Genius and Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, 1847–1947
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- Author：Norman Lebrecht
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Summary
A unique chronicle of the years 1847-1947， the century when the Jewish people changed the world—and it changed them。
In a hundred-year period， a handful of men and women changed the way we see the world。 Many of them are well known—Marx， Freud， Proust， Einstein， Kafka。 Others have vanished from collective memory despite their enduring importance in our daily lives。 Without Karl Landsteiner， for instance， there would be no blood transfusions or major surgery。 Without Paul Ehrlich， no chemotherapy。 Without Siegfried Marcus， no motor car。 Without Rosalind Franklin， genetic science would look very different。 Without Fritz Haber， there would not be enough food to sustain life on earth。
What do these visionaries have in common？ They all had Jewish origins。 They all had a gift for thinking in wholly original， even earth-shattering ways。 In 1847 the Jewish people made up less than 0。25% of the world’s population， and yet they saw what others could not。 How？ Why？
Norman Lebrecht has devoted half of his life to pondering and researching the mindset of the Jewish intellectuals， writers， scientists， and thinkers who turned the tides of history and shaped the world today as we know it。 In Genius & Anxiety， Lebrecht begins with the Communist Manifesto in 1847 and ends in 1947， when Israel was founded。 This robust， magnificent volume， beautifully designed， is an urgent and necessary celebration of Jewish genius and contribution。
In a hundred-year period， a handful of men and women changed the way we see the world。 Many of them are well known—Marx， Freud， Proust， Einstein， Kafka。 Others have vanished from collective memory despite their enduring importance in our daily lives。 Without Karl Landsteiner， for instance， there would be no blood transfusions or major surgery。 Without Paul Ehrlich， no chemotherapy。 Without Siegfried Marcus， no motor car。 Without Rosalind Franklin， genetic science would look very different。 Without Fritz Haber， there would not be enough food to sustain life on earth。
What do these visionaries have in common？ They all had Jewish origins。 They all had a gift for thinking in wholly original， even earth-shattering ways。 In 1847 the Jewish people made up less than 0。25% of the world’s population， and yet they saw what others could not。 How？ Why？
Norman Lebrecht has devoted half of his life to pondering and researching the mindset of the Jewish intellectuals， writers， scientists， and thinkers who turned the tides of history and shaped the world today as we know it。 In Genius & Anxiety， Lebrecht begins with the Communist Manifesto in 1847 and ends in 1947， when Israel was founded。 This robust， magnificent volume， beautifully designed， is an urgent and necessary celebration of Jewish genius and contribution。
Reviews
Gretchen
，
3。5 stars
Ben Wiener
，
Fantastic back-stories about many of the most influential writers， performers， leaders and other Jewish innovators。 Terse， direct storytelling takes you straight into the numerous subjects' daily lives， major events and interconnected experiences。 Fantastic back-stories about many of the most influential writers， performers， leaders and other Jewish innovators。 Terse， direct storytelling takes you straight into the numerous subjects' daily lives， major events and interconnected experiences。 。。。more
Marge
，
Some fascinating stories about well known Jews and some odd， even quirky， stories。 No clear organization motif。 Despite the title， the author doesn't connect the dots for me。 Certain parts more interesting than others。 Some fascinating stories about well known Jews and some odd， even quirky， stories。 No clear organization motif。 Despite the title， the author doesn't connect the dots for me。 Certain parts more interesting than others。 。。。more
Mindy Burroughs
，
This book affected me a lot more than I expected。 It broadened my understanding of modern Jewish history immensely and will definitely leave a lasting impression。
Barbara
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This is a very important book but not an easy read。 Without so many Jews who think outside the box， our world would be a far different place。 The geniuses we know like Freud， Leonard Bernstein or Einstein the author includes so many others who have been overlooked It should be a 5* but it wore me out
Varapanyo Bhikkhu
