audiobook The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life by Tom Reiss in History

Review

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Interesting...By Jill MeyerTom Reiss's book; "The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life"; is the very strange story of author Lev Nussembaum and his identity; which has been obscured through the 20th century. It is also the story of Tom Reiss's search for that story and is; at times; as much about the "hunter" as the "hunted".Lev Nussembaum was; at various times in his life; a Jew; a Muslim; and a hybrid. It seemed to depend on where he was living at the time and what he wanted to write. Born to Jewish parents in the oil capitol of Baku; he changed identities as often; it seems; as he changed clothing. Certainly the political extingencies of the times - the Russian Revolution; Nazism; Bolshevism - that Lev lived through; called for a somewhat "flexible" identity.Tom Reiss began searching for Lev Nissembaum when he began searching for the author of "Ali and Nino"; reputed to be one Kurban Said. Long years of searching and interviewing led to Lev Nissembaum; who had died in 1942. Reis's book is a long; sometimes repetitive; but always interesting look at foreign places and wars and how they led to Lev Nissembaum.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Stick with this true story and find a forgotten worldBy NatalieDo you know about Baku and their thriving oil industry more than one hundred years ago? Do you know the terrible struggles that area suffered after the Bolshevik revolution and how the "White Russians;" the lucky ones; escaped to Europe? Read about Lev; known also as Essad Bey; writer of best sellers in German and Russian; who warned of the Soviet threat; and then the Nazi threat to humanity.Stick with this true story and find a forgotten world. Very relevant in today's clashes of east and west; moderation and hatred.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. An Unfamiliar Aspect of HistoryBy Easar57This story opened up a new aspect of Jewish history of wish I was previously unaware. Lev Nussimbaum's involvement in so many of the tumult that took place in Russia and Europe during the years it covers is extraordinary. Sadly; the book also reveals how deeply seated anti-Semitism was everywhere this unusual person went. Bolsheviks blamed the world's ills on Jewish capitalists. Pre-Nazi fascists blamed Bolshevism on the Jews. Capitalists simply turned their backs on Jews. And he felt it all; no matter how hard he tried to reinvent himself.Lev Nussimbaurm is not particularly likable; but I have to respect his intelligence; and I can't imagine how I would have dealt with the challenging circumstances within which he found himself. He is flawed; like all of us. He was bright yet naive. He was hopeful at the wrong times. HIs fears lead him to be blind to the dangers of certain ideologies.My one criticism of the book was that the author could have found a better way to help the reader keep track of some of the many characters who come in and out of Lev's life; and then resurface later.