The Course of Modern Jewish History

by Howard M. Sachar

Book Overview

When this encyclopedic history of the Jews was first published in 1958, it was hailed as one of the great works of its kind, a study that not only chronicled an assailed and enduring people, but... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679727469
• ISBN13: 9780679727460
• Release Date: August 1990
• Publisher: Vintage Books
• Length: 891 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Impressive, but not faultless...

OK, look, this is a very impressive volume. Clearly written and quite a nice over-view. But I have to say the sections on Jewish resistance during the Holocaust were pathetic. The author briefly mentions The Warsaw ghetto uprising, and a few words about Hannah Senesh, but that's about it. He doesn't even mention the uprisinsg at Treblinka and Sobibor, the fighters of Vilna or Lodz, or the amazing and daring feats of a Jewish patisans in the woods throughout Europe. He also fails to mention that the strongest and best fighters tended to be Bundists, not Zionists. Oh well, hard to write such a sweeping history and cover everything. But to say the Jews went to their deaths like "sheep" (p.541) and not even adequately recount their heroism and resistance is irresponsible and greatly disappointing.

Clearly written and an excellent fundamental text

This work is a must for all persons interested in the dialectical evolution of the Jewish people. The language is simple and Sachar is wonderfully articulate and easy to read. Sachar covers a wide breadth of subtopics and countries in the social and geopolitical history of the Jewish people. While some of the criticisms in the earlier reviews may be true re: factual inconsistencies; the book nevertheless is an excellent introduction to neophytes or to those with an interest in Jewish history. In this writer's view, the earlier criticisms are commonly found in most historical books that contain as wide a scope as Sachar's.

Scholarship doesn't get much better than this

Howard Sachar is about as good an historian as you could hope for. His books are detailed, clear, and generally free of bias. "Course of Modern Jewish History" is no exception. This book follows the history of Jews throughout the world from the 18th century until today. It does so in a generally chronological order, although at times it breaks this standard to move country by country during a specific period. Each chapter ends with a "conclusion" which usually lasts anywhere from a paragraph to a page or two. This section can generally be skipped (unless you are cramming for a exam and don't want to actually be bothered with reading the chapter).Because it is a survey text, it never goes into quite as much detail as I would like. The section on the Holocaust felt particularly rushed. Despite its prodigious length (it is nearly 900 pages), I wouldn't have complained if it were even another 100 pages longer.Despite these shortcomings, it is a tremendous first step in the examination of modern Jewish history, and it could even serve as the final step for many.