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Andrew Joyce:On October 5th， Norman Lebrecht， the Jewish British commentator on music and cultural affairs， published a piece at The Spectator titled “Do Jews Think Differently？，” in which he argues that Jews possess “a common ancestral way of thinking” that has allowed them to “change the world as we know it。” He insists that there exists “a way of thinking that has allowed Jews to see the world from an oblique angle，” and continues “Do Jews think differently？ The moment I asked that question， Andrew Joyce:On October 5th， Norman Lebrecht， the Jewish British commentator on music and cultural affairs， published a piece at The Spectator titled “Do Jews Think Differently？，” in which he argues that Jews possess “a common ancestral way of thinking” that has allowed them to “change the world as we know it。” He insists that there exists “a way of thinking that has allowed Jews to see the world from an oblique angle，” and continues “Do Jews think differently？ The moment I asked that question， there could be only one answer。 … Some dissenting Jew， somewhere， right now， is about to change the way the world revolves。”Lebrecht refers at length to his recently published Genius & Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World， 1847–1947 （Simon & Schuster， 2019）， in the course of which he profiles 36 Jews who he claims are responsible （in a positive sense） for modernity。 Lebrecht is a strongly identified Jew who clearly has a high level of self-esteem at the group level。 He also has a history of producing texts that have advanced Jewish self-glorification。 For example， in a 2011 Occidental Observer review essay （of Lebrecht’s Why Mahler？ How One Man and Ten Symphonies Changed the World）， Brenton Sanderson argues that The focus here is on alerting us to fact of Mahler’s towering genius， and how this genius was inextricably bound up with his identity as a Jew。 Overlaying this， as ever， is the lachrymose vision of Mahler the saintly Jewish victim of gentile injustice。 Lebrecht’s new book is another reminder of how Jewish intellectuals have used their privileged status as self-appointed gatekeepers of Western culture to advance their group interests through the way they conceptualize the respective artistic achievements of Jews and Europeans。 … This betokens an acknowledgement of the importance of ethnic role models in the promotion of ethnic pride and group cohesion， and how ethnocentric Jews， like Lebrecht， have hyped the former to promote the latter。 This form of Jewish intellectual activity is clearly directed at influencing ‘social categorization processes in a manner that benefits Jews。’ The unique aspect of Jewish self-glorification is not just the production of books like Lebrecht’s， but the scale and uniformity of such production， and the resulting broader cultural impact。 Other groups have at times produced self-glorifying texts， for example， Thomas Cahill’s How the Irish Saved Civilization （1995）， and Arthur Herman’s How the Scots Invented the Modern World （2001）， but these are extreme rarities， these authors have also written about unrelated subjects， and these texts do not appear to be accompanied by particularly high levels of ethnic self-esteem or associated factors of ethnocentrism in their respective ethnic groups。 By contrast， Lebrecht’s book is simply part of a steady production of texts in which Jews celebrate themselves， often with extremely tendentious claims and outlandish and misplaced self-congratulation。 Lebrecht’s latest text， for example， is almost a reprint of Jacques Picard’s Makers of Jewish Modernity: Thinkers， Artists， Leaders， and the World They Made （Princeton， 1998）， and this in turn is part of a tradition that includes Heinrich Graetz’s 11-volume Geschichte der Juden （1853-1870）， Cecil Roth’s The Jewish Contribution to Civilization （1938）， Fredric Bedoire’s The Jewish Contribution to Modern Architecture （2004）， and Rebecca Goldstein’s Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us Modernity （2006）。A fundamental problem with many of these texts， and a contributing factor to anti-Semitism， is that they very frequently involve Jews taking exclusive credit for accomplishments in which their role has been disputed， minor， or even entirely absent。 Heinrich von Treitschke’s 1879 complaint at the opening of this essay concerned the efforts of the Jewish historian Heinrich Graetz to promote the idea that Jews were due credit for the work of Kant and the literature of Lessing and Goethe。 It is noteworthy that the effort to claim credit for the work of Goethe is ongoing among Jews today， most prominently in two works， Klaus Berghahn’s Goethe in German-Jewish Culture （2001） and Karin Schutjer’s Goethe and Judaism （2015）。 Efforts have also been made， on the flimsiest of evidence， to suggest that Miguel de Cervantes， author of Don Quixote （1605）， was Jewish， and as Sanderson has noted， there have been claims that Shakespeare’s works were actually written by a Jewish woman named Amelia Bassano Lanier。 Jews have also attempted to demonstrate the Plato’s “dependence on Moses” （see， for a modern example， Carlos Fraenkel’s Philosophical Religions from Plato to Spinoza）。