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The Lies They Tell
Welcome to the real America,a place you call home but don't yet know!The USA is the world's empire and its actions will influence us all for generations to come.But who are the Americans, the people who make up America?
Tuvia Tenenbom travels through America to find out. His wanderings take him across regional frontiers, partisan lines, and socioeconomic boundaries in a fearless quest for the flesh-and-blood American. He visits black ghettos and white gated communities, megachurches and Indian reservations. He schmoozes with robbers who teach him the true meaning of love and meets Jews who dedicate day and night to hatred of their brethren. He finagles his way into a prison where skinheads pray, goes to the Senate where no Senator seems to be working, experiments with drugs on American streets and ponders the deeper meaning of life with rednecks. He mingles with soldiers who teach him how to invade foreign countries and intellectuals who teach him the beautiful nature of Mother Earth, the goodness of man, and the sadism of the Israeli.The characters he encounters, the adventures he eagerly embraces and the findings of his journey are always unique and often unexpected.
Tuvia Tenenbom travels through America to find out. His wanderings take him across regional frontiers, partisan lines, and socioeconomic boundaries in a fearless quest for the flesh-and-blood American. He visits black ghettos and white gated communities, megachurches and Indian reservations. He schmoozes with robbers who teach him the true meaning of love and meets Jews who dedicate day and night to hatred of their brethren. He finagles his way into a prison where skinheads pray, goes to the Senate where no Senator seems to be working, experiments with drugs on American streets and ponders the deeper meaning of life with rednecks. He mingles with soldiers who teach him how to invade foreign countries and intellectuals who teach him the beautiful nature of Mother Earth, the goodness of man, and the sadism of the Israeli.The characters he encounters, the adventures he eagerly embraces and the findings of his journey are always unique and often unexpected.
455 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2016
87 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
About the author
Tuvia Tenenbom
17 books76 followersTuvia Tenenbom (Hebrew: טוביה טננבום) is a theater director, playwright, author, journalist, essayist and the founding artistic director of the Jewish Theater of New York, the only English-speaking Jewish theater in New York City. Tenenbom was called the "founder of a new form of Jewish theatre" by the French Le Monde and a "New Jew" by the Israeli Maariv. Tenenbom is also an academic, having university degrees in mathematics, computer science, dramatic writing and literature. (wiki)
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June 19, 2017
Tuvia Tenenbom is a man of enormous appetite. Most of us will agree about that, despite other disagreement we will have at the end of this review, or at the end of his travel memoir around the United States. Tenenbom, by his own description, is an overweight, cigarette-smoking, brandy-drinking, non-religious, non-apologetic, argumentative, shape-shifting Israeli Jew who claims whatever citizenship (German, American, Israeli) will grant him greatest access to people’s inner thoughts. The more he wrote, the more he revealed about himself, a phenomenon he'd trumpeted about in his experience with talkative but reluctant interviewees, despite themselves.
I could pick at inconsistencies I found in Tenenbom’s observations about the people in our country, but mostly I was rapt. He is a thoughtful, seeking man with a background in religion, computers, journalism, theatre, and a lifetime of attention paid to history and world affairs. He makes notes of his interactions as he travels the northern route to the west coast, to Alaska and Hawaii, and then the southern route back to New York City. It was a huge journey, and his memoir is informative and fascinating.
He wanted to know who Americans were: what we thought of Jews, Palestinians, and Israelis; how party politics manifest amongst us; how do conservatives and liberals justify themselves? What was immediately apparent to him setting off from New York City was race, how it segregates us, how it completely colors our experiences, our choices, our lives. We overlap so little, Tenenbom had to go out of his way to get through the barriers to entry: white people and black both told him to “stay away,” be careful,” “watch yourself,” etc. if he entered or wanted to enter the places black people lived in Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco, Honolulu, Charleston…cities whose class divisions left a mark on his psyche.
As he travels he reports a bit of the day’s news. This was 2015, the year Dylan Root entered Emanuel AME Church in Charleston and shot nine people, this was the year of the Bataclan nightclub massacre in Paris, this was the year President Obama renamed Mount McKinley in Alaska Mount Denali. Tenenbom finds that politics often determined where an individual stood on climate change, their support for Palestine, their perceptions of Jews, gay rights, abortion rights, the boundaries so clear cut opinions seemed cookie-cutter and instinctive rather than well-thought-out and reasoned. Mostly folks were surprisingly unwilling to share their thoughts on politics, apparently afraid it would spoil their personal and business relationships. This struck Tenenbom as suspicious: how can one arrive at a well-argued position without refining it at every opportunity? Americans are a fearful people, he concluded.
Rights of gun-ownership was a subject that arose for Tenenbom in the midwest. He found he liked handling others’ weaponry very much and, to his surprise, he himself was very good at shooting targets. We get his explanation of how handguns or guns which use magazines require permits…we never get a full-throated disavowal of such weapons. One suspects he thinks it is the least of our worries. If we dealt with the more obvious divisions among us, guns wouldn’t be an obstacle to good self-governance. Possibly.
In October of the same year of the Charleston shooting, nine people are killed by a gunman at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. Tenenbom points out how quickly the news fades when race as a motive is not involved. When someone else points out that more white people are killed by police in America each year than blacks, he investigates. His statistics read:
There is nothing knee-jerk about Tenenbom. If he has an opinion, it is usually thought-out, or if not, like his undecided stance on climate change, he is willing to continue to collect information. He doesn’t like the selfishness he often observes among wealthy conservatives , but neither does he like the unexamined righteousness of liberals who have an opportunity to make a difference where they are and insist instead on opining about politics in distant lands while doing nothing at home. He likes black people, their culture, and what they add to diversity, a word which gets bandied about atrociously in this book. We don’t have much diversity, for all our many cultures, in America, because white people are privileged and have separate opportunities, no matter how woke they think they are. He did not address poor white hillbillies.
What I don’t understand about Tenenbom’s point of view is his mix of nationalism and religion. Just like his willingness to call himself German, American, or Israeli depending on which works better for his purpose, he blithely says he loves his adopted America, but his Jewishness seems more important to him, despite his self-proclaimed non-religiosity. If a Muslim does the same thing, do we react differently? I think we do. Muslims are constantly having to reiterate publicly their love of America, and how it supersedes their love of religion.
The thing about Tenenbom that is so interesting is that he gives the impression he can be persuaded. He’s interested. He pays attention. He asks questions. He knows what injustice is and will call it out. He doesn’t like everyone parroting support for Palestinians without knowing more about the situation in Israel. I still think he is being disingenuous in claiming “no foul” in the settlements, in the outsized responses to Palestinian resistance, in the discrimination of opportunity, etc.
No, Jews don’t have to be better than everyone in the world. They have to strive to be better than they are, is all. Americans have their own indignities to face, the most egregious right now being race and class. Both countries could use clear-sighted critics. He and I agree on Samantha Power, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Sometimes “liberal” turns a corner into something else entirely.
I’d like to hear a podcast discussion between Tuvia Tenenbom and David Remnick of the The New Yorker. I think they are on opposite sides of the Israel questions, and they might be able to uncover sources of anti-Semitism in the U.S. that is hidden to most of us.
I could pick at inconsistencies I found in Tenenbom’s observations about the people in our country, but mostly I was rapt. He is a thoughtful, seeking man with a background in religion, computers, journalism, theatre, and a lifetime of attention paid to history and world affairs. He makes notes of his interactions as he travels the northern route to the west coast, to Alaska and Hawaii, and then the southern route back to New York City. It was a huge journey, and his memoir is informative and fascinating.
He wanted to know who Americans were: what we thought of Jews, Palestinians, and Israelis; how party politics manifest amongst us; how do conservatives and liberals justify themselves? What was immediately apparent to him setting off from New York City was race, how it segregates us, how it completely colors our experiences, our choices, our lives. We overlap so little, Tenenbom had to go out of his way to get through the barriers to entry: white people and black both told him to “stay away,” be careful,” “watch yourself,” etc. if he entered or wanted to enter the places black people lived in Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco, Honolulu, Charleston…cities whose class divisions left a mark on his psyche.
