Description
Book SynopsisA moral examination of one of the first Jewish senators, confidante to Jefferson Davis, and champion of the cause of slavery
Trade Review“A cogent argument for acknowledging, rather than ignoring, Benjamin’s role in both Jewish and American history.”—Diane Cole,
Wall Street Journal“This new biography complicates the legacy of Benjamin, a 19th-century New Orleans lawyer and one of the first Jewish senators in America, who used his nimble legal mind to defend slavery and the Confederacy.”—
New York Times Book Review"James Traub elaborates the unexpected life of Judah Benjamin, who advanced the slaveholder’s cause from beginning to end, as both understandable and purposefully obscured. Absolutely fascinating!"—Nell Irvin Painter, author of The History of White People
“This is, by far, the best and most readable, short biography of Benjamin that exists.”—Jonathan Sarna, author of
American Judaism: A History
