Israel Vs. Utopia

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Employing a combination of personal observation, political commentary and cultural analysis, Schalit examines the instability of Israel's public image around the world, and America's troubled love for it, as only an Israeli-American would know.

Reviews

An incisive look at the connection between the US and Israel, and their respective roles on the world stage. . . . Israel vs. Utopia is a book that could only be written by someone intimate with the ethos of both countries.--The Jerusalem Post

[Schalit] refuses the polarities of Zionism/anti-Zionism and embraces a position on Israel that is critical but nonetheless understanding of the complex motivations of the protagonists in the conflict.--Haaretz
Schalit's elegant, often digressive prose, together with his honest use of personal stories, further helps to break out of the sterile polemical style of much of the writing on Israel.--The Forward

In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there are few levelheaded voices to be heard in the mainstream . . . Joel Schalit, in his recent book Israel vs. Utopia, is a rare voice indeed . . . a quick, terrific read.--The Daily of the University of Washington

If the title doesn't get armchair Zionists' blood boiling, Israel vs. Utopia's flora-and-barbed-wire cover art will. And that's a shame, because they'd find valuable revelations in Joel Schalit's clear-eyed vision of Israel.--Philadelphia City Paper

Schalit does . . . a great job, going out of his way to present as fair a look at both sides of these issues as possible, despite his unhidden bias from being a liberal himself . . .--Chicago Center for Literature and Photography

Author Bio

Joel Schalit is a writer and editor based in Berlin, Germany. The author of the critically-acclaimed Jerusalem Calling, and the editor of several collections including The Anti-Capitalism Reader, Schalit has edited some of America's most influential independent magazines, including Punk Planet, Tikkun, and the legendary '90s e-zine, Bad Subjects. His work has also appeared in AlterNet, the Forward, openDemocracy, and the Guardian. Schalit currently comments on Mideast politics for French global news broadcaster France 24, and is the editor of Seattle's new politics and culture daily, Souciant.