As he travels he reports a bit of the day’s news. This was 2015, the year Dylan Root entered Emanuel AME Church in Charleston and shot nine people, this was the year of the Bataclan nightclub massacre in Paris, this was the year President Obama renamed Mount McKinley in Alaska Mount Denali. Tenenbom finds that politics often determined where an individual stood on climate change, their support for Palestine, their perceptions of Jews, gay rights, abortion rights, the boundaries so clear cut opinions seemed cookie-cutter and instinctive rather than well-thought-out and reasoned. Mostly folks were surprisingly unwilling to share their thoughts on politics, apparently afraid it would spoil their personal and business relationships. This struck Tenenbom as suspicious: how can one arrive at a well-argued position without refining it at every opportunity? Americans are a fearful people, he concluded.
Rights of gun-ownership was a subject that arose for Tenenbom in the midwest. He found he liked handling others’ weaponry very much and, to his surprise, he himself was very good at shooting targets. We get his explanation of how handguns or guns which use magazines require permits…we never get a full-throated disavowal of such weapons. One suspects he thinks it is the least of our worries. If we dealt with the more obvious divisions among us, guns wouldn’t be an obstacle to good self-governance. Possibly.
In October of the same year of the Charleston shooting, nine people are killed by a gunman at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. Tenenbom points out how quickly the news fades when race as a motive is not involved. When someone else points out that more white people are killed by police in America each year than blacks, he investigates. His statistics read:
"during 2015, [as of sometime in the fall season], almost 250 blacks and close to five hundred whites were killed by US law enforcement personnel."Without some indication of the percentage of blacks’ minority status, it is hard to use these statistics properly, but the truth is that I did not know white people were being shot by police at higher levels than black people. What does it mean for our understanding of police work, or the Black Lives Matter phenomenon, and what should it mean?
There is nothing knee-jerk about Tenenbom. If he has an opinion, it is usually thought-out, or if not, like his undecided stance on climate change, he is willing to continue to collect information. He doesn’t like the selfishness he often observes among wealthy conservatives , but neither does he like the unexamined righteousness of liberals who have an opportunity to make a difference where they are and insist instead on opining about politics in distant lands while doing nothing at home. He likes black people, their culture, and what they add to diversity, a word which gets bandied about atrociously in this book. We don’t have much diversity, for all our many cultures, in America, because white people are privileged and have separate opportunities, no matter how woke they think they are. He did not address poor white hillbillies.
What I don’t understand about Tenenbom’s point of view is his mix of nationalism and religion. Just like his willingness to call himself German, American, or Israeli depending on which works better for his purpose, he blithely says he loves his adopted America, but his Jewishness seems more important to him, despite his self-proclaimed non-religiosity. If a Muslim does the same thing, do we react differently? I think we do. Muslims are constantly having to reiterate publicly their love of America, and how it supersedes their love of religion.
The thing about Tenenbom that is so interesting is that he gives the impression he can be persuaded. He’s interested. He pays attention. He asks questions. He knows what injustice is and will call it out. He doesn’t like everyone parroting support for Palestinians without knowing more about the situation in Israel. I still think he is being disingenuous in claiming “no foul” in the settlements, in the outsized responses to Palestinian resistance, in the discrimination of opportunity, etc.
No, Jews don’t have to be better than everyone in the world. They have to strive to be better than they are, is all. Americans have their own indignities to face, the most egregious right now being race and class. Both countries could use clear-sighted critics. He and I agree on Samantha Power, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Sometimes “liberal” turns a corner into something else entirely.
I’d like to hear a podcast discussion between Tuvia Tenenbom and David Remnick of the The New Yorker. I think they are on opposite sides of the Israel questions, and they might be able to uncover sources of anti-Semitism in the U.S. that is hidden to most of us.
December 8, 2024
This version of Tuvia Tenenbom’s “The Lies They Tell” was published in 2017, with the German version being published the year prior. While the author was traveling the country (ostensibly in 2015), I was in the final stages of my doctoral program and I remember well the American Anthropological Association’s (AAA) vote to boycott Israeli academic institutions (I voted against this measure, in case you’re wondering). In retrospect, this very public vote (and the comments that I left) makes sense of why I never received an academic job offer when I first graduated and was actively looking for a position at the time.
The inclusion of the AAA vote in this book wasn’t a one-off. Instead, it illustrates everything that Tenenbom was experiencing in his travels: the fearfulness of Americans and the ongoing pervasiveness of antisemitism in the United States.
Born in Israel, Tenenbom has astute powers of observation, despite the fact that he isn’t an anthropologist. I’ve read many of the author’s other works and enjoyed them immensely. But I knew when it came to **this** book—one on the United States—I might feel different. In the academic world, I’m an Americanist, which isn’t always easy because I have an emic viewpoint (an insider’s view). Tenenbom, however, has an etic one—a full-blown outsider’s view—and the author is blunt.
I realize some people might get offended by this work, but I found it refreshing because,
“You are forcing us to look at the mirror,” a Southern Jew tells me, “and it’s hard, very hard. It’s not a comedy. There will be no happy ending,” (page 385).
Among some of Tenenbom’s observations is the fact that Americans generally don’t like to a) reveal how or whom they vote for, let alone engage in a discussion about it, and b) don’t like to discuss religion, claiming that,
“…the artificial glue that binds them together will dissolve the moment they start talking and reveal what they really think…” (page 365).
For me at least, I see these aversions as a way to avoid fighting—both literally and figuratively—and discrimination.
Tenenbom often talks about things that make people uncomfortable. For example, he discusses the Emanuel AME Church’s welcoming of financial donations after the racist mass shooting, even though the church, “…will not accept whites as members…” (page 419).
The author even visits several reservations along with Qualla Boundary. Tenenbom is really blunt about what he finds there and elsewhere, including in academia itself, tying liberal progressivism with two concepts: climate change and Palestine. Tenenbom makes clear that he’s not talking about **all** of America—just the ones that he’s personally come into contact with. Progressive liberalism didn’t start out this way—especially not with the antisemitism that is so rabid now—but is a movement that was co-opted much like the white nationalists co-opted the “OK” sign and pro-Palestinians co-opted the watermelon.
This book isn’t just a sign of the times for America then, but in hindsight, it’s also a warning. For example, Tenenbom stated,
“…I know nothing about [University of California] Berkeley. What I said now to you is what the students said to me. They said, for example, that in their estimate nine out of ten professors are against Israel…”
The ongoing protests at universities quote-unquote “started out” as protesting the war and the deaths of Palestinians but has morphed into what it has always really been about: outright antisemitic violence with students being assaulted for no other reason than wearing a kippah, wanted posters being created for Jewish professors, firebombing synogogues, and shooting at Jewish schools.
These types of abusive and racist behaviors didn’t start with Hamas’ terrorism on October 7th; it didn’t start in 1948 with the creation of the State of Israel. The discrimination and hate of Jewish people festered a long time prior to this, and Tenenbom reveals how deeply this antisemitism is steeped into American society, not just with universities and politicians, but even among Jewish people’s so-called Christian “friends” who still engage in the proxy baptism of Jewish people:
“…As we walk in, an LDS [Mormon] attendant shows me to a chair in a room packed with computers. I sit down and type the name of my deceased great-grandfather, a founder of a Hasidic dynasty in Poland. Believe it or not, the Mormons baptized him…” (page 300).
This book, at times, seems almost prophetic, particularly when the author discussed the-then relationship between Jewish Americans and African Americans, when he said that,
“…The locals who know everything about voting rights, King, Parks, and the rest of this country’s black-white history, the locals who tell me all about it, are the local Jews and their leaders. These Jews support the blacks and have dedicated their time to helping them. How many blacks are on the side of Jews in their struggles against anti-Semitism? I ask them. They can’t name one.…” (page 385).
