In this magnificently illustrated cultural historymdash;the tie-in to the pbs and bbc series The Story of the Jewsmdash;simon schama details the story of the jewish people; tracing their experience across three millennia; from their beginnings as an ancient tribal people to the opening of the new world in 1492It is a story like no other: an epic of endurance in the face of destruction; of creativity in the face of oppression; joy amidst grief; the affirmation of life despite the steepest of odds.It spans the millennia and the continentsmdash;from India to Andalusia and from the bazaars of Cairo to the streets of Oxford. It takes you to unimagined places: to a Jewish kingdom in the mountains of southern Arabia; a Syrian synagogue glowing with radiant wall paintings; the palm groves of the Jewish dead in the Roman catacombs. And its voices ring loud and clear; from the severities and ecstasies of the Bible writers to the love poems of wine bibbers in a garden in Muslim Spain.In The Story of the Jews; the Talmud burns in the streets of Paris; massed gibbets hang over the streets of medieval London; a Majorcan illuminator redraws the world; candles are lit; chants are sung; mules are packed; ships loaded with gems and spices founder at sea.And a great story unfolds. Notmdash;as often imaginedmdash;of a culture apart; but of a Jewish world immersed in and imprinted by the peoples among whom they have dwelled; from the Egyptians to the Greeks; from the Arabs to the Christians.Which makes the story of the Jews everyones story; too.
#3156878 in eBooks 2013-11-07 2013-11-07File Name: B00GISRT0C
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A mirror to lifeBy albionphotoI have an on/off love affair with the book reviews in "The Economist". Sometimes I love the books they recommend and sometimes I loathe them. Drawing Blood falls into the "its great" category. Drawing Blood is Mollys personal memoir of her career so far; her struggles to be recognised as an artist; the people shes met and her political world view. Its unusual for a young artist (b. 1983) to write a memoir so young but her life has been crammed with experiences that make this a meaningful; thought provoking book. Some people will undoubtedly be horrified that Molly chose to work in the adult indiustry to fund her early career but in noughties NYC that was; perhaps; the only way a struggling; working class; female artist could maker her way without a wealthy patron.Molly gives vivid descriptions of strip clubs; burlesque dancers; artists; protests; and a lifestyle that many can only imagine. The characters leap off the page illustrated by a vivid written style that draws in words as well as Molly makes art. The book has been described as an unflattering mirror held up to conventional middle-class lives. This is a true but harsh description. I dont sense that Molly regrets her life. Life is to be enjoyed; struggles are to be overcome. If you have self-belief and talent Molly shows you can succeed.Is this a feminist tract? No! The point is made that it is harder for women to succeed in the art world just as it is in many other endeavours. It is also too easy to sneer at the routes someone has to take before they reach a point of success. The book starts out with an angry tone. It mellows towards the end but is increasingly cynical about conventional political society. The book is lavishly illustrated and the drawings show an evolving artistic style that remains lush and vivid.Heres to raising an absinthe to Molly Crabapple and her art and future success.8 of 9 people found the following review helpful. This may not be an art catalogue but itrsquo;s probably the most beautifully illustrated memoir Irsquo;ve ever readBy Charles O.ldquo;Art was a stranger making eyes through the smoke of a foreign dive barrdquo;Drawing Blood is such an engaging read that I couldnrsquo;t put the book down until I had devoured all of its contents and yet; there were so many lines and passages to savor and to reread; so many artworks by Molly to let your eyes linger over. This may not be an art catalogue but itrsquo;s probably the most beautifully illustrated memoir Irsquo;ve ever read. Some passages I had read in the reviews or articles by Molly over the past week but they were even more enjoyable the second time around placed in context and elaborated on more fully.I came to Mollyrsquo;s work after she was both writing and creating visual works of art. She seemed so established; so sure by the time I encountered both her writing and her artworks that it was good to get the backstory on her journey as an artist and a writer. Irsquo;ve never had the privilege of meeting