Jewcentricity: Why the Jews Are Praised, Blamed, and Used to Explain Just about Everything

Adam Garfinkle punctures the myth of the omnipotence of the Jews with such intelligence and reflective sweep that we still can go on discussing the 'exaggerations' forever.--Leslie H. Gelb, former columnist for the New York Times and president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations

Jews, as the saying goes, are news. Why is that? In this elegant, witty, learned, insightful, always interesting, and occasionally alarming book, Adam Garfinkle explains the world's fascination with the practitioners of its oldest mono-theistic religion.--Michael Mandelbaum, author of Democracy's Good Name: The Rise and Risks of the World's Oldest Form of Government

One would have thought that everything that could be written or said about the relationship between Jews and their environment has been written and said. It was a pleasure, though hardly a surprise, that Adam Garfinkle, thinker, scholar, editor, and iconoclast at large, has been able to offer us fresh insights into this complex issue and apply his original mind to the subject matter.--Itamar Rabinovich, former Israeli ambassador to the United States and former president of Tel-Aviv University

There is a lot to argue about and ponder in this riveting manuscript. It is bound to cause a stir.--Robert D. Kaplan, author of The Arabists: The Romance of an American Elite

One way of looking at this brilliant book is to see it as an extended commentary on an old joke that defines a philo-Semite as an anti-Semite who likes Jews. Garfinkle shows, with many examples, what both characters have in common--a wildly exaggerated notion of the importance of Jews in the world. Garfinkle's argument is scholarly, lucid, witty, and very persuasive. It deserves a wide readership.--Peter L. Berger, director, Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs at Boston University

Author: Adam Garfinkle
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 08/01/2009
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.46h x 6.48w x 1.08d
ISBN: 9780470198568


Award: National Jewish Book Award - Finalist


Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 11/01/2009 pg. 55

About the Author
Adam Garfinkle is the founding editor of the American Interest, a bimonthly magazine on politics, culture, and international affairs. Prior to that he served as a speechwriter for secretaries of state Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. He has also taught at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, the University of Pennsylvania, Haverford College, and Tel Aviv University.