The Jew of New York

Well, first of all, I have to say I'm really surprised by the people who don't like this book. Certainly I don't expect it to be universally loved, but I really disagree with the reasons I've read below. For example, one reviewer criticized it by calling it a "book of ideas." Yes, exactly! And not your run-of-the-mill ideas either. I found it very inventive, original, thought-provoking, and culturally/historically accurate. That's a lot to pull off in less than 100 pages--pages that are largely taken up by drawings. Pictures do say 1,000 words. Second, I completely disagree with the reviewer who noted that you have to know something about Jewish stereotypes. I'm a black African female living in 21st century America, and I had no difficulty understanding the stereotypes or warped values behind them. Maybe it would be safer to say that you need to understand or have been exposed to some type of stereotype in your lifetime. But I have to think that most people who would even pick up this sort of book, would be literate enough to know that the stereotypes depicted, are exactly that. I even disagree that the page layouts were difficult to read. I think if you have ever read sequential art, it's pretty straight-forward. And if you haven't, the process of figuring it out--and it really does become intuitive very quickly--adds to the telling. You *do* find the significance of certain details by kind of puzzling over the images and layout. So I guess if you need hand-holding narratives, then this probably isn't the book for you. But this is the first work by Katchor that I've read, and I am very impressed by his ability to say so much in so few words about capitalism, nature conservancy, race relations, religiosity, sexuality, theatre, etc. and how these things comprise /conflict with "progress" and the belief every age has that it is the epitomy of advanced human development. I first heard of Katchtor when reading The Narrative Corpse, a story told by 69 artists and edited by Art Spiegelman. Unsurprisingly, a lot of people who had a negative reaction to it, had similar comments as can be found here. That the "story," as such, wasn't linear, etc. But again, I feel like those readers really missed the point. Anyway, I'll save that review for that book, but if you're not so hung up on context, The Narrative Corpse is another that you might enjoy, though the two books couldn't be more dissimilar.

Ben Katchor's magical, sketchily precise illustrations lead us through a grey other world where people face problems none of us will ever know. Or fathom. But who cares! Every step of the way is uniquely Katchor's, grounded in a strange logic that seems to make perfectly good sense... at least to his characters. A wealth of invention infuses every page, conjuring exotic maladies, bizarre business enterprises and wierd obsessions.

What an amazing book. I found myself torn whether to linger over particular panels or rush on to find out what happened next. Katchor clearly inhabited the archive for a long time before putting this together, and he really captures the beauty, strangeness, and confusion of Jewish life in the early republic. Complex and funny storyline, often surpisingly moving. And although the drawing style is a bit crude, the design is always subtle -- the overall effect only adds to the weirdness. Just brilliant, brilliant work.

Katchor seems to define his own idiom. While other reviews have focused on the "graphic novel", "The Jew of New York" goes far beyond this genre, and offers a unique dream-like perspective of Katchor's own strange world and masterful character portrayals. Each Character is in fact developed brilliantly, and the whole complex story, from its Hebrew speaking Indian, to its gastrically obsessed Kabbalist, all form threads that seem to come together into a single and perfect ending. This book is not only a pleasure to read and reread, but it's a pleasure to get lost in; to wander with the characters through an imaginary old New York, and see thier lives, schemes, and very human reactions, their triumphs and their pitfalls. I have bought two copies for friends already! And, to anyone who doesn't know about castoruem, it's a must have book.

This book is one of the greatest graphic novels ever made! A must read! As good as Maus and Ghost World! Sure to be the Best Book of 1999!