Trends in modern Jewish academia and culture suggest that a quite literal absorption is taking place， whereby almost every major figure of Western culture is being reinterpreted by Jews as owing much of their accomplishment to Jewish sources。 Other major European figures and events that have been subjected to revisionist interpretations for Jewish self-glorification include John Milton （Jeffrey Shoulson’s 2012 Milton and the Rabbis: Hebraism， Hellenism， and Christianity）， Leonardo Da Vinci （Leonardo Da Vinci’s Musical Gifts and Jewish Connections， 2010）， and the scientific revolution （André Neher’s 1986 Jewish Thought and the Scientific Revolution of the Sixteenth Century）。 Dante Alighieri is now said to have been influenced by Kabbalah （Mark Mirsky’s 2003 Dante， Eros， and Kabbalah）， while Louis Pasteur’s revolutionary research on immunization is now said to have been based on the Talmud。 Other figures claimed as Jews， or to have been heavily influenced by Jews and Judaism， include Pythagoras （Louis Feldman’s 1996 Jewish and Gentile in the Ancient World）， Christopher Columbus， Rembrandt （Steven Nadler’s 2003 Rembrandt’s Jews）， and John Locke （Yechiel Leiter’s 2018 John Locke’s Political Philosophy and the Hebrew Bible）。Another aspect of Jewish self-glorification is implicit in claims that certain aspects of modern society would not exist without Jews， and even that outgroups need Jews in order to survive。 A good example in this regard is the blurb for Norman Lebrecht’s latest book， Genius & Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World， in which it is argued: “Without Karl Landsteiner， for instance， there would be no blood transfusions or major surgery。Without Paul Ehrlich no chemotherapy。 Without Siegfried Marcus no motor car。 Without Rosalind Franklin genetic science would look very different。 Without Fritz Haber there would not be enough food to sustain life on earth。”These incredibly hyperbolic claims are demonstrably false from a factual point of view。 The same pattern can be ascertained in every example given in the blurb for Lebrecht’s book， and it is particularly ironic that Lebrecht should include Landsteiner who was an excellent example of a defector from the Jewish norm of high ethnic self-esteem。Landsteiner， a convert to Catholicism， took legal action in 1937 against an American publisher who had included him in the book Who’s Who in American Jewry and was highly ambivalent about his Jewish origins。 One assumes that， had he been alive today， he would have taken legal action against Lebrecht also。 The inclusion of Landsteiner in Lebrecht’s book is， however， indicative of another aspect of Jewish self-glorification — a tendency to exaggerate the Jewishness of the subject so that his ‘world-changing’ achievement is held to be the natural expression of his Jewish origins and identity。This pattern is observed even in circumstances where there is ample evidence that the subject distanced themselves from Jews and Judaism， and even held hostile attitudes towards them。 The best example in this regard is Spinoza， who was exiled from the Amsterdam Jewish community and later survived an assassination attempt arranged by the same Jews。 。。。more
Avi
，
Genius & Anxiety takes us on this remarkable Jewish journey through a revolutionary century closely following the lives of so many intriguing characters and avant-garde iconoclasts who changed the face of this planet。 Lebrecht guides us through this adventure filled with marvellous anecdotes， memoirs and quips that reveal so much about these extraordinary personalities， how they contributed to society， how they thought， how they lived and， all too often， how they died。 He covers the heroism， vic Genius & Anxiety takes us on this remarkable Jewish journey through a revolutionary century closely following the lives of so many intriguing characters and avant-garde iconoclasts who changed the face of this planet。 Lebrecht guides us through this adventure filled with marvellous anecdotes， memoirs and quips that reveal so much about these extraordinary personalities， how they contributed to society， how they thought， how they lived and， all too often， how they died。 He covers the heroism， vices， incredible achievements and mixed legacies of these famous and， sometimes not-so-famous， historical figures。 The book randomly jumps from character to character meandering through history but there is still somehow a natural feel to the fluidity of the transitions。 What I love most is the globetrotting， how the reader is teleported across the world through such contrasting magnificent landscapes and monumental landmarks， all while being filled in with captivating details of our protagonists’ life stories。 One moment we are accompanying Heine on one of his riverside strolls along the Rhine， the next we are discovering ancient manuscripts in the dusty Geniza attic in Fustat Cairo on one of Schechter’s expeditions。 From observing Freud and Herzl bustle around the genteel ninth district of Vienna， to Wittgenstein contemplating what life is all about in a wooden hut on one of the slopes of the majestic Norwegian Fjords。 