Fast forward to the years 2023 and 2024, where many African American organizations, including Black Lives Matter, actually celebrated Hamas atrocities against Israeli inhabitants—with the largest portion of the victims either directly engaged in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process or were indirectly supportive of the process. In short, Jewish people were abandoned by their so-called “allies” after spending decades supporting the rights of those “allies.” For the past year, it has broken my heart watching Jewish people become devastated as they watched the people that they thought were “friends and allies” turn their backs on them. But the signs were already there in 2015 when Tenenbom traveled the country. As Tenenbom said so astutely,
“…I’m no authority on climate change, as I have said, but from a social perspective America is definitely getting warmer, melting in the blazing fires of its own making…” (page 448).
The inclusion of the AAA vote in this book wasn’t a one-off. Instead, it illustrates everything that Tenenbom was experiencing in his travels: the fearfulness of Americans and the ongoing pervasiveness of antisemitism in the United States.
Born in Israel, Tenenbom has astute powers of observation, despite the fact that he isn’t an anthropologist. I’ve read many of the author’s other works and enjoyed them immensely. But I knew when it came to **this** book—one on the United States—I might feel different. In the academic world, I’m an Americanist, which isn’t always easy because I have an emic viewpoint (an insider’s view). Tenenbom, however, has an etic one—a full-blown outsider’s view—and the author is blunt.
I realize some people might get offended by this work, but I found it refreshing because,
“You are forcing us to look at the mirror,” a Southern Jew tells me, “and it’s hard, very hard. It’s not a comedy. There will be no happy ending,” (page 385).
Among some of Tenenbom’s observations is the fact that Americans generally don’t like to a) reveal how or whom they vote for, let alone engage in a discussion about it, and b) don’t like to discuss religion, claiming that,
“…the artificial glue that binds them together will dissolve the moment they start talking and reveal what they really think…” (page 365).
For me at least, I see these aversions as a way to avoid fighting—both literally and figuratively—and discrimination.
Tenenbom often talks about things that make people uncomfortable. For example, he discusses the Emanuel AME Church’s welcoming of financial donations after the racist mass shooting, even though the church, “…will not accept whites as members…” (page 419).
The author even visits several reservations along with Qualla Boundary. Tenenbom is really blunt about what he finds there and elsewhere, including in academia itself, tying liberal progressivism with two concepts: climate change and Palestine. Tenenbom makes clear that he’s not talking about **all** of America—just the ones that he’s personally come into contact with. Progressive liberalism didn’t start out this way—especially not with the antisemitism that is so rabid now—but is a movement that was co-opted much like the white nationalists co-opted the “OK” sign and pro-Palestinians co-opted the watermelon.
This book isn’t just a sign of the times for America then, but in hindsight, it’s also a warning. For example, Tenenbom stated,
“…I know nothing about [University of California] Berkeley. What I said now to you is what the students said to me. They said, for example, that in their estimate nine out of ten professors are against Israel…”
The ongoing protests at universities quote-unquote “started out” as protesting the war and the deaths of Palestinians but has morphed into what it has always really been about: outright antisemitic violence with students being assaulted for no other reason than wearing a kippah, wanted posters being created for Jewish professors, firebombing synogogues, and shooting at Jewish schools.
These types of abusive and racist behaviors didn’t start with Hamas’ terrorism on October 7th; it didn’t start in 1948 with the creation of the State of Israel. The discrimination and hate of Jewish people festered a long time prior to this, and Tenenbom reveals how deeply this antisemitism is steeped into American society, not just with universities and politicians, but even among Jewish people’s so-called Christian “friends” who still engage in the proxy baptism of Jewish people:
“…As we walk in, an LDS [Mormon] attendant shows me to a chair in a room packed with computers. I sit down and type the name of my deceased great-grandfather, a founder of a Hasidic dynasty in Poland. Believe it or not, the Mormons baptized him…” (page 300).
This book, at times, seems almost prophetic, particularly when the author discussed the-then relationship between Jewish Americans and African Americans, when he said that,
“…The locals who know everything about voting rights, King, Parks, and the rest of this country’s black-white history, the locals who tell me all about it, are the local Jews and their leaders. These Jews support the blacks and have dedicated their time to helping them. How many blacks are on the side of Jews in their struggles against anti-Semitism? I ask them. They can’t name one.…” (page 385).
Fast forward to the years 2023 and 2024, where many African American organizations, including Black Lives Matter, actually celebrated Hamas atrocities against Israeli inhabitants—with the largest portion of the victims either directly engaged in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process or were indirectly supportive of the process. In short, Jewish people were abandoned by their so-called “allies” after spending decades supporting the rights of those “allies.” For the past year, it has broken my heart watching Jewish people become devastated as they watched the people that they thought were “friends and allies” turn their backs on them. But the signs were already there in 2015 when Tenenbom traveled the country. As Tenenbom said so astutely,
“…I’m no authority on climate change, as I have said, but from a social perspective America is definitely getting warmer, melting in the blazing fires of its own making…” (page 448).
July 30, 2019
I had almost 10 days to think about this book and give it my review.
The 2 stars are grudgingly given for what I feel is becoming more true about the USA (in 2019) by the minute. In a country that considers itself “the land of the free and the home of the brave” - why are most people he interviewed afraid to even speak who they will vote for or what their true stance is on important issues? Why do they not feel free to express what they think?
The author was just too sacrilegious about all people of faith for me to enjoy his “brand of humor”
The 2 stars are grudgingly given for what I feel is becoming more true about the USA (in 2019) by the minute. In a country that considers itself “the land of the free and the home of the brave” - why are most people he interviewed afraid to even speak who they will vote for or what their true stance is on important issues? Why do they not feel free to express what they think?
The author was just too sacrilegious about all people of faith for me to enjoy his “brand of humor”
February 19, 2017
Ich weiß, Tuvia Tenenbom ist Jude. Zuvor veröffentlichte er Bücher a la "Allein unter Deutschen" oder "Allein in Israel". Weil Tuvia Tenenbom Jude ist.
Dieses Merkmal trägt er vor sich hin wie ein Schild. "Ich bin Jude" und nun bin ich in Amerika und möchte immer und immer und immer (!) wieder wissen, was die US-Amerikaner über Juden, Israel etc. denken.
Das hat mir den Bericht wirklich vermiest. Ich erwartete eine offene Reise durch die USA, ob nun ein Jude berichtet oder nicht. Unterhaltungen mit den Menschen. Die gab es. Aber immer wieder kam der Autor auf das Thema Israel. Immer und immer wieder. Wahrscheinlich liegt es dem Autor wirklich am Herzen. Als Negativ-Karma kommt hinzu, dass er politische Wahrnehmungen mit naturwissenschaftlichen verknüpft "Wer für den Klimawandel ist, ist auch für die Palästinenser" ... Wie bescheuert ist das denn?! Zwischendurch lässt Tenenbom immer wieder durchblicken, dass er keinen Schimmer von Physik, Biologie oder sonstigen naturwissenschaftlichen Fächern hat. Meinung hat er dazu auch keine. Aber - wait, wer für den Klimawandel ist, als wäre es eine Meinung oder ein politisches Statement, der ist auch für Palästina.
Insgesamt ein nerviges Buch von einem, der meint, es besser zu wissen. Aber einfach total nervig ist.
Dieses Merkmal trägt er vor sich hin wie ein Schild. "Ich bin Jude" und nun bin ich in Amerika und möchte immer und immer und immer (!) wieder wissen, was die US-Amerikaner über Juden, Israel etc. denken.
Das hat mir den Bericht wirklich vermiest. Ich erwartete eine offene Reise durch die USA, ob nun ein Jude berichtet oder nicht. Unterhaltungen mit den Menschen. Die gab es. Aber immer wieder kam der Autor auf das Thema Israel. Immer und immer wieder. Wahrscheinlich liegt es dem Autor wirklich am Herzen. Als Negativ-Karma kommt hinzu, dass er politische Wahrnehmungen mit naturwissenschaftlichen verknüpft "Wer für den Klimawandel ist, ist auch für die Palästinenser" ... Wie bescheuert ist das denn?! Zwischendurch lässt Tenenbom immer wieder durchblicken, dass er keinen Schimmer von Physik, Biologie oder sonstigen naturwissenschaftlichen Fächern hat. Meinung hat er dazu auch keine. Aber - wait, wer für den Klimawandel ist, als wäre es eine Meinung oder ein politisches Statement, der ist auch für Palästina.
