A History of the Jews

De: Paul Johnson

Narrado por: Nadia May

This historical magnum opus covers 4,000 years of the extraordinary history of the Jews as a people, a culture, and a nation. It shows the impact of Jewish character on the world - their genius, imagination, and, most of all, their ability to persevere despite severe persecutions. Compelling insights into events and individuals are chronologically detailed, from Moses and Jesus to Spinoza, Marx, Freud, the Rothschilds, and Golda Meir.©1987 Paul Johnson (P)1989 Blackstone Audio, inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"It's no mean feat to successfully compress 4,000 years of history into 645 pages, but Johnson has more than met the challenge....an excellent, nonscholarly history for general readers." ( Library Journal)
"A tour de force....A remarkable achievement." ( The New York Times Book Review)
"A marvelous book....This is history: richly textured, provocative and wise." ( The Plain Dealer)

Excellent History

This is a great book: lively writing, well researched and for the most part, well paced. Criticism of the narration are petty: the woman is English and pronounces some words per the Queen's not American English. Jewish words are in fact recognizable. I almost didn't buy this book because of the complaints about the narration. I am so glad I did not heed the naysayers. A GREAT listen.

in-deapth, scholarly omnibus of history

This book surveys the Israelites and then the Jews as they progressed through time. The author strives to fairly access positive and negative factors and trends. This book calls anti-Semitism wrong at every turn. It doesn't ingore the gory details of history. The book doesnt assume that all Jews are observant, rather is contrasts the full spectrum of beliefs held by those of the Jewish race and the views held by others towards the Jews. The book highlights those Jews who have contributed significanttly to humanity. Overall, there is nothing simplistic about this book. After reading it, I feel I understand more about Jewish history, yet at the same time I am in awe of how very complex a topic this is.

Look at the review

What did you love best about A History of the Jews?

I loved the same part that I disliked. Paul Johnson has so much info about so many different societies from different centuries.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

If you are going to read this book you had better have quite a bit of knowledge already about these civilizations and times. Paul Johnson moves quickly through 4000 years and I reallized that this book was too much for me soon after I started it. Reading this book without a substantial knowledge base on the subjects is like trying to play the guitar just having listened to a lot of music and thinking you're just going to breeze through it. It isnt going to happen. I would recommend reading some other books that focus on specific great civilizations throughout history. This book isnt for newbie historians, this thing moves fast and the author seems to believe that you already know a lot. I'm sure it is a great read for people who do know a lot on the subject

Excellent history of Jews + good reader

Thorough history told by a humanist Tory catholic.

Prose and storytelling style reminded me of Barbara Tuchman. Learned a lot.

Narrator’s voice is awful

This excellent book needs to be re-recorded because the narrator’s pitchy voice is painful to listen to.