From Modigliani’s pauper days in the Montmartre arrondissement， to the Hongkew ghetto in Shanghai nicknamed “Little Vienna” where thousands of Jews take refuge from Nazi persecution; from deep beyond the Pale of Settlement in freezing Siberia to the early Jewish settlements in the sand dunes of Palestine。 Lebrecht does a superb job interweaving these stories together。 The tractate of Sanhedrin states: ישראל。。。 אף שחטא ישראל הוא “Israel， Even though he sins， he remains Israel”。 The Sages derive from this Talmudic statement ‘once a Jew， always a Jew’。 Essentially， this is the central thesis of the book。 No matter how assimilated into the wider culture or far removed a Jew is from his own faith， the knowledge that they are Jewish always lingers and lurks in the background， in the subconscious。 Lebrecht valiantly goes to （too？） great lengths to salvage some Jewishness and rehabilitate their reputation。 Historically， it seems that those that tried their utmost to discard it， always encountered a Wagner who reminded them they were a Mendelssohn。 It is this deep sense of identity and cultural schizophrenia which generates an anxiety that propels these geniuses into action and sometimes into despair。 Lebrecht delves into this identity complex， highlighting the cultural traits and ‘talmudic kopf’ he believes are engrained in the collective consciousness of European Jews despite so many of them not having had a traditional upbringing。 It is beyond belief what many of these individuals were able accomplish in their lifetimes with a bit of genius， a lot of determination and admittedly some protexia。 On the flip side， deeply disturbing is the severe mental anguish and existentialist angst many of these people and their families suffered from， evidenced by the fact the word ‘suicide’ appears 34 times throughout the book。 Particularly interesting for me was the thorough psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud and some Freudian themes present in Scripture and the Talmud （in Chapter 7 ）; Proust’s Madeleine cake （Ch。4）; the politicking and backstabbing of Soviet Russia （Ch。10） that also took place behind the scenes of the Zionist project （throughout）; unpacking the phenomena that is Der jüdische Selbsthaß the self-loathing Jew （Ch。12）; and finally the realisation that for many of these non-religious Jews， religious affiliation is not a binary switch but an up and down lifelong relationship of tension and pride。 It’s an arts and culture history course。 At times it can get quite music-oriented and detail-heavy， I found myself skipping rather than skimming those sections but overall it is well balanced， humorous， maintains a quick pace， is extremely informative and entertaining。 I very much enjoyed the way Lebrecht presents the philosophical speculations and challenges these profound thinkers and doers faced。 It might not be an edge-of-the-seat thriller， but nearly all the vignettes of these personalities are fascinating， so as a bedside read it will keep you awake much longer than you had intended。 I would strongly recommend it to all those with an interest in Jewish history and culture。 。。。more
Kerry Pickens
，
I have a problem with the title of this book as it is self deprecating。 It should be called Genius and Resilience。 There is an amazing list of accomplishments by Jewish musicians， scientists， psychologist， politicians and pretty much any field you can name despite the world's anti-semitism。 I have a problem with the title of this book as it is self deprecating。 It should be called Genius and Resilience。 There is an amazing list of accomplishments by Jewish musicians， scientists， psychologist， politicians and pretty much any field you can name despite the world's anti-semitism。 。。。more
1stchild
，
This seems like a trait too basic to comment much on but isnt Lebrecht adept in the way he writes？ Although the reading can get you in a mess of little details， he compromises the information conveyed， often by the vitality of the situation we're at。 This way sentences provided are kept varied in length， as he breezes through the conclusive life phases of each figures and their circles when enough backstory is built towards their high points。 In my case this One-at-a-time element is what most no This seems like a trait too basic to comment much on but isnt Lebrecht adept in the way he writes？ Although the reading can get you in a mess of little details， he compromises the information conveyed， often by the vitality of the situation we're at。 This way sentences provided are kept varied in length， as he breezes through the conclusive life phases of each figures and their circles when enough backstory is built towards their high points。 In my case this One-at-a-time element is what most non-fics dont have much of。Witty and tragic bits span throughout， with incredible figures whose strong sense of duty and dedication we can all try to emulate。 。。。more
