Reviews for The Jewish Graphic Novel: Critical Approaches

The average rating for The Jewish Graphic Novel: Critical Approaches based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-02-15 00:00:00 David Liburdi Herb Boyd gives us a gossipy biography of Baldwin that somehow works. Boyd is sure to deeply confuse, offend and anger those who take into consideration "the white gaze" -as Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison so delicately puts it. Boyd seems to unconsciously ignore the"white gaze". Boyd admits that he really didn't know Baldwin personally. Yet Boyd skillfully uses Baldwins writings and interviews with Baldwins friends and acquaintances to weave his narrative. A large amount of personal opinion and observation is thrown in. I think Boyd illuminates much of the criticism of Baldwin and his work by Stanley Crouch, Cleaver, Ismael Reed, Harold Cruse, Albert Murray and so many, many more. Underneath all the sometime skillfully written and spoken rhetoric, underneath and around all of that criticism of Baldwin and his work are strong elements of jealousy and envy of his international fame and literary success. A mere high school graduate from the Harlem "ghetto"! Baldwin rose to the top of America's intellectual pyramid not by getting a PhD or a Masters or a BA. Not by knowing the "right" people. He rose by hard work, deep study and the favor of the Gods and Goddesses. Baldwin was not allowed to speak at the March on Washington because it was well known that Baldwin would tell it the way he saw it. There was no way that Baldwin could be handed a script and be expected to read it verbatim! Baldwin's habit of speaking the truth and being a witness certainly got him into trouble with some sections of the Jewish community. I read somewhere, I can't remember when or where, but I think it was in some interview that Baldwin gave this response to a question: "Nothing you can say can justify the founding of the state of Israel.......". So I am not surprised by cries of "anti-antisemitism". Although there is certainly no justification for this. Boyd handles this situation well. As the sixties fade deeper and deeper into history, we must remember the "boldness and audaciousness " of that beautiful time when James Baldwin carried our voices of protest to the world. American terrorism, often fully supported by local, state and federal agencies against black people in the south and in other places could not over come the raw courage of James Baldwin. All of the murders, bombing, burning, death threats and mob violence directed at small school children could not silence Baldwin. In the words of Paul Laurence Dunbar : " He dared the lightning in the lightning's track. And answered thunder with his thunder back." Like Herb Boyd, most of us of African ancestry living in this country did not know James Baldwin personally either-but most of us knew some one who made us think of James Baldwin or some one who reminded us of him. We know or knew somebody kind of like Baldwin-because he was-as he said- "the poet that we produced". Have you seen any of the videos of his funeral? His funeral in Harlem told us again who he was and where he came from. THUMBS UP!! Herb Boyd!

Review # 2 was written on 2013-02-25 00:00:00 Javier Martinez As a Baldwin enthusiast, it is humbling to have my bubble burst about the man and realize who he was, especially when coming from a narrative which is not his own. I like reading this biography and the insights, it gives on Baldwin's reluctance on joining the civil rights movements in its early days,on his family life and of course of the many rivalries he had with other famous writers of his time. Al through a great book to enjoy, but if you are a Baldwin's fan you might come off a bit unease at how mortal the man was indeed.