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Bezig met laden... Jewish Noir II: Tales of Crime and Other Dark Deedsdoor Kenneth Wishnia (Redacteur), Chantelle Aimée Osman (Redacteur)
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. This second anthology touching on the trials and tribulations of being Jewish misses the mark. The current divisive political climate described in Ken Wishnia’s introduction, makes survival of Jews and other minorities more challenging. However, the stories, for the most part, do not reflect this. Nor do many of them have that traditional ‘noir’ feel. The authors are less known than those in its predecessor volume. Many of the stories could apply to any religion or ethnic group, thus rendering them less relevant to Judaism and many have very pat endings. Three standout stories include Steven Wishnia’s Taking Names in which he points out that the poor working conditions existing for Jews during the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory tragedy exist today for other immigrants in other industries; Joy Mahabir’s Datura which truly does have a noir tinge as readers decide whether the protagonist is sane or insane; and finally The Nazi in the Basement by Rita Lakin, a sometimes poignant story which chronicles an octogenarian’s reminiscences about growing up in New York’s Irish-Jewish-Italian ghetto during World War II and the heartbreak of losing a child to the war. An uneven set of stories touching on Jewish identity, religion and history. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
Jewish Noir II is unique collection of twenty-three all-new stories (and one reprint) by Jewish and non-Jewish literary and genre writers, including numerous award-winning authors such as Gabriela Alemán, Doug Allyn, Rita Lakin, Rabbi Ilene Schneider, E.J. Wagner, and Kenneth Wishnia, with a foreword by MWA Grand Master Lawrence Block. The stories explore such issues as the perpetual challenge of confronting resurgent anti-Semitism in the US, the enduring legacy of regional warfare in the land of Israel since biblical times, how the "entitled" behavior of certain ultra-Orthodox communities can fuel anti-Semitic attitudes, Jewish support of the civil rights movement, greedy Jewish businessmen who reinforce negative ethnic stereotypes, the excesses of "golden ghetto" American Jews, the appeal of "tough" Israeli-Jewish soldiers and mercenaries, how real estate fortunes are made, and the consequences of political corruption that feed into an exploitive system, how obsession can lead "good" people to do "bad" things. The stories in this collection include many "teachable moments" about the history of prejudice, and the contradictions of ethnic identity and assimilation into American society. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)813.087208Literature English (North America) American fiction By type Genre fiction Adventure fiction Mystery fictionLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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After finishing the Jewish Noir II: Tales of Crime and Other Dark Deeds, the first thing that stood up in my mind is the quality of the writing. In these short stories, sometimes a whole world was discovered. Many of the stories were thought-provoking, as well as spiced with the self-deprecating, dark humor I adore.
I enjoyed the presentation and the way the collection was organized. Even though there is no central theme to the stories, besides the obvious (Jewish noir), the stories flowed seamlessly into one another in a balanced way, which someone made sense.
The collection consists of stories ranging from post-World War II trauma to mysticism, including exploration of the psyche, this new (but not really) wave of anti-Semitism, civil rights, and others. I specifically enjoyed the story about Israeli mercenaries, something you don’t think about when the word “Jewish” comes to mind.
Much like Jewish Noir, this was a diverse collection of stories, which were as varied as the name implies. The dark deeds, noir, and crime promised in the title all make delicious appearances for a fun, and entertaining read. ( )