Here I Am: A Novel
you could do what Jenny did, which was fight. You could fight against the whole diaphanous premise that they based their greed and clannishness upon: that whatever they had to do for money was justified because once, a long, long time ago, Jews trusting the world and playing by the rules didn’t go so well. But this didn’t stand up to Jenny’s questi
... See moreTaffy Brodesser-Akner • Long Island Compromise: A sensational new novel by the international bestselling author of Fleishman Is in Trouble
Since ancient times, in every place they have ever lived, Jews have represented the frightening prospect of freedom. As long as Jews existed in any society, there was evidence that it in fact wasn’t necessary to believe what everyone else believed, that those who disagreed with their neighbors could survive and even flourish against all odds. The J
... See moreDara Horn • People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present
What are stories for? That question becomes even harder to answer when we consider that an astonishing proportion of what counts today as “Jewish” literature in English is basically Holocaust fiction. If the purpose of literature is to “uplift” us, is it even possible to write fiction that is honest about the most horrifying aspects of the Jewish p
... See moreDara Horn • People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present
This is how Abraham’s love of Isaac becomes an entirely internal affair, where any concern for Isaac in his own right is eliminated. By virtue of his religious faith, Abraham is no longer responsive to what actually befalls Isaac, or to how he may be feeling, except insofar as it aligns with Abraham’s own hopes. The impact of any negative outcome i
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