Herman Wouk has ranged in his novels from the mighty narrative of The Caine Mutiny and the warm; intimate humor of Marjorie Morningstar to the global panorama of The Winds of War and War and Remembrance. All these powers merge in this major new work of nonfiction; The Will to Live On; an illuminating account of the worldwide revolution that has been sweeping over Jewry; set against a swiftly reviewed background of history; tradition; and sacred literature.Forty years ago; in his modern classic This Is My God; Herman Wouk stated the case for his religious beliefs and conduct. His aim in that work and in The Will to Live On has been to break through the crust of prejudice; to reawaken clearheaded thought about the magnificent Jewish patrimony; and to convey a message of hope for Jewish survival.Although the Torah and the Talmud are timeless; the twentieth century has brought earthquake shocks to the Jews: the apocalyptic experience of the Holocaust; the reborn Jewish state; the precarious American diaspora; and deepening religious schisms. After a lifetime of study; Herman Wouk examines the changes affecting the Jewish world; especially the troubled wonder of Israel; and the remarkable; though dwindling; American Jewry. The book is peppered with wonderful stories of the author's encounters with such luminaries as Ben Gurion; Isidor Rabi; Yitzhak Rabin; Saul Bellow; and Richard Feynan.Learned in general culture; warmly tolerant of other beliefs; this noted author expresses his own other beliefs; this noted author expresses his own faith with a passion that gives the book its fire and does so in the clear; engaging style tha-as in all Wouk's fiction -- makes the reader want to know what the next page will bring. Herman Wouk writes; in The Will to Live On:"And so the Melting Pot is beginning to work on Jewry. Its effect was deferred in the passing century by the shock of the Holocaust and the rise of Israel; but today the Holocaust is an academic subject; and Israel is no longer a beleaguered underdog. Amkha in America is not dying; it is slowly melting; and those are very different fates. Dying is a terror; an agony; a strangling finish; to be fought off by sheer instinct; by the will to live on; to the last breath. Melting is a mere diffusion into an ambient welcoming warmth in which one is dissolved and disappears; as a teaspoon of sugar vanishes into hot tea....Yet here in the United States; for all the scary attrition I have pictured; we are still a community of over five million strong....At a far stretch of my hopes; our descendants could one day be a diaspora comparable to Babylonia. At the moment; of course; that is beyond rational expectation. We have to concentrate on lasting at all...."
#335744 in Books John McWhorter 2001-07-31 2001-07-31Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .73 x 5.31l; .56 #File Name: 0060935936320 pagesLosing the Race Self Sabotage in Black America
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Excellent book; it raises your thinking on race.By GolfnutThis is a great book whether you are black or white. There's something for everyone and it raises the race relations of the entire country. McWhorter says what we all need to hear.6 of 8 people found the following review helpful. A WAKE-UP CALL FOR FREEDOM!By Dorothy WeissJohn Mc Whorter has written a biting; intense; sharp commentary that invites and inspires debate. He discusses interracial dialogue distortions; defeatist rhetoric; affirmative action; separatism; victimology and anti-intellectualism. He writes; "to conceive of ourselves today as eternal victims impedes our progress toward equality" -- -- and -- "we need only take a deep breath and re-examine what we have been conditioned to accept as political; intellectual and cultural leadership; and allow ourselves to be granted the treasure of self-realization. On the issue of black academics; he writes; "The issue is not an overt or complete rejection of the world of the book; but a conspicuously lesser weighting of one's competence in this arena as the measure of the (hu)man." In reading this book; you may not agree with Mr McWhorter; but he certainly captures your attention and compels you to think for yourself. A well written perspective on America today; "Losing The Race" is comparable to Jesse Lee Peterson's; "From Rage To Responsiblity"; and Larry Elders; "The Ten Things You Can't Say In America"; as well as Kirbyjon Caldwell's; "The Gospel of Good Success". Read these books after you complete Professor McWhorter's eye-opening wake-up call for freedom.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Eye opener for white and black americansBy ANSSOI think this book is great!!!McWhorter "exposes" the problem part of black americans have. As a white teacher; I do not want to give my black children the opportunity to give me excuses. They should be accountable for the work as much as any other student.I too have suffered discrimination for other reasons. However; it is far better to have great expectations from my students; either white; black hispanic; asian. The important thing is that I need to believe in my students.I think McWhorter gives all teachers hope to expect more from their students. The change will not probably happen in this generation but we need to work on it.
