Unsettled: The Problem of Loving Israel - Hardcover

Aronson, Marc

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1416912614 ISBN 13: 9781416912613

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2008

Synopsis

Offers a comprehensive examination of this tumultuous country from its origins to the events of the modern day with answers to questions regarding its status as both a religious and democratic state, its moral obligations on a global stage, and the type of existence it is fighting to have in the future.

About this title

About the Author:

Marc Aronson is the author of the critically acclaimed Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado, winner of the ALA’s first Robert L. Sibert Information Book Award for nonfiction and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. He has won the LMP Award for editing and has a Ph.D. in American history from NYU. He lives with his wife and son in Maplewood, New Jersey.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 9 Up—This slender volume asks more questions than it answers, but that is its goal. Aronson wants to know why people and nations hate Israel. While exploring this question, he looks at history and how Israel came to be; he covers its wars and examines the nation today. He asks how Israel can be both a democracy and a religious state. He compares the lives and attitudes of Jews in America to Jews in Israel—both groups came to their countries from other places, yet they have different attitudes about what a homeland is. Right from the start, Aronson makes it known that he is Jewish and has relatives living in Israel. He writes that he loves the country, but could never live there. He tries to maintain objectivity, and admits his close ties make that hard, but he says that Israeli citizens question their state and are not certain of their own feelings, so he is comfortable questioning them as well. Although the author writes clearly about Israel's history and states his questions and concerns plainly, the issues he raises are complex and potentially confusing. Still, his writing is lively and he includes many interviews and personal stories. For someone who knows almost nothing about Israel, this title gives a lot of information and forces readers to think deeply about morality, bigotry, politics, and religion. It is a fascinating look at a complicated country.—Geri Diorio, The Ridgefield Library, CT
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About this edition

• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1416912614
• ISBN 13: 9781416912613
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192