Elke
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Not accessable enough for someone like me who lacks the necessary historical backgroundWay too many charactersRead parts， especially 1942-1947So many names， too many unknown
Krystian Motkowicz
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A fascinating journey showing how much have Jewish anxiety contributed to modern civilization， invention ideas without which our presence would not be the same。 Might not seem to be an easy read with lots of facts， stories - for me though each time I was reading a chapter， an excitement who is Norman going to take me on a journey with built up enormously。
Stephen Selbst
，
A review of the contributions of various Jews to diverse fields from the middle of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th。 Lebrecht’s thesis is that Jews， as social outsiders， were accustomed to instability and isolation。 They reacted to those circumstances by adapting and being ready to accept change。 That malleability， he argues， allowed them to cope successfully with modernity as the world experienced rapid technical innovation， broad social change， and near-continuous political upheaval， A review of the contributions of various Jews to diverse fields from the middle of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th。 Lebrecht’s thesis is that Jews， as social outsiders， were accustomed to instability and isolation。 They reacted to those circumstances by adapting and being ready to accept change。 That malleability， he argues， allowed them to cope successfully with modernity as the world experienced rapid technical innovation， broad social change， and near-continuous political upheaval， including two world wars。 It’s an interesting thesis， but as the book progresses， its hagiographic tone becomes more dominant; I found the second half much harder to read than the first。 。。。more
Karen
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Many times an interesting tell-all about revered personalities。 They were really weird。I could not get through this。 I guess I just didn't care that much about all of the details。 Many times an interesting tell-all about revered personalities。 They were really weird。I could not get through this。 I guess I just didn't care that much about all of the details。 。。。more
Laurelle Johnson
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An amazing list of Jewish thinkers， inventors， and writers who influenced western civilization in great ways
Dave Bench
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Excellent and informative book which really provides a unique perspective in some of the Jews who affected politics， business and the arts from the mid 19th century to the mid 20th century。 Only issue is the jumping from one person to another which made it difficult to follow at times and required rereading sections at other times。 Highly recommend。
Michael K
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This book was a great read if you want an in-depth look on all of the Jews who made an impact on the world and their communities。 However， I ended up skipping few chapters either because 1。 The background history wasn’t explained or 2。 The details were just too specific but not important to the premise of the person’s life
Julie
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I didn't buy the author's thesis， and at times， I'm not sure he did either， but the anecdotes were enjoyable， as was the portrait of Jewish cultural， social， and religious life before the Holocaust。 I didn't buy the author's thesis， and at times， I'm not sure he did either， but the anecdotes were enjoyable， as was the portrait of Jewish cultural， social， and religious life before the Holocaust。 。。。more
Frank Cook
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I wouldn't have read this had it not been mentioned in an email I received for an author I follow， Tim Hallinan。 I'm glad I read it。 It's not a book that will fill you with pride though。 In places， Lebrecht or members of his family make appearances in the history and that does add interest。 I can't call this a must read。 There is a lot more Anxiety than exploration of Genius。 I found myself reading a chapter or two， putting it down to read a book of fiction or two， and then coming back for anoth I wouldn't have read this had it not been mentioned in an email I received for an author I follow， Tim Hallinan。 I'm glad I read it。 It's not a book that will fill you with pride though。 In places， Lebrecht or members of his family make appearances in the history and that does add interest。 I can't call this a must read。 There is a lot more Anxiety than exploration of Genius。 I found myself reading a chapter or two， putting it down to read a book of fiction or two， and then coming back for another chapter。 。。。more
