The “epic and stirring story” of 4,000 years of Judaism—told by a #1 New York Times–bestselling author (Jewish Quarterly). From their nomadic beginnings and the rise of Moses to the kings David and Solomon through the Diaspora and the unthinkable horror of the Holocaust—and culminating in the founding of the state of Israel—this is the sweeping tale of the Jews. Howard Fast, author of the classic Jews. Howard Fast, author of the classic Spartacus, displays his gift for compelling narrative throughout this eminently readable and well-researched saga.
In Fast’s telling, truth is stranger, and more inspiring, than fiction. “Here, I decided, was one of the most exciting and romantic adventures in all the history of mankind,” he explains in his introduction. “It had a continuity that spanned most of recorded history. It was filled with drama, passion, tragedy, and faith; and with all due reverence for the scholars, it pleaded for a storyteller to tell it as a story, indeed as the story of all stories.”
Fast’s accomplishment is required reading not only for lovers of great literature but also for anyone interested in the march of civilization. Barry Holtz, the editor of The Schocken Guide to Jewish Books hails The Jews as “an exciting and pleasurable [introduction] to a four-thousand-year epic.”
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Howard Fast including rare photos from the author’s estate.
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The research, intent, thorough history from the beginning to present day was an eye opener. A wee bit annoying was typo, spelling and a missing page. All this was out weighed by the authors presentation of detailed and comprehensive information introducing me to a peoples of which I knew very little. Thank you.
Realistic portrayal of historical facts.
Good look the history of the Jewish faith/people without sugar coating it, more of a factual historical view rather than a religious view.
Always interested in the Middle East. This was very informative.
Well researched and thorough work. Bibliography is quite comprehensive
Errors errors errors. As a history teacher he makes many suppositions that aren’t necessarily true. He stated there had never been monotheism before the “theory” of Moses but King Akhenaten made Egypt into one god…the sun god. Too many mistakes and guesses to finish reading.
Not worth reading. Don’t believe anything in the book.
Wow, I learned so much. About the very, very beginning of Jewishness, and of course, Christianity.
Gives me the back story and fills in questions I’ve had about the history of the
“Children of Israel”. Very enjoyable read!
enlightening
, but was so surprised that the Jews had a colony in China 3000 years ago.Very informative. Learned so much about the history of the Jews
An incredible history of an entire people. So much I never knew. Fascinating.
Difficult to get through…seemed to go on and on….sometimes much more information than was needed. Would recommend reading however pace yourself and try to absorb a little at a time
I did not like this book at all. I would not recommend it. I thought it was going to be a real history of the Jews as God’s people and it was not. It disagreed with the biblical narrative from the first page. I did not finish reading this book.
I hated this book. Obviously written by an unbeliever.
Fast’s memorable portrayal of Askenazi and Sephardic Jews and their pilgrimage to the US is admirable.Before Fast , I had never been aware of how much the Hebrew people have been through. I gained a new found appreciation of their history and culture. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an abiding interest in the biblical peoples and …
Difficult to stay with the story line. Maybe too much information??
A lay Jew writes about his own community, but objectively.
Try to figure out if true
This is one of my all time favorite books. A book I will read again. I never wanted it to end!