Insgesamt ein nerviges Buch von einem, der meint, es besser zu wissen. Aber einfach total nervig ist.
May 8, 2017
Couldn't put down his book. And I will probably read it again soon. TT is hilarious, ironic, sarcastic and sometimes naively shocked at things we should be but are no longer. (Which is of course sad.) One example is his reporting on the condition of the shantytowns and ghettoes in the US. We should be shocked at the crime, moral decay, and obvious disengagement of its citizens from a productive society, but we all look the other way and tell tourists "not to go in there." Well TT is not the typical tourist and bravely goes where others don't. And the reader is wiser (sadly) for what he hears and shares.
It's a rather dark painting of America with the obvious exceptions and TT's testament to the incredible beauty found in the landscape of America from "sea to shining sea." It makes me want to plan every vacation to explore a part of the US I haven't yet explored. So for that thank you Tuvia. Your wit and wisdom made the stories I was reading easier to digest yet I hope you are in the end wrong about my fellow Americans and the land that I love.
It's a rather dark painting of America with the obvious exceptions and TT's testament to the incredible beauty found in the landscape of America from "sea to shining sea." It makes me want to plan every vacation to explore a part of the US I haven't yet explored. So for that thank you Tuvia. Your wit and wisdom made the stories I was reading easier to digest yet I hope you are in the end wrong about my fellow Americans and the land that I love.
October 23, 2017
Probably 3.5. The face Tenenbom shows the world is that of a shallow, jolly, fat man here to have a bit of fun. Behind the facade, Tenenbom is a director, playwright, author, journalist and highly educated individual who is extremely sensitive to anti-semitism in all its forms.
In an earlier book, I Sleep in Hitler's Room, Tenenbom traveled through Germany, talking to people about their attitudes toward Israel and the Jews and discovered there's a lot of sympathy for Palestine, without a lot of knowledge regarding why and what they represent.
In this book he travels through the US and discovers some pro-Israel sympathizers, others who are anti-Israel with at least a modicum of reasons, some who hate Jews just because, but mostly a broad swathe of confused, ill-informed Americans who take their political cues from TV, movies, lord-knows-where else and come up with some seriously ill informed opinions regarding why Israel is evil and BDS good, but when pressed couldn't begin to articulate the history and politics currently driving the situation in the Middle East. It's rather a depressing, sorry portrait of a country that's grown tired and stupid, but still sees itself as the great superpower. To paraphrase the current US president...Sad!
In an earlier book, I Sleep in Hitler's Room, Tenenbom traveled through Germany, talking to people about their attitudes toward Israel and the Jews and discovered there's a lot of sympathy for Palestine, without a lot of knowledge regarding why and what they represent.
In this book he travels through the US and discovers some pro-Israel sympathizers, others who are anti-Israel with at least a modicum of reasons, some who hate Jews just because, but mostly a broad swathe of confused, ill-informed Americans who take their political cues from TV, movies, lord-knows-where else and come up with some seriously ill informed opinions regarding why Israel is evil and BDS good, but when pressed couldn't begin to articulate the history and politics currently driving the situation in the Middle East. It's rather a depressing, sorry portrait of a country that's grown tired and stupid, but still sees itself as the great superpower. To paraphrase the current US president...Sad!
February 6, 2019
So now, I’ve read all Tuvia Tenenbom’s books! He’s got my attention with “Catch the Jew!” and after that I’m curious about his other works. I read widely and across genres, TT by far aren’t the most prolific, gifted writer there is, in fact his prose is average. Alas God only made one TT and I cannot fault his originality, his cat-like curiosity and insane bravado in pursuing truth (or simply to get an answer to a question), his colour blindness whenever he relates to people, his sincerity to sympathizes with all walk of life, quick wit, deep thinker as he ponder on things and human behaviours, and above all, his ability to blur the lines between being sarcastic and earnest. Therefore, he’s forever earned my admiration and respect as a writer, truth-finder, and thinker; having said all that it does not mean I always agree with him.
Like his other books, his tour across America revealed many untold or under-reported stories and/or inconvenience truths that exist in the fabric of American societies and culture or as TT discovered, the lack thereof. Who would have thought that the citizens of the land of the frees and the braves that the world so revere, idolise, envy and want to emulate dictates by fear? How curious? Currently, it seems the United States of America is like a picture perfect that look so good and inviting from a far that compel you, wherever you are in the world, to see it up close and personal; but the closer you get to it, to your surprise, you are confronted by the unexpected imperfections that no longer fit the imagine that you have in your mind. Oh, what a let-down! America in general doesn’t have good reputation, it’s quite common assumption that the dumbest people in the world live in America; the Brits close second. America is not always like this and America is the last bastion of Western civilization; somehow, somewhere America lost its way by bought into post-modernism bullshits but not beyond saving. It’s no wonder “Make America Great Again” as a movement gained so much tractions because there’s obviously a strong desire amongst Americans the need to return to the good old days that make them great which is: living up to the ethos that made them once a great nation. Notwithstanding, the road to rejuvenate the country is a protracted and enduring one and my hope and pray that America as a nation would somehow come to this realization and find a way to see themselves as one people. My food of thought for America is this: Charity begins at home so why waste taxpayer money on projects abroad with so little return to show for?
Like his other books, his tour across America revealed many untold or under-reported stories and/or inconvenience truths that exist in the fabric of American societies and culture or as TT discovered, the lack thereof. Who would have thought that the citizens of the land of the frees and the braves that the world so revere, idolise, envy and want to emulate dictates by fear? How curious? Currently, it seems the United States of America is like a picture perfect that look so good and inviting from a far that compel you, wherever you are in the world, to see it up close and personal; but the closer you get to it, to your surprise, you are confronted by the unexpected imperfections that no longer fit the imagine that you have in your mind. Oh, what a let-down! America in general doesn’t have good reputation, it’s quite common assumption that the dumbest people in the world live in America; the Brits close second. America is not always like this and America is the last bastion of Western civilization; somehow, somewhere America lost its way by bought into post-modernism bullshits but not beyond saving. It’s no wonder “Make America Great Again” as a movement gained so much tractions because there’s obviously a strong desire amongst Americans the need to return to the good old days that make them great which is: living up to the ethos that made them once a great nation. Notwithstanding, the road to rejuvenate the country is a protracted and enduring one and my hope and pray that America as a nation would somehow come to this realization and find a way to see themselves as one people. My food of thought for America is this: Charity begins at home so why waste taxpayer money on projects abroad with so little return to show for?
August 18, 2020
Novinář, Američan s izraelskými kořeny, se vydává na cestu po Americe, aby vyprávěl a reflektoval, co tam všechno viděl. Žádná fikce, ale co nejodvážnější popis reality se všemi jeho problémy.
Všechny jejich lži je především zábavná a velice čtivá kniha. Autor nepoužívá žádná složitá slova a dokonce i velice často používá krátké, úderné věty. Samotné téma je taky dost dobré, protože život v USA dnes zajímá kdekoho. Tuvia působí jako docela sympaťák. Tlouštík, který se neschovává za politicky korektní termíny a nestydí se za to, že například kouří cigarety, což je nyní v Americe obrovské tabu (taky tam neustále kritizuje to, jaké mívá v mnoha státech obtíže si dát někde venku jednu cigaretu). Zajímavé je, že rozhodně nespadá do současných škatulek levičáka či pravičáka, či jak mají v USA rozdělené - není ani typický liberál, ani typický republikán. Oba tábory hodně přísně kritizuje, když na to přijde.