Sarede Switzer
，
What a depressing read。 Also It didn't really answer the question it proposed to set out to as to what the jewish undercurrent was in all of these people， other than that they were all pretty messed up I guess？？ Still gave it 4 stars as it was very educational。 Made me feel grateful to live nowadays with all of the problems we have life is still incomparably better nowadays in so many ways。 What a depressing read。 Also It didn't really answer the question it proposed to set out to as to what the jewish undercurrent was in all of these people， other than that they were all pretty messed up I guess？？ Still gave it 4 stars as it was very educational。 Made me feel grateful to live nowadays with all of the problems we have life is still incomparably better nowadays in so many ways。 。。。more
Rachel Sharf
，
An immense amount of facts， theories， research， that would have been better served to be divided in two books。 Instructive and necessary read。
Jeffrey Kash
，
It was not what I expected。 I confess that I didn't finish it。 It was not what I expected。 I confess that I didn't finish it。 。。。more
Charles Weinblatt
，
“This book shines a light upon the contributions of one remarkable culture， without which our world would appear very different today。”Among the plethora of books about Jewish history， Genius & Anxiety shines as a beacon of deeply researched historical accuracy。 This intensely absorbing chronicle of notable Jews who changed the world in positive， meaningful ways will stand the test of time and investigation。Between 1847 and 1947， a handful of men and women changed the way we see the world。The re “This book shines a light upon the contributions of one remarkable culture， without which our world would appear very different today。”Among the plethora of books about Jewish history， Genius & Anxiety shines as a beacon of deeply researched historical accuracy。 This intensely absorbing chronicle of notable Jews who changed the world in positive， meaningful ways will stand the test of time and investigation。Between 1847 and 1947， a handful of men and women changed the way we see the world。The reader is carried through the vast text as though the author were a close friend assembling an armada of material and evidence。 Norman Lebrecht enables the reader to see what most others cannot—to feel what they cannot。 He explores how uniquely Jewish characteristics， within the chasm of anti-Semitism， enable noteworthy Jewish figures to see what others could not。While this marvelous text must certainly become a standard university textbook， filled with detailed and profound data， it also reads like novel， evocative and exciting。 The author becomes your friendly， knowledgeable tour guide to history。 Through the author’s depth of inquiry into these historical Jewish figures， we come to value their individual and collective contributions。 Because of them， the world will never again be the same。It’s truly amazing that any of these unforgettable Jewish writers， artists， engineers， physicians， teachers， and politicians can accomplish anything at all， considering the world around them is filled with malevolence and mendacity toward Jews。 In every nation， on every continent， Jews are despised， despite the fact that Jews rarely broke a law， committed a crime or performed acts of civil disobedience。The world’s inhabitants never required a reason to hate Jews。 Anti-Semitism came naturally to Gentiles， taught generation to generation by parents who proffered all sorts of illusory reasons to detest Jews。 The fact that Jews survived at all seems miraculous， let alone that they performed acts that enriched and lifted up humanity。Jews made every society better through the arts， medicine， science， engineering， philosophy， finance， education， politics， and government。 Yet they remained despised throughout history because of a litany of rumors and lies about them， espoused by national heroes like Hitler， Charles Lindbergh， and Henry Ford。 It’s so easy to hate—so difficult to tolerate。This book is a celebration of Jewish genius within a century of increasing anti-Semitism。 It reveals in detail the successes of Proust， Freud， and Einstein。 It also provides similar examples from people whose names are not upon the fingertips of historians。 Their contributions nevertheless are of value in our daily lives。 This is made all together timely by a disturbing increase in acts of anti-Semitism everywhere。In every generation， dating many centuries， Jews have faced an existential threat from the societies in which they live。 They are pressured to assimilate， but then despised for it。 They represent a tiny percentage of the world’s population， but have accomplished a mammoth share of new， successful knowledge in science， medicine， politics， art， and engineering。Genius & Anxiety proffers the path of Jews in shaping the world we live in today。 