Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me

Posted on 21 November 2018 by Harvey Pekar

Harvey Pekar s mother was a Zionist by way of politics His father was a Zionist by way of faith Whether Harvey was going to daily Hebrew classes or attending Zionist picnics, he grew up a staunch supporter of the Jewish state But soon he found himself questioning the very beliefs and ideals of his parents.In Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me, the final graphic memoir from the man who defined the genre, Pekar explores what it means to be Jewish and what Israel means to the Jews Over the course of a single day in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, Pekar and the illustrator JT Waldman wrestle with the mythologies and realities surrounding the Jewish homeland Pekar interweaves his increasing disillusionment with the modern state of Israel with a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from biblical times to the present, and the result is a personal and historical odyssey of uncommon power Plainspoken and empathetic, Pekar had no patience for injustice and prejudice in any form, and though he comes to understand the roots of his parents unquestioning love for Israel, he arrives at the firm belief that all peoples should be held to the same universal standards of decency, fairness, and democracy.With an epilogue written by Joyce Brabner, Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me is an essential book for fans of Harvey Pekar and anyone interested in the past and future of the Jewish state It is bound to create important discussions and debates for years to come. New Read eBook Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me Author Harvey Pekar – kino-fada.fr Do you remember Havey Pekar lifelong Clevelander, Veteran s Administration file clerk, and comic book writer who appeared on Letterman a half a dozen times in the late 80 s Or perhaps you remember American Splendor 2003 , the movie of his life starring Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis as the eccentric Harvey and his wife Joyce Brabner Check out Letterman Harvey on YouTube, rent the Giamatti movie from Netflix, for they are certainly worth your while, but also check out what should be Harvey s bes Do you remember Havey Pekar lifelong Clevelander, Veteran s Administration file clerk, and comic book writer who appeared on Letterman a half a dozen times in the late 80 s Or perhaps you remember American Splendor 2003 , the movie of his life sta...So I ll admit that I can t give an unbiased review of this work I worked at the Cleveland Heights Library when Harvey came in as a patron, and I was there the day he brought J.T in for a tour Carole She really looks like that, and is that fabulous And when she and J.T go upstairs, it s to visit my graphic novel collection.I feel that, even though this is a book about Israel, it s a very Cleveland story The East Side is home to many Jewish families who fled Russia and Europe over the last So I ll admit that I can t give an unbiased review of this work I worked at the Cleveland Heights Library when Harvey came in as a patron, and I was there the day he brought J.T in for a tour Carole She really looks like that, and is that fabulous And when she and J.T go upstairs, it s to visit my graphic novel collection.I feel that, even though this is a book about Israel, it s a very Cleveland story The East Side is home to many Jewish families who fled Russia and Europe over the last few...Harvey Pekar s widow Joyce Brabner is knelt on the ground with a memorial, in the afterward Not the Israel My Parents Promised me was published two years after his death It is a tombstone pulpit that reaches its voice from somewhere not quite the gut A gizzard choking voice, maybe Her husband s father was in the ground before they met Both had Alzheimer s and they were strangers She didn t know their son any so what was the point in meeting his girl Brabner didn t meet his family unti Harvey Pekar s widow Joyce Brabner is knelt on the ground with a memorial, in the afterward Not the Israel My Parents Promised me was published two years after his death It is a tombstone pulpit that reaches its voice from somewhere not quite the gut A gizzard choking voice, maybe Her husband s father was in the ground before they met Both had Alzheimer s and they were strangers She didn t know their son any so what was the point in meeting his girl Brabner didn t meet his family until his mother s funeral I don t know if she was gathered to their bosom Something about remembering that Harvey wore a suit from the Goodwill and she a plain dress made me think not You remember the staleness, the dullness that way She likens Jews to Marsupials, from the same family of kangaroos and wombats and looking ...Pekar s last graphic novel is part history lesson, part conversation with a reliably irascible personality, one whose obsessions and opinions are well known to his fans Here, Pekar recounts the long, troubled history of the Jewish people and the state of Israel while offering his viewpoint on how Israel has painted itself into a moral and political corner Pekar, true to form, makes no secret of his political leanings or the sense of disappointment he feels in other Jews including his parents Pekar s last graphic novel is part history lesson, part conversation with a reliably irascible personality, one whose obsessions and opinions are well known to his fans Here, Pekar recounts the long, troubled history of the Jewish people and the state of Israel while offering his viewpoint on how Israel has painted itself into a moral and political corner Pekar, true to form, makes no secret of his political leanings or the sense of disappointment he feels in other Jews including his parents who blindly support every Israeli policy decision.What makes this textthan just a screed is the concise presentation of a history of the Jews These passages in the book wrestle with an enormous amount of detail in terms of both timespan and information , but manage to convey to the reader a good sense of how Israel came to be It should be noted t...A lovingly made, whistle stop tour of the history of the Jewish people and the State of Israel A thoroughly enjoyable readThree books in one, really The first is a condensed history of the Jews, from Abraham to roughly last week And by condensed, I mean the Cliff Notes version, or maybe the Cliff Notes of the Cliff Notes But it s pretty good, as far as it goes, and it has the best artwork.The second book is the story of how Harvey Pekar s thinking on Israel evolved It s interesting and sometimes poignant, but it s built on a really annoying framing device that involves Harvey and JT Waldman who, in a fair uni Three books in one, really The first is a condensed history of the Jews, from Abraham to roughly last week And by condensed, I mean the Cliff Notes version, or maybe the Cliff N...Author Harvey Pekar shows how his parents presented Israel to him with idealism and sincerity As a boy he sees his parents thrilled as Israel wins its War of Independence As he grows older he sees why the Palestinians call the very same war, The Catastrophe.The graphic and conversational formats force an economy of words that boils this complex story to its essentials The conversational format also aids in personalizing the content.While the comic style usually does not move me, some of t Author Harvey Pekar shows how his parents presented Israel to him with idealism and sincerity As a boy he sees his pa...In many ways this was Not the Book My Expectations Promised Me I think I gave it 3 stars out of sentimentality The book is basically a graphic portrayal of a long conversation that the illustrator had with Pekar over the course of a day with a separate epilogue done by Pekar s widow Were thereconversations planned that were interrupted by Pekar s illness and death Pekar s fatigue was alluded to a couple of times in the book, and we know he was ill for a long period before his death, In many ways this was Not the Book My Expectations Promised Me I think I gave it 3 stars out of sentimentality The book is basically a graphic portrayal of a long conversation that the illustrator had with Pekar over the course of a day with a separate epilogue done by Pekar s widow Were thereconversations planned that were interrupted by Pekar s illness and dea...I believe this is the final project Pekar was working before passing away As such it really feels like a companion to Cleveland in that with the two books you really get a feeling for who Harvey was as a person That said, I preferred Clevelandsince this one is primarily a history of Israel as seen through Harveys eyes I mostly agree with his opinions, I m not sure if some would find this scandalous or not, and it s certainly presented well.The ar...I always like reading Harvey Pekar because of the conversations he opens up It is as if he is having a dialogue with himself, his illustrators and his readers all at once while arguing with history, everyone, and his own system of beliefs It seems he wants to believe the world is different than it is and is disappointed in general and waiting to hear news that people are better than they are He does not perhaps love human ness, yet he is profoundly curious and appreciative of times and pla I always li...

English
21 November 2018

Harvey Pekar