Overview

"""Ruth Wisse's intellectual autobiography is a lasting work of profound moral force and scathing political discernment.... Its illuminations are likely to be as urgent one hundred years hence as they are now."" --Cynthia Ozick A Jewish child born into the worst of times in Europe grows up during the best of times in North America--only to recognize that it could be moving back in the opposite direction. First came parents with the good sense to flee Europe in 1940 and the good fortune to reach the land of freedom. Their daughter, Ruth, grew up in the shadow of genocide--but in tandem with the birth of Israel, which remained her lodestar. She learned that although Jewishness is biologically transmitted, democracy is not, and both require intensive, intelligent transmission through education in each and every generation. They need adults with the confidence to teach their importance. Ruth tried to take on that challenge as dangers to freedom mounted and shifted sides on the political spectrum. At the high point of her teaching at Harvard University, she witnessed the unraveling of standards of honesty and truth until the academy she left was no longer the one she had entered."

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9781642939705

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As this extraordinary memoir demonstrates once again, Ruth Wisse has emerged as the most powerful champion in our time of the Jewish people--its history, its culture, and its unique position at the heart of Western civilization. --Norman Podhoretz, author of The Prophets: Who They Were, What They Are Ruth Wisse is one of America's greatest thinkers. Her story is inspiring and uplifting--and, coming from an intellectual Jewish icon, a ringing reminder of what America is, and what we stand to lose should we lose it. --Ben Shapiro, author of The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great Ruth Wisse's memoir, like the great literature she taught generations to cherish, is a study in how our fierce attachments shape us, and how we, in turn, shape our modern moment by affirming our ancient covenants. Her voice, like that of Hebrew prophets from time immemorial, is an invitation to revel in the only sort of freedom that lasts, the freedom to embrace our tradition together, with joy and with strength. Always, but particularly in these troubled times, Ruth Wisse is indispensable. --Liel Leibovitz, author of A Broken Hallelujah: Rock and Roll, Redemption, and the Life of Leonard Cohen

Author Information

Ruth R. Wisse was Professor of Yiddish literature and Comparative Literature at Harvard University from 1993-2014 and before that, helped found the Jewish Studies Department at McGill University. Currently a senior fellow at the Tikvah Fund and recipient of its Herzl Prize, she has written widely on cultural and political subjects for the Wall Street Journal, Commentary, National Affairs, and other publications. Her books include The Schlemiel as Modern Hero, The Modern Jewish Canon: A Journey Through Literature and Culture, No Joke: Making Jewish Humor, If I Am Not for Myself: The Liberal Betrayal of the Jews, and Jews and Power. In 2007, she was awarded the National Medal for the Humanities, and in 2004, an Honorary Degree by Yeshiva University.

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