From Mendelssohn to the creation of the State of Israel， author Lebrecht delivers a detailed account of many famous and successful Jews and many others less famous。 He reveals how uniquely Jewish circumstances enabled otherwise normal people to display uncommon ingenuity and success。 Yet the cultural context of this genius has gone largely unnoticed。From communism to the blues and from operas to the theory of relativity， Jews changed the world profoundly in this century。 Their mental acuity and passion have largely shaped the world we live in today。 Yet， in virtually every case， the magnificent quality of their genius and effort to improve humanity has been buried under centuries of anti-Jewish hatred。 That loathing remains today。 And this repugnance has changed the Jews as well。Genius & Anxiety builds to a crescendo of Jewish exceptionalism。 Lebrecht describes how Jewish circumstances have enabled otherwise ordinary people to display uncommon imagination and resourcefulness in the face of a problem， resulting in some of the most significant advances in modern history。 His writing， references and personal contacts are brilliant。 This book shines a light upon the contributions of one remarkable culture， without which our world would appear very different today。 。。。more
Evan
，
This is such an enjoyable book and the writing is scintillating and refreshing。 Each mini-story of a brilliant Jewish genius kept my interest throughout the book。 Not one miss。
David
，
Years ago， I enjoyed Lebrecht's book， Who Killed Classical Music？: Maestros， Managers， and Corporate Politics。 Most of his other books are also about music， but this book is about a very different subject; it is about the lives of Jews who were very influential across the century 1847-1947。 What is most surprising to me， are the names。 Of course， I realized that Karl Marx， Sigmund Freud， Albert Einstein， Leonard Bernstein， and Aaron Copland were Jewish。 However， I had not recognized a host of ot Years ago， I enjoyed Lebrecht's book， Who Killed Classical Music？: Maestros， Managers， and Corporate Politics。 Most of his other books are also about music， but this book is about a very different subject; it is about the lives of Jews who were very influential across the century 1847-1947。 What is most surprising to me， are the names。 Of course， I realized that Karl Marx， Sigmund Freud， Albert Einstein， Leonard Bernstein， and Aaron Copland were Jewish。 However， I had not recognized a host of others who significantly influenced our civilization， were also Jewish。 For example， Rosalind Franklin was a key player in the discovery of the role of DNA in biology。 （I think she was cheated out of becoming a co-winner of the Nobel Prize。） Paul Ehrlich won the Nobel Prize for his work in immunity， and made important discoveries in cancer research and the invention of chemotherapy。 Siegfried Marcus invented one of the first gasoline-powered automobiles。 Gustav Mahler， Arnold Shoenberg， and Stephen Sondheim were extremely influential composers。 The list goes on an on， perhaps a hundred miniature biographies， with their lives often intertwined in interesting ways。On the large scale， the book unfolds chronologically。 But on the small scale， the book often bounces around。 Many times a personage is introduced first at a dramatic stage in his （or her） life， and then backtracks to his early life story。 Time is also played with， because the entire book is written in the present tense！ The book is an interesting read， and certainly engaging。 Fascinating anecdotes are slipped in， and the pace never slows down。 。。。more
Ford
，
I never finished the book。 I can't say I disliked the book but it reads like a text book。 I always found some other book to read so I took this book back to the library。 I never finished the book。 I can't say I disliked the book but it reads like a text book。 I always found some other book to read so I took this book back to the library。 。。。more
Shaula Yemini
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Fabulously entertaining and very informative。 I loved it！
Lillian
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I’m not sure Lebrecht’s thesis really panned out。 But it was well written and I enjoyed finding out so much about individuals I was somewhat familiar with and others that I’d never heard of。 His bios did get progressively shorter and the number of them increased rather dramatically in the last third of the book。
Shira
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Gripping read。 Sweeps the reader through one hundred years with pungent anecdotes， drawing connections among key historical figures that at times astound。 Highly recommend。
Bruin Mccon
，
This is a book that asks whether anxiety is a catalyst for Jewish genius。 I DNFed at 10%。 The idea is interesting and it’s tempting to read enough to be able to maybe have a sense of his argument。 However， there’s no way I’m going to read 460+ pages on this topic。
Joanne
，