This book is for those motivated by themes and the author’s imaginative world building, which do at times take precedence over more fleshed out characters and straightforward plot, but if you’re looking for something different and can work with an author playing with ideas(and a strong recurring theme of diaspora/exile and communal trauma), I strongly recommend giving this book a try.
For fans of Stephenson this is a must read! My boy other Neal has a penchant for trying to communicate where in IRL science and history he’s drawing concepts and also for what I lovingly call academic ADHD where you can practically feel the passion he has for any number of oddly specific subjects or ideas. I absolutely love that about him, but go in to this story with that in mind and just get lost in the musings of someone with something to say and a genuine love for scientific history, “the Great Ideas” found therein, and the sometimes bizarre conclusions that can come from dwelling on those ideas.
This book holds a special place in my queer Jewish heart. It presents primary texts coving the queer Jewish experience laid out in chronological order from Tanakh, Talmud, medieval poetry, private letters, Yiddish newspapers, and more. 10/10 would recommend for anyone interested in either Jewish or queer history
This is a classic of Jewish philosophy for a reason. Jewish responses to proselytizing from Christians and Muslims and a comprehensive introduction to the philosophy of HaLevi from mystical to mundane and all presented as a series of dialogues featuring the Khazar khagan who prompted the conversion of the upper class of his empire to Judaism. HaLevi takes a fascinating historical event in Jewish history and turns it into a masterpiece of Jewish philosophy.