Tuvia se snaží vystupovat co nejvíc neutrálně, ale rozhodně má své pevné názory (ať už klidně desetkrát říká, že "neví"). A tady začínám mít vážné problémy. Nevadí mi, že se na některých tématech s ním neshodnu. Neříká to přímo, ale snadno se dá mezi řádky vyčíst, že je spíš konzervativní - nevěří v globální oteplování (přesněji v "klimatickou změnu") a ani moc nefandí sňatkům homosexuálů (i když samotní gayové mu nevadí). To dokážu respektovat, ale některé jeho glosy jsou něco strašného. Například tvrdí, že v New Yorku by ho holka táhla k soudu, kdyby na ni koukal v metru, nebo že v budoucnu liberálové vezmou republikánům všechny zbraně, zatímco gayové jich budou moci mít miliony. Dále se vysmívá klimatologům, když říká, že odborníci ani nedokážou odhadnout, jaké bude počasí druhý den. A nevěřil jsem vlastním očím, když tenhle docela prominentní židovský novinář nepochopil základy statistiky v jedné situaci, když se podivuje nad jednou, která nedává dohromady 100 % (protože nepochopil, že účastníci můžou zaškrtnout více možností na otázku...).
Tohle jsou tedy nejkřiklavější příklady... a vlastně jich tolik ani v celé knize není. Na 350 stranách napsal takových šíleností určitě méně než 10. Také je tu však skutečnost, jak příšerně se tu zjednodušuje. Je docela šokující, jak valná většina všech lidí, se kterými se autor zapovídá, je opravdu hodně hloupý (ať už zastávají jakékoliv politické přesvědčení). Že by USA opravdu byla tak pitomá? Ne, tomu moc nevěřím. Určitě se dostalo do knih mnoho jednodušších lidí, ale taky se baví s různými vysokoškolsky vzdělanými lidmi, zkušenými politiky či dokonce rektory univerzity. Všechny rozhovory jsou ale vždy zkrácené na prostor jen několika vět, nikdy nezaberou více než stránku. Nevidíme, co si řekli předtím a co potom. Dokonce ani přesně nevíme, co říká Tuvia Tenenbom! To, co říká on, se vždy jen zpětně parafrázuje. Většina knih je vlastně na úrovni takovýchtěch videí, kde se smějeme lidem na ulici, kteří ukazují svou stupiditu, když žvaní blbosti na různé politické a společenské otázky. Jen jsou Všechny jejich lži ještě méně důvěryhodné, ještě více "sestříhané".
Tím, jak si Tuvia často získává důvěru a čas všemožných lidí, ať už jde o obyčejnou servírku či místního guvernéra, připomene filmaře Michaela Moorea (ten je však mnohem více politicky doleva). Oba dost fabulují, ale Moore zase dle mého názoru neříká takové hloupé vtípky a připadá mi o něco autentičtější. On se totiž Tuvia vlastně v celém svém díle především Američanům vysmívá. Například se hodně podivuje nad tím, jak mu obyčejní lidé nechtějí říct své politické názory, například koho volili při minulých prezidentských volbách. Říká, že tohle že má být ta "země svobodných a domov statečných" (land of the free, home of the brave)? Sám ale není o moc statečnější, protože si tyhlety úšklebky šetří samozřejmě jen do knížky, v reálu je s nimi velký kámoš. Docela i pochybuju nad jeho empatií, když se občas sám nad sebou až dojímá, že si povídá s černochy v chudé čtvrti, zatímco liberálové jenom o nich někde mluví.
Název knihy Všechny jejich lži odkazuje na to, jak jsou Američani často prolhaní, jak často říkají nejdřív něco jiného, než co si doopravdy myslí. Vypráví různé historky, kde opravdu vidíme různé druhy pokrytectví. Taky je svědkem opravdu mnoha rasismu (většinou ve stylu, že černoši nebo židé jsou pro mnoho lidí v USA někdo, s kým by nebylo vhodné se stýkat). Je to velice negativní pohled na Ameriku, který není nijak zvlášť důvěryhodný a vypráví nám ho také dost pochybný autor, ale určitě na té knize "něco je". A ne, nebudu říkat to hloupé heslo "na každém šprochu pravdy trochu...". V tomto případě ale věřím, že mnoho Tuviových historek opravdu skutečnosti odpovídá, a celkově kniha přes opravdu velké nedostatky nabízí také poměrně zajímavý a čtivý pohled na současnou Ameriku. Jen je potřeba si občas něco domýšlet a občas si trochu povzdechnout či obrátit oči v sloup kvůli autorově hloupé hlášce.
Pět nedůvěryhodných novinářů z deseti.
Všechny jejich lži je především zábavná a velice čtivá kniha. Autor nepoužívá žádná složitá slova a dokonce i velice často používá krátké, úderné věty. Samotné téma je taky dost dobré, protože život v USA dnes zajímá kdekoho. Tuvia působí jako docela sympaťák. Tlouštík, který se neschovává za politicky korektní termíny a nestydí se za to, že například kouří cigarety, což je nyní v Americe obrovské tabu (taky tam neustále kritizuje to, jaké mívá v mnoha státech obtíže si dát někde venku jednu cigaretu). Zajímavé je, že rozhodně nespadá do současných škatulek levičáka či pravičáka, či jak mají v USA rozdělené - není ani typický liberál, ani typický republikán. Oba tábory hodně přísně kritizuje, když na to přijde.
Tuvia se snaží vystupovat co nejvíc neutrálně, ale rozhodně má své pevné názory (ať už klidně desetkrát říká, že "neví"). A tady začínám mít vážné problémy. Nevadí mi, že se na některých tématech s ním neshodnu. Neříká to přímo, ale snadno se dá mezi řádky vyčíst, že je spíš konzervativní - nevěří v globální oteplování (přesněji v "klimatickou změnu") a ani moc nefandí sňatkům homosexuálů (i když samotní gayové mu nevadí). To dokážu respektovat, ale některé jeho glosy jsou něco strašného. Například tvrdí, že v New Yorku by ho holka táhla k soudu, kdyby na ni koukal v metru, nebo že v budoucnu liberálové vezmou republikánům všechny zbraně, zatímco gayové jich budou moci mít miliony. Dále se vysmívá klimatologům, když říká, že odborníci ani nedokážou odhadnout, jaké bude počasí druhý den. A nevěřil jsem vlastním očím, když tenhle docela prominentní židovský novinář nepochopil základy statistiky v jedné situaci, když se podivuje nad jednou, která nedává dohromady 100 % (protože nepochopil, že účastníci můžou zaškrtnout více možností na otázku...).
Tohle jsou tedy nejkřiklavější příklady... a vlastně jich tolik ani v celé knize není. Na 350 stranách napsal takových šíleností určitě méně než 10. Také je tu však skutečnost, jak příšerně se tu zjednodušuje. Je docela šokující, jak valná většina všech lidí, se kterými se autor zapovídá, je opravdu hodně hloupý (ať už zastávají jakékoliv politické přesvědčení). Že by USA opravdu byla tak pitomá? Ne, tomu moc nevěřím. Určitě se dostalo do knih mnoho jednodušších lidí, ale taky se baví s různými vysokoškolsky vzdělanými lidmi, zkušenými politiky či dokonce rektory univerzity. Všechny rozhovory jsou ale vždy zkrácené na prostor jen několika vět, nikdy nezaberou více než stránku. Nevidíme, co si řekli předtím a co potom. Dokonce ani přesně nevíme, co říká Tuvia Tenenbom! To, co říká on, se vždy jen zpětně parafrázuje. Většina knih je vlastně na úrovni takovýchtěch videí, kde se smějeme lidem na ulici, kteří ukazují svou stupiditu, když žvaní blbosti na různé politické a společenské otázky. Jen jsou Všechny jejich lži ještě méně důvěryhodné, ještě více "sestříhané".
Tím, jak si Tuvia často získává důvěru a čas všemožných lidí, ať už jde o obyčejnou servírku či místního guvernéra, připomene filmaře Michaela Moorea (ten je však mnohem více politicky doleva). Oba dost fabulují, ale Moore zase dle mého názoru neříká takové hloupé vtípky a připadá mi o něco autentičtější. On se totiž Tuvia vlastně v celém svém díle především Američanům vysmívá. Například se hodně podivuje nad tím, jak mu obyčejní lidé nechtějí říct své politické názory, například koho volili při minulých prezidentských volbách. Říká, že tohle že má být ta "země svobodných a domov statečných" (land of the free, home of the brave)? Sám ale není o moc statečnější, protože si tyhlety úšklebky šetří samozřejmě jen do knížky, v reálu je s nimi velký kámoš. Docela i pochybuju nad jeho empatií, když se občas sám nad sebou až dojímá, že si povídá s černochy v chudé čtvrti, zatímco liberálové jenom o nich někde mluví.
Název knihy Všechny jejich lži odkazuje na to, jak jsou Američani často prolhaní, jak často říkají nejdřív něco jiného, než co si doopravdy myslí. Vypráví různé historky, kde opravdu vidíme různé druhy pokrytectví. Taky je svědkem opravdu mnoha rasismu (většinou ve stylu, že černoši nebo židé jsou pro mnoho lidí v USA někdo, s kým by nebylo vhodné se stýkat). Je to velice negativní pohled na Ameriku, který není nijak zvlášť důvěryhodný a vypráví nám ho také dost pochybný autor, ale určitě na té knize "něco je". A ne, nebudu říkat to hloupé heslo "na každém šprochu pravdy trochu...". V tomto případě ale věřím, že mnoho Tuviových historek opravdu skutečnosti odpovídá, a celkově kniha přes opravdu velké nedostatky nabízí také poměrně zajímavý a čtivý pohled na současnou Ameriku. Jen je potřeba si občas něco domýšlet a občas si trochu povzdechnout či obrátit oči v sloup kvůli autorově hloupé hlášce.
Pět nedůvěryhodných novinářů z deseti.
June 12, 2017
Tenenbom drives across the US and reports verbatim conversations he has with a diverse number of US citizens. He talks to the rich, the powerful, the homeless and the poor. When he's warned not to go to certain neighbourhoods for his own safety he makes a beeline for them and talks to those who live there. All this while he catches up with the daily news reports and follows the primary debates for the 2016 Presidential election.
I read his Catch the Jew! and found it a revelation, this one is also a revelation though on a lesser scale as the US is such a huge country. Tenenbom's style is conversational, humorous and rude but he asks the questions that no one else is willing to ask and he asks them of all manner of people so the book is a compelling read. He sums up in just a few pages and is quite brutal but honest.
I read his Catch the Jew! and found it a revelation, this one is also a revelation though on a lesser scale as the US is such a huge country. Tenenbom's style is conversational, humorous and rude but he asks the questions that no one else is willing to ask and he asks them of all manner of people so the book is a compelling read. He sums up in just a few pages and is quite brutal but honest.
March 24, 2017
It was good, but not nearly as good as "Catch the Jew". It was a very sad picture of America, but he isn't wrong.
May 8, 2025
שלושה וחצי כוכבים.
זה לא "תפוס ת'יהודי". כלומר זה לא ספר ש"חייבים לקרוא". אבל זה טוביה, עם האומץ, ההומור, והחוש המזוקק לראות ולומר אמת.
זה לא "תפוס ת'יהודי". כלומר זה לא ספר ש"חייבים לקרוא". אבל זה טוביה, עם האומץ, ההומור, והחוש המזוקק לראות ולומר אמת.
January 9, 2019
I liked this book a lot more than I thought would be the case at the start. Having started this book, I was concerned that the author would be another one of those strident political liberals who turn everything into an ideological mess, but in stark contrast to this, the author showed himself to be a person of considerable wit and humor, the sort of person who it would be enjoyable to talk to, and someone with considerable insight (albeit a great deal of criticism) about the United States and our present culture. The criticism delivered is not strident, and so one can see that the author is not interested in pushing his weight on one side or the other of the partisan divide, but pointing out some of the characteristic fissures and weaknesses of our culture and points out the threat that our shallow identities have when it comes to national unity or our ability to intervene effectively in the world as a whole. The author is somewhat of a pessimist, but also a wise and shrewd observer with his own interests in truth and justice, as well as in the well being of his people.
During the course of a trip to the United States in 2016, the author managed to visit 29 of the 50 states, which are recorded here. He did not, alas, visit Oregon, but I suppose he got enough of the flavor of American liberalism in Washington and California and Hawaii to feel it superfluous to visit here. Throughout the course of his travels he attempts to interview people about their thoughts and feelings and finds Americans to be far more informed about the Middle East than he would have thought. He also finds that many Americans are afraid to talk about their political opinions for a variety of reasons related to self-interest and concern over the hostility others may feel. This is certainly a sentiment I understand as someone whose political beliefs are very much out of step with the wider culture of where I live. Exploring "dangerous" neighborhoods, pondering white flight, searching in vain for the survival of German culture, looking for good food, talking with ordinary people, about whom he has a lot of positive things to say, and dealing adroitly with hypocrites of various kinds, the author manages to have a compelling experience in his travels. Overall, the author comes off as a raconteur that it would be enjoyable to spend time with, far more sympathetic than those of more narrowly partisan goals.
Part of the sympathy that the author draws is as a result of his self-effacing sense of humor, as he comments on being overweight and shows a delightful sense of opposition to the interests of institutions in preserving their place by shutting down free inquiry. The author shows himself adroit in managing a variety of different identities, as Jew as well as of German, as he explores the complexity of American culture while not laying down all the cards himself. He eats well, talks to the homeless, examines the problem of gang violence, discusses political activism, ponders the phenomenon of tribal casinos, visits prisons, finds it difficult to find political leaders from the city level on up willing to have an honest conversation, and finds that most people only want to talk about serious matters off the record. For all of this, though, the author manages to do a great job at capturing the fissures within American life and culture, the problems of illegal immigration, and even the appeal of Donald Trump to an electorate that feels afraid of the consequences of speaking honestly in our contemporary age. And that makes it worth reading, even at a hefty 400 pages of text.
During the course of a trip to the United States in 2016, the author managed to visit 29 of the 50 states, which are recorded here. He did not, alas, visit Oregon, but I suppose he got enough of the flavor of American liberalism in Washington and California and Hawaii to feel it superfluous to visit here. Throughout the course of his travels he attempts to interview people about their thoughts and feelings and finds Americans to be far more informed about the Middle East than he would have thought. He also finds that many Americans are afraid to talk about their political opinions for a variety of reasons related to self-interest and concern over the hostility others may feel. This is certainly a sentiment I understand as someone whose political beliefs are very much out of step with the wider culture of where I live. Exploring "dangerous" neighborhoods, pondering white flight, searching in vain for the survival of German culture, looking for good food, talking with ordinary people, about whom he has a lot of positive things to say, and dealing adroitly with hypocrites of various kinds, the author manages to have a compelling experience in his travels. Overall, the author comes off as a raconteur that it would be enjoyable to spend time with, far more sympathetic than those of more narrowly partisan goals.
Part of the sympathy that the author draws is as a result of his self-effacing sense of humor, as he comments on being overweight and shows a delightful sense of opposition to the interests of institutions in preserving their place by shutting down free inquiry. The author shows himself adroit in managing a variety of different identities, as Jew as well as of German, as he explores the complexity of American culture while not laying down all the cards himself. He eats well, talks to the homeless, examines the problem of gang violence, discusses political activism, ponders the phenomenon of tribal casinos, visits prisons, finds it difficult to find political leaders from the city level on up willing to have an honest conversation, and finds that most people only want to talk about serious matters off the record. For all of this, though, the author manages to do a great job at capturing the fissures within American life and culture, the problems of illegal immigration, and even the appeal of Donald Trump to an electorate that feels afraid of the consequences of speaking honestly in our contemporary age. And that makes it worth reading, even at a hefty 400 pages of text.
November 8, 2021
Jedna z nejlepších knih, jaké jsem kdy četla, protože bez příkras odhaluje lidi takové, jací jsou. Tuvia Tenenbom má můj neskonalý obdiv, protože nazývá věci pravými jmény a popisuje situaci takovou, jaká je, i když se to lidem nelíbí. Pravda bolí. A on má odvahu říct jí nahlas.
May 20, 2019
Read it on flight back from Israel and couldn't put it down. Great followup to Catch the Jew. Excellent and eye opening read. Also highly entertaining. I laughed out loud many times throughout. I don't necessarily agree with all of his conclusions/his level of cynicism about everything but I really appreciate the work that he does.
August 15, 2017
Very depressing view of America
Who is this chameleon when not pretending to be someone else? Jewish? Does he ever go to synagogue when not required for an interview? German? Does it express itself other than his choice of beverage? American? After decades can he define it? Is he proud to be an Amrican citizen?
Superficial and depressing in the way his earlier 'Catch the Jew' wasn't. It offers no different options even in its conclusion. For example, if determining parentage percentage to be an Indian is racist what alternative does he propose. Keep in mind Israel demands at least 25% for entrance as a Jew and most Halacha (Jewish law) 50%.
Tenenbom (Christmas tree?) is always folksy and entertaining but the 'Lies they tell' is not his best work.
Who is this chameleon when not pretending to be someone else? Jewish? Does he ever go to synagogue when not required for an interview? German? Does it express itself other than his choice of beverage? American? After decades can he define it? Is he proud to be an Amrican citizen?
Superficial and depressing in the way his earlier 'Catch the Jew' wasn't. It offers no different options even in its conclusion. For example, if determining parentage percentage to be an Indian is racist what alternative does he propose. Keep in mind Israel demands at least 25% for entrance as a Jew and most Halacha (Jewish law) 50%.
Tenenbom (Christmas tree?) is always folksy and entertaining but the 'Lies they tell' is not his best work.
July 20, 2017
Tuvia's wit is in fine form, but America is sad
America doesn't sound anything like the America the politicians describe. The poor are forgotten, the "decent" citizens are hopelessly ignorant, and racism is everywhere. Once again, Tuva shows the hidden underbelly of society. And proves Americans have deluded themselves about their country. The most humble, those struggling at the bottom of the American Dream, are the people with the most soul and humanity. With his tremendous gift to connect with people, Truvia shows these are the people who are real in America.
Another great book. A must read for conscious Americans. We have met the enemy and they are us.
America doesn't sound anything like the America the politicians describe. The poor are forgotten, the "decent" citizens are hopelessly ignorant, and racism is everywhere. Once again, Tuva shows the hidden underbelly of society. And proves Americans have deluded themselves about their country. The most humble, those struggling at the bottom of the American Dream, are the people with the most soul and humanity. With his tremendous gift to connect with people, Truvia shows these are the people who are real in America.
Another great book. A must read for conscious Americans. We have met the enemy and they are us.
July 2, 2017
Tuvia Tenenbom is a good listener and story teller. He is unafraid of others and goes where most do not to get a sense for what people really believe and/or thinking. He is funny and insightful and invites us to relook at our reactions and beliefs, clearly identifying alternative facts on all sides. Worth the read if you want to better understand who we are and are not as a Nation.
July 11, 2017
Another thoughtful and opinionated journey of the author, this time through the US. He identifies bigotry, calling it out when he sees it. As in his other books, he finds hypocrisy, particularly in people's opinions about Jews and Israel. Even where I disagree with his opinions, he expresses them in a smart and often funny way.
September 1, 2017
Can't help comparing it to his previous work
The book itself was a good read, fun, touching, and warm. However, after reading his previous book "Catch the Jew" I was expecting something more exotic
The book itself was a good read, fun, touching, and warm. However, after reading his previous book "Catch the Jew" I was expecting something more exotic
February 5, 2019
Alexis De Tocqueville discovered the secret of America's greatness when he visited it's churches. Mr. Tenenbom likewise visited American's churches. Unfortunately the author discovered; 'Another Gospel' a religion not fit for the soul much less service to God.
January 7, 2017
Very relevant book to understand today's America and its people.
Highly recommended read written very readable and humorously.
Highly recommended read written very readable and humorously.
March 28, 2017
He is calling it like he sees it!
Great book. It is very tongue in cheek and unfortunately so much of it is true. I love the USA but there are some very real problems.
Great book. It is very tongue in cheek and unfortunately so much of it is true. I love the USA but there are some very real problems.
February 5, 2021
If you're familiar with "Jay-walking," the schtick Jay Leno pulled out occasionally when he took the microphone and camera out onto city streets and asked passersby questions such as, "Who is the current Vice President of the United States," and got mostly "I don't knows" and goofy answers, then you'll understand Tuvia Tenenbom's tour of America book.
Tenenbom, an American citizen who writes for German media, while being critical of Americans who won't say anything others don't want to hear, is pretty much offering Europeans what he's sure they want to hear, that Americans are racist and ignorant.
Of course, some are. But Tenenbom's tour isn't a cross-section of the States.
The people Tenenbom interviews could be your next door neighbors, if your neighbor is the homeless guy with no front teeth, or the three women he talks with who own 15, 30 and 100 guns, respectively, or men who think Jews were telling Obama what to do, or the black man who says there are no values in the black community, or the woman who refuses to wear a seatbelt because "the government isn't going to tell her what to do" (she's the one who owns the 100 guns, by the way), or the gay activist female who walks around in the nude to show her support for the rights of sex workers. Tenenbom admires gay activists who walk around in the nude he writes, because they are fun and liberal.
Frankly, most readers will find Tenenbom makes idiotic statements, such as, "Americans love their Indians. Especially the dead ones." He finds that people who vacation in Hawaii are to blame for homelessness on the islands. He says Nashville is no longer a cultural center because the day he was there and visited a honky-tonk the place was relatively empty while in the same paragraph chiding "naive tourists who stupidly enough still flock to Nashville." He says every country was founded by butchers and murders and the current inhabitants are continuing that course of action.
Tenenom regularly asks those he interviews their views on the Israeli-Palestinian situation, then wonders aloud why Americans care so much about the Israeli-Palestinian situation. Once you get to page 373 you get damn tired of his hang up on why Americans are hung up on Israel and Palestine.
To sum, the author of "The Lies They Tell" tries too hard to be funny, quotes people in the extremes of U.S. society, and allows people to show their prejudices and ignorance so readers can laugh at them or be abhorred by them.
Was Mr. Tenenbom trying to make the point that the people in the United States and the U.S. government aren't perfect, in fact make mistakes, and some are racist and ignorant?
We already knew that. But we weren't trying to make money selling books so others would laugh at them and be abhorred by them.
Oh, and by the way, Tenenbom particularly despises the Pope. See, that's okay, that's not being prejudiced. Seems we all have our little hypocrisies.
Tenenbom, an American citizen who writes for German media, while being critical of Americans who won't say anything others don't want to hear, is pretty much offering Europeans what he's sure they want to hear, that Americans are racist and ignorant.
Of course, some are. But Tenenbom's tour isn't a cross-section of the States.
The people Tenenbom interviews could be your next door neighbors, if your neighbor is the homeless guy with no front teeth, or the three women he talks with who own 15, 30 and 100 guns, respectively, or men who think Jews were telling Obama what to do, or the black man who says there are no values in the black community, or the woman who refuses to wear a seatbelt because "the government isn't going to tell her what to do" (she's the one who owns the 100 guns, by the way), or the gay activist female who walks around in the nude to show her support for the rights of sex workers. Tenenbom admires gay activists who walk around in the nude he writes, because they are fun and liberal.
Frankly, most readers will find Tenenbom makes idiotic statements, such as, "Americans love their Indians. Especially the dead ones." He finds that people who vacation in Hawaii are to blame for homelessness on the islands. He says Nashville is no longer a cultural center because the day he was there and visited a honky-tonk the place was relatively empty while in the same paragraph chiding "naive tourists who stupidly enough still flock to Nashville." He says every country was founded by butchers and murders and the current inhabitants are continuing that course of action.
Tenenom regularly asks those he interviews their views on the Israeli-Palestinian situation, then wonders aloud why Americans care so much about the Israeli-Palestinian situation. Once you get to page 373 you get damn tired of his hang up on why Americans are hung up on Israel and Palestine.
To sum, the author of "The Lies They Tell" tries too hard to be funny, quotes people in the extremes of U.S. society, and allows people to show their prejudices and ignorance so readers can laugh at them or be abhorred by them.
Was Mr. Tenenbom trying to make the point that the people in the United States and the U.S. government aren't perfect, in fact make mistakes, and some are racist and ignorant?
We already knew that. But we weren't trying to make money selling books so others would laugh at them and be abhorred by them.
