Jews: History, Memory, and the Present, The

By Vidal-Naquet, Pierre
Columbia University Press, 1996, Paperback, 340 pp., ISBN: 0231102097, $27.00

This volume is a significant contribution to the unending confrontation of history with mythology.

Vidal-Naquet focuses on the way history, especially as it relates to Jews, has been distorted by mainstream cultures through history. In shedding light on this, he rescues for us the golden thread of historical truth that unites us with our ancestors. A vivid presentation of one of France's most dynamic and original thinkers.

With sources ranging from classical texts to contemporary films and Holocaust testimonies, and enhanced by fascinating linguistic, philosophical, and political asides, Vidal-Naquet's book maintains a firm balance between textual criticism and analytic rigor, open inquiry and moral fervor, French republicanism and liberal ideals, Jewish tradition and universal values.