Eminent Jews: Bernstein, Brooks, Friedan, Mailer, David Denby (3.5)
The author has outlined the lives of 4 important people in our society and how their Jewish background both affected them and us. These 4 all came from immigrants prior to WWII. I liked the sections of the book as listed in the title. Leonard Bernstein’s history and accomplishments were fascinating, Mel is a hoot, I didn’t know much about Betty Friedan, and I found Norman Mailer basically a jerk with whom I didn’t want to know more about. While I enjoyed 2.5 sections, I didn’t feel the linkage as much as it was intended. It felt like 4 New Yorker articles put together.
