“A trenchant observer of American Jewish life, Edward S. Shapiro displays his wide-ranging virtuosity in these essays which span from the era of World War II to our own time. The Jewishness of Sidney Hook, the Jews of South Florida, the riots in Crown Heights, antisemitism, capitalism, conservatism, religion, secularism, Jewish identity—all this and more may be found in this jam-packed volume, the product of a unique scholar’s career-long fascination with ‘a unique people in a unique land.’”

—Jonathan D. Sarna, UniversityProfessor and Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University; author of American Judaism: A History

“Over the course of four decades, the scholarship of Edward Shapiro has illuminated the American Jewish experience. His books and articles have authoritatively explored its main themes—the dimensions of upward mobility, the benefits of an open society and free enterprise, the challenge to traditional religion, the peculiar voting habits, and above all the enigma of identity amid historical change. But Shapiro has also demonstrated a knack for uncovering the features of the past that other writers have gotten wrong or barely noticed—whether the rancid antisemitism that once disfigured politics in Mississippi or the prominent Jewish ownership of professional sports teams. The essays in this welcome volume exhibit a remarkable range of interests and a sustained curiosity, conveyed in engaging prose. Yet amid the bewildering variety of Jewish self-definition and self-expression, Shapiro shows special attention to the ways that past and present interact, so that the Jewish community has carved a distinctive niche in American society.”

—Stephen Whitfield, Professor of American Studies (Emeritus), Brandeis University; author of In Search of American Jewish Culture