An evocative, emotionally satisfying look at one of the world’s great architectural treasures.
The great cathedral’s history as seen through the lens of its near destruction by fire in April 2019.
Poirier is commended for not setting out to write a history of Notre-Dame itself. Rather, she seeks to contextualize the history of Paris and of France through the story of the great edifice, a task she executes masterfully. The narrative is necessarily bookended by both the conflagration, which nearly destroyed the cathedral, and by the controversial plans for restoring Notre-Dame to a lasting landmark. The author begins with a detailed, emotional account of the day of the fire, describing heroic efforts to control it as well as the public shock and dismay over the unfolding tragedy. She carries the story through to the point at which the fire was under control, with President Emmanuel Macron promising that it would be rebuilt. From here, Poirier takes readers back to the origins of Notre-Dame in the 12th century, examining what is known about its design, construction, and financing while also describing life in Paris at the time. The author also examines other eras in French history—e.g., the Bourbon kings, the Revolution, the era of Napoleon—showing how the cathedral has acted as a solid background, a site of calm and reverence even in the most chaotic moments of France’s national story. Poirier then moves on to modern reformers and restorers, especially Eugène Viollet-le-Duc (1814-1879), “a rebel against the academies [who] also belonged to those lovers of old stones who tirelessly campaigned to restore and treat medieval monuments with dignity.” In conclusion, the author considers the plans to rebuild Notre-Dame, noting the controversies over design and funding, all set against the backdrop of a race against time. The timing of the book—before the restoration—is also noteworthy, as Poirier captures a poignant moment in history: Paris without her Lady.
An evocative, emotionally satisfying look at one of the world’s great architectural treasures.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-78607-799-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Oneworld Publications
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
A concise, essential history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A Palestinian lawyer and writer contextualizes Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
Decades after Israeli forces displaced his family from their ancestral home in Jaffa, Shehadeh, author of Occupation Diaries, Where the Line Is Drawn, and other acclaimed books, asks fundamental questions: Why haven’t Israelis and Palestinians ended their conflict peacefully? Why has the global community allowed Israeli occupation to continue? How will the “terrible human toll” in the current conflict affect the world’s opinion of Israel? The author seeks answers in the tales Israelis tell about their country’s origins. In 1948, for example, the invasion the Palestinians call the Nakba (“catastrophe”) is known in Israel as the “war of independence.” Shehadeh claims that this terminology allows Israel to justify the idea that its establishment allowed Jews to return to a biblical homeland and to erase the reality of the Israeli government as a colonizing force. “The conceit goes that prior to the ‘return’ of the exiled Jews, there was a land devoid of people,” he writes. This elimination of the Palestinian people continues through the international decision to deny Palestinians refugee status, while the false decolonization narrative allows the world to ignore problematic Israeli history—e.g., former Ariel Sharon’s open admiration for South African apartheid and Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to build a fence along the Gazan border, saying, “In the area that we live in, we must defend ourselves against the wild beasts.” The author leaves his final question about the future of Palestine unanswered, and he ends with a quote from poet Refaat Alareer, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in late 2023. Shehadeh’s clarity of thought, conversational voice, and sharp analysis render this book a quick, fascinating read, and his passion for his people and their plight infuse the book with exactly the right pace and tone.
A concise, essential history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Pub Date: June 11, 2024
ISBN: 9781635425352
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Other Press
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An eye-opening and thought-provoking read.
Antisemitism is alive and well and worth talking about.
Fersko, senior rabbi at the Village Temple in Manhattan and vice president of the Women’s Rabbinic Network, argues that Americans of all backgrounds must discuss antisemitism. The author notes that many people view antisemitism as a problem of the past, an issue that is rare and isolated in 21st-century America. She demonstrates convincingly that this mindset is misinformed and that antisemitism is on the rise. Early on Fersko provides a lengthy explanation of antisemitism as “the longest-held, farthest-reaching conspiracy theory in the world.” She explains that antisemitism is a belief in a variety of lies and stereotypes about Jews and Judaism, which manifests in everything from seemingly innocuous remarks to outright physical violence. Fersko points to seven points of dialogue that Jews and non-Jews need to address in order to help battle antisemitism, including race, Christianity, microaggressions, the Holocaust, and Israel. Throughout, she urges readers to educate themselves about the past and to learn to recognize the prejudices about Jews that many Americans inherit unknowingly. Though Fersko addresses such obvious sources of antisemitism as right-wing and racially based extremist groups, she makes it clear throughout the book that the American left is also a major source of antisemitism today. In some cases, this is seen in virulent anti-Israel stances, where left-wing activists portray Jews as racists and oppressors. In other cases, American liberals simply perpetrate tropes and stereotypes about their Jewish friends and neighbors, often through microaggressions, misplaced humor, miseducation about the Holocaust, etc. Though there are certainly points for debate, the text serves as a meaningful starting point for dialogue. If nothing else, she provides the important reminder that the age-old specter of antisemitism is not extinct; in many ways, it’s stronger and more dangerous than at any time since the Holocaust.
An eye-opening and thought-provoking read.Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2023
ISBN: 9781541601949
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Seal Press
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
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