Molly or attending an exhibition of her work but she and many of the characters in her book seem so familiar as part of my mental landscape that in some ways reading the book was like visiting distant friends and filling in all the gaps of what theyrsquo;ve been up to between the various stories theyrsquo;ve told you; you heard about; or read in their Facebook posts.ldquo;Fear is a doorwayhellip;rdquo;Drawing Blood is a book that by the time you finish yoursquo;ve already thought of ten or twenty friends that yoursquo;d recommend the book to: young nieces and nephews to encourage them to dream of travel to distant lands; artist; writers; and poet friends who are toiling away in oblivion because it is either they must write; they must make art; or they will die inside; friends who are politically active in fighting against the status quo; against the establishment; friends whorsquo;ve grown cynical from the endless stream of headlines that make this feel like the darkest of times growing darker; to friends who compulsively color outside the lines; to women young and old who are fighting the patriarchy; and to friends who enjoy reading a good memoir.ldquo;I began to find the art that came from my flaws as well as my virtues-that art as intrinsic and unfakeable as handwritingrdquo;In reading Mollyrsquo;s journey of becoming an artist and a writer I thought of William Blakes lines; ldquo;Improvement makes strait roads; but the crooked roads without Improvement; are roads of Geniusrdquo;. Molly didnrsquo;t follow anyone elses prescribed path on her journey. She tested herself constantly and expanded herself by walking through the doors opened by facing her fears. She followed her curiosity wherever it led her. She never let anyone else define what it is to be a woman; to be an artist; or to simply be human though she took in a wide net of counsel.ldquo;Come back tomorrow; gorgeous. Wersquo;ve always wanted our own Toulouse-Lautrec.rdquo;I really had no clue about many of the scenes of the playgrounds of the wealthy (why would I) Molly describes but wow is it delicious to see them through her critical eyes. Irsquo;d want to time travel to these scenes just to see the art in the context for which they were created. Molly though does a wonderful job of recreating this for the reader. However; Mollyrsquo;s never some court artist. Shersquo;s moved equally well in rural villages in Turkey as in the wild excesses of The Box.Sometimes the muse ldquo;shows up at your doorway wearing black stockings ties you to the bed.rdquo;Irsquo;m of the school of thought that artist should be questioning the status quo; they should be pushing the boundaries of what society deems acceptable; for by doing so they expand the space we all live in. Vicarious as it may be it was good to journey with Molly as she pushed herself; as she put herself in situations where she wasnrsquo;t entirely comfortable and often not entirely safe.ldquo;To see my art held on the streets meant more to me than to see it hanging in any galleryrdquo;Molly has been identified as the Occupied movementrsquo;s most prominent artist. Drawing Blood helps put that label into flesh and blood context. Itrsquo;rsquo;s not a label Molly gives herself and she pushes back where shersquo;s being given credit that is due to others. Even so; shersquo;s fully engaged with all her being in the times we live in and doesnrsquo;t shy away from confronting the monsters and the hypocrisy rather she finds that inside herself or on the street.I found so much to enjoy in Drawing Blood that Irsquo;ll be getting a second copy that I can mark up an annotate on a second reading but I do want to keep one first edition spotless so that I can go back from time to time and look at the art and remember the inspiring day I spent with Molly reading Drawing Blood from cover to cover. In these dark times Drawing Blood is a ray of hope; though itrsquo;s far from pollyannish.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Is she a better writer or artist?By Virginia music loverIm joining the chorus of raves here for Molly Crabapple. I have followed her on Twitter where she writes about peace; civil liberties; and other important issues. I was floored when I first saw her lively drawings of pictures from Guantanamo and of Muslim women. The big debate one can have -- is she a better writer or a better artist? She is superb at both.Molly was a rebel in school; and as she details that I think the reader will experience sympathy because we all wanted to run out of the building at times even if we were basically obedient. She was not; however. Now she is grown up and still making waves -- and beautiful art.