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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
slow-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Part history, part how Pekar came to his views on Israel (via some of that history).
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
A beautifully illustrated history of the Jewish people, from BC times to the 1967 war and the subsequent settlement regime. In fact, Pekar's "turning point" from pro- to not-so-pro-Israel turns out to have been the post-1967 settlement program. His critiques of the settlement, as well as the consistent assertion that we need to understand history to understand the present state of the crisis, are both very important lessons. Also the illustrations are dope af.
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Incredible interrogation of the nationalism and flaws of Zionism and the creation of Israel in Palestine by a Jewish author and artist in conversation with each other, including an account of Jewish history from the beginning to modern day with visual homages to Mesopotamia and Roman art and more as it progresses through the timeline.
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Pekar, who died while this book was in production, is more pretext than narrator here, but Waldman's artwork is fantastic. Not particularly profound as an analysis of the debate, it is nevertheless a thorough testament to the confusion and frustration it causes among Jews.
Musical Pairing(s): Raymond Scott - Suite for Violin and Piano; Leo Kottke - My Feet are Smiling; Jean-Michelle Blais - Il
Harvey Pekar's posthumous account of the Jewish trials throughout history and his personal feelings about religion, nationalism, and Zionism is a tricky book to review. The book is largely a Cliff's Notes for Jewish history, but it's also semi-polemical (though I found it pretty tame). Ultimately, it's very personal and, like what little I've read of Pekar before, demands to be taken for what it is, not for what it could be or you hoped it would become.
Regardless of your feelings, the book is gorgeously rendered by JT Waldman who draws inspiration from throughout history (Islamic, Byzantine, as well as Nazi and Soviet propaganda) to match the chronicles and oppressors of the Jewish people. These beautifully detailed pages are dedicated to Pekar's well-studied version of events. For someone who really only had a basic grasp on some of the high points, this was incredibly informative and fairly nuanced for a quick overview (book is only 170-odd pages). Having a more full version of Jewish history aside, the real meat and potatoes of this book is about Harvey, his relationship with his ancestry, his religion, and it's also a quiet little love note to his home town of Cleveland.
These highlights take place in present day Cleveland as the author and artist discuss what the book will be about and argue religion (both are Jews) while getting a tour of Harvey's Cleveland: a used book warehouse, an Italian deli, and the public library branch near his home. The book becomes as much about how Cleveland has shaped him and his relationship to Judaism and Israel as much as it about the plight and history of his people.
In between what most would consider the most dramatic moments (the various occupiers and oppressors of the Jews) is where the real story is. It's tempting to wish that there was more between Waldman and Pekar here, however, Pekar is adamant in the book that you can't have a discussion about Israel today if you don't know how it came to be. He's intractable as portrayed in the book, and since he died before he and Waldman even fully finalized the book, it seems best to honor his spirit, and vision--which never altered events for slightly more entertainment value.
Harvey Pekar's posthumous account of the Jewish trials throughout history and his personal feelings about religion, nationalism, and Zionism is a tricky book to review. The book is largely a Cliff's Notes for Jewish history, but it's also semi-polemical (though I found it pretty tame). Ultimately, it's very personal and, like what little I've read of Pekar before, demands to be taken for what it is, not for what it could be or you hoped it would become.
Regardless of your feelings, the book is gorgeously rendered by JT Waldman who draws inspiration from throughout history (Islamic, Byzantine, as well as Nazi and Soviet propaganda) to match the chronicles and oppressors of the Jewish people. These beautifully detailed pages are dedicated to Pekar's well-studied version of events. For someone who really only had a basic grasp on some of the high points, this was incredibly informative and fairly nuanced for a quick overview (book is only 170-odd pages). Having a more full version of Jewish history aside, the real meat and potatoes of this book is about Harvey, his relationship with his ancestry, his religion, and it's also a quiet little love note to his home town of Cleveland.
These highlights take place in present day Cleveland as the author and artist discuss what the book will be about and argue religion (both are Jews) while getting a tour of Harvey's Cleveland: a used book warehouse, an Italian deli, and the public library branch near his home. The book becomes as much about how Cleveland has shaped him and his relationship to Judaism and Israel as much as it about the plight and history of his people.
In between what most would consider the most dramatic moments (the various occupiers and oppressors of the Jews) is where the real story is. It's tempting to wish that there was more between Waldman and Pekar here, however, Pekar is adamant in the book that you can't have a discussion about Israel today if you don't know how it came to be. He's intractable as portrayed in the book, and since he died before he and Waldman even fully finalized the book, it seems best to honor his spirit, and vision--which never altered events for slightly more entertainment value.