Description
Book SynopsisHow did a Jewish state come to resonate profoundly with Americans in the twentieth century? Since WWII, Israel’s identity has been entangled with America’s belief in its own exceptionalism. Turning a critical eye on the two nations’ turbulent history together, Amy Kaplan unearths the roots of controversies that may well divide them in the future.
Trade ReviewFascinating…could hardly be more timely. -- Andrew Bacevich * The Spectator *
Our American Israel is a tour de force, examining the profound ties that bind America and Israel together. No other book goes so deeply into American culture and intellectual life to explain the strength of the bond between the two countries. This book will be welcomed by those searching for a deeper and more intelligent analysis of the American-Israeli-Palestinian conundrum than is currently available. -- Rashid Khalidi, author of
Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. Has Undermined Peace in the Middle EastKeen analysis…Kaplan’s approach is so fresh, her command of the sources so solid, and her prose so engaging that both casual readers and experts will find new insights in the book. -- Walter Russell Mead * Foreign Affairs *
Our American Israel is an incisive, urgently necessary excavation of the cultural meanings of the U.S.-Israeli relationship by one of the most perceptive cultural historians of the United States. It sheds powerful light on a troubled past and disturbing present, revealing the ways that narratives of similarity and connection were wielded against the demands of human rights and social justice. -- Paul A. Kramer, author of
The Blood of Government: Race, Empire, the United States, and the PhilippinesKaplan’s tour of literature and film shows how common understandings of Israel and the U.S. have been shaped—and distorted, as with the Trump administration’s relocation of the American embassy to Jerusalem. A useful reading of history and politics in the light of mythmaking and media. * Kirkus Reviews *
Kaplan often confronts us with facts of history that are sometimes awkward and uncomfortable…But no American who loves and supports Israel can afford to ignore the arguments that she makes. * Jewish Journal *
Shows how the special relationship between Israel and the US (or even its Jewish population) was never preordained or inevitable. Rather, like any international relationship, it has been molded by a series of cultural and political mediations. In the tradition of critical scholarship Kaplan uncovers the constructedness of US approaches to the State of Israel and so contributes much to our understanding of it…Kaplan’s study is of immense importance to anyone who wishes to study Israel in American culture in the past, present, or future. -- David Hadar * American Literary History *
