ve ignored graphic novels until now. I’ve been a snob. I’ve deprived myself of worthwhile experiences because of that snobbery.
How dumb is that?
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced