Stranger Than Fiction: A Short History Of The Jews From Earliest Times To The Present Day

by Lewis Browne

1929. With fifty animated maps by the author, giving a pictorial history of centuries of wandering. Browne writes in the prologue that while this story may have been told, yet it cries out to be told still again. From beginning to end it pleads to be retold, and not as a list of names and dates, but as a wild adventure, as a romance. For the whole history of the Jewish people is a romance; the strangest, the most colorful in the saga of all mankind.

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Lisa of Troy]

Annotated book in F. Scott Fitzgerald's College of One

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to rate this book. It's fast-moving: in 350 pages it covers hundreds upon hundreds of years of Jewish history, so obviously there's quite a lot of skimming. But the many maps and drawings are excellent and useful, the language is gripping (if dramatic), and if at times it feels like an endless cycle of flee-rebuild-flee-rebuild, well, that's Jewish history for you. As Browne puts it, "Indeed, half of the rest of this story of the Jews is just the story of the struggle against that danger."

It's interesting to have such a sympathetic book written by a non-Jew, considering the publication date. But, really, what makes this book noteworthy is the end (er, spoiler alert? if you've been asleep since WW1?)--

After covering all those hundreds of years of destruction, Browne notes the rise of 'modern society' and the rule of law, and he ends with quite a hopeful tone. He mentions the uncertain future of the "new-old land of Israel," but he doesn't end with that. He ends with:

Yet one forecast may indeed safely be made . . . the Jews everywhere go forward. They go forward in history, taking on a new lease on life. A new rampart has been thrown up to supply the protection of the rule of law . . . So that even our day can see no end to the life of the Strange People, but again only a new beginning...

And probably you agree with that sentiment - probably not a stretch to say that things are better for the Jews now than they've been for the past centuries. So a reasonable ending for this book.

Until you remember the publication date is 1929.

You tried, Browne. You tried.

[Marie-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good history of Judaism. 1925

[Ameer · Rating 5 out of 5]

in a league of its own