Oh, and by the way, Tenenbom particularly despises the Pope. See, that's okay, that's not being prejudiced. Seems we all have our little hypocrisies.
July 8, 2024
A very long FB Post
One is not inquired to visit USA to get a grasp of what America is all about. If there was a FB post of "What America is all about?" You would receive the exact same answers, if not more honest since they are presented online and behind a screen.
It is no wonder that America is sh*t. All the world knows that America is sh*t. The Americans know that America is sh*t. Both of America's allies and enemies know that America is sh*t. Yet still there is this theatrical facade that America is the greatest nation on earth. What exactly makes it so great? Nobody knows.
The Jews are justifying all the stereotypes that have been attached to them, hence proving how they, their obsession with money, their back patting, handshaking nepotism and cronyism, is ths number one breeding ground of Antisemitism. You cannot proclaim yourself as better than others and then be surprised why everybody loathes you.
The blacks have experienced injustice and slavery and instead of rising up to injustice anywhere, educating themselves, freeing themselves from prejudices, from their own history, from their own collective pain, from injustice, they simply hate each other and kill themselves.
Americans, whose all tax money goes to fund Israel and drop bombs on Palestinians instead of education, better healthcare, better economy, better lifestyle, prefer to support Israel while living a life of sh*t, poverty, inequality, ignorance, crime, and mediocrity.
Jesus might have said that the meek shall inherit the earth but he never spoke of the stupid.
This book could indeed be much shorter.
One is not inquired to visit USA to get a grasp of what America is all about. If there was a FB post of "What America is all about?" You would receive the exact same answers, if not more honest since they are presented online and behind a screen.
It is no wonder that America is sh*t. All the world knows that America is sh*t. The Americans know that America is sh*t. Both of America's allies and enemies know that America is sh*t. Yet still there is this theatrical facade that America is the greatest nation on earth. What exactly makes it so great? Nobody knows.
The Jews are justifying all the stereotypes that have been attached to them, hence proving how they, their obsession with money, their back patting, handshaking nepotism and cronyism, is ths number one breeding ground of Antisemitism. You cannot proclaim yourself as better than others and then be surprised why everybody loathes you.
The blacks have experienced injustice and slavery and instead of rising up to injustice anywhere, educating themselves, freeing themselves from prejudices, from their own history, from their own collective pain, from injustice, they simply hate each other and kill themselves.
Americans, whose all tax money goes to fund Israel and drop bombs on Palestinians instead of education, better healthcare, better economy, better lifestyle, prefer to support Israel while living a life of sh*t, poverty, inequality, ignorance, crime, and mediocrity.
Jesus might have said that the meek shall inherit the earth but he never spoke of the stupid.
This book could indeed be much shorter.
February 1, 2024
This is a travelogue written by an Israeli American employed as a journalist at a major German newspaper. He took a trip across the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii around 2016. His observations on the United States and its people are snapshots in time of the country, and the beliefs of its citizens. In many ways these perceptions are prescient with respect to opinions that are now being expressed more vociferously by many people including the anger, the political divide, the antisemitism, the pro-Palestinian beliefs, and the belief that climate change isn’t real.
The book at times reads like the author is kvetching too much. Nevertheless the truisms standout. Unfortunately, as the author approaches the end of the book, he appears to run out of gas, time and interest in his project. The chapters get shorter, and the observations of places and people that were once copious, detailed and at times, overlong, edifying, and occasionally poignant, become more succinct and generic. They are less interesting despite being made in places that are as, or more important politically, economically or socially, as those described earlier in the book. The conclusion, which summarizes the author’s observations of the state of the United States and its people, reads like a political polemic often expressed by Europeans, and doesn’t show a true or full understanding of the country.
The book rates 3.5 stars.
The book at times reads like the author is kvetching too much. Nevertheless the truisms standout. Unfortunately, as the author approaches the end of the book, he appears to run out of gas, time and interest in his project. The chapters get shorter, and the observations of places and people that were once copious, detailed and at times, overlong, edifying, and occasionally poignant, become more succinct and generic. They are less interesting despite being made in places that are as, or more important politically, economically or socially, as those described earlier in the book. The conclusion, which summarizes the author’s observations of the state of the United States and its people, reads like a political polemic often expressed by Europeans, and doesn’t show a true or full understanding of the country.
The book rates 3.5 stars.
December 29, 2017
Well ... it's sort of exhausting to read more than 300 pages book and to find 3 or 4 worthy places ... but yet, it is much better than to read 1000 pages book and find absolutely nothing.
I learned a lot about Tuvia Tenenbom - his background, his origin, his character, his opinions, his mistakes. I did not learn much about America: I bought this book based on newspapers' review but it was bunch of PR, false bullshit, exactly the one TT criticizes (he would use the word bullshit even though it will be probably deleted or modified or anything).
One interesting note: in preface, the author mentions his wife traveled with him, made photos, was his companion. There is no mention about her in the book. TT rode hundreds of miles in the car on the highways, very probably having conversations with his wife. She was very probably saying some wise things (she's woman after all). But we have learned nothing about her. We have learned some bits about Jews. And what does it talk about? About the author. If you want to learn about Tuvia Tenenbom, this book is excellent source. If you really (really really) want to know America, he will hardly tell you anything you don't already know.
I learned a lot about Tuvia Tenenbom - his background, his origin, his character, his opinions, his mistakes. I did not learn much about America: I bought this book based on newspapers' review but it was bunch of PR, false bullshit, exactly the one TT criticizes (he would use the word bullshit even though it will be probably deleted or modified or anything).
One interesting note: in preface, the author mentions his wife traveled with him, made photos, was his companion. There is no mention about her in the book. TT rode hundreds of miles in the car on the highways, very probably having conversations with his wife. She was very probably saying some wise things (she's woman after all). But we have learned nothing about her. We have learned some bits about Jews. And what does it talk about? About the author. If you want to learn about Tuvia Tenenbom, this book is excellent source. If you really (really really) want to know America, he will hardly tell you anything you don't already know.
July 16, 2017
It's a really honest depiction of what is wrong with present day America. It leaves you with questions and thoughts that you already may have felt deep down but were never surfaced. Overall a very thought provoking book. There were definitely parts I felt that Tuvia was a little biased as a Jew himself and was being derogatory towards the minorities. But now that I think back for me being offended is because what he says are valid points that we as society do not want to be true. So we give ourselves a fake image to go by and what Tuvia does is break through the fake and serve what's real. And that sort of hurts.
January 22, 2025
Tuvia Tenenbom does it again (or, rather, he "did it again" almost 10 years ago when this book was published, but I've only gotten around to reading it now). Whenever I read one of his books, I am once again reminded how full of shit the majority of the world is about virtually everything they claim to care about. Tenenbom holds a mirror up to people's faces, but like a puppy, they make noise and smile, but don't really have a clue about what's going on. Reading his work, I am also always reminded of the "Emperor's New Clothes." Tenenbom is the little boy in the fable calling out the obvious things that most people are too afraid to admit. Highly recommend. 8.5/10
May 12, 2019
An Entertaining And Thought Provoking Travelogue
I chose this book because I really enjoyed his Catch The Jew. It was very rewarding. The writer travels around the US during the Obama Presidency and chats to all sorts of people with the aim of finding out what they think about living in the US and about the Middle East. Some of it is shocking particularly his trip to Chicago and Hawaii. He seeks out the reality as opposed to the official line.
I chose this book because I really enjoyed his Catch The Jew. It was very rewarding. The writer travels around the US during the Obama Presidency and chats to all sorts of people with the aim of finding out what they think about living in the US and about the Middle East. Some of it is shocking particularly his trip to Chicago and Hawaii. He seeks out the reality as opposed to the official line.
December 24, 2021
This shouldn't be mistaken for a work of anthropology. It is one journalist's tale of the America he found while out to discover the country for himself. And because that journalist is Tuvia Tenebom, the result is a irreverent, exaggerated tale that pulls no punches and calls it exactly as he sees it. It is also clever and insightful, at times making you want to shake his hand and at other times, slap his smug face. Well worth the read.
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