Norman H. Finkelstein

For the activist, see Norman Finkelstein.

Norman H. Finkelstein (1941-2024) was an American author and educator whose books Heeding the Call and Forged in Freedom won National Jewish Book Awards in the Children's Literature category. His 2024 book Saying No To Hate: Overcoming Antisemitism in America was said by Kathleen Gianni of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle to "open a necessary dialogue about antisemitism in the US by providing context as well as solutions." ^[1]

Career

Finkelstein earned his Master's degree from Boston University and taught Jewish history at Hebrew College. ^[2] Finkelstein's book Remember Not to Forget: A Memory of the Holocaust expressed his admiration for the creation of the Jewish state as a haven from persecution. ^[3]

Finkelstein’s 1999 book The Way Things Never Were aimed to debunk the popular notion that the 1950's and 60's were a golden time. To that end, Finkelstein cited the polio epidemic, strip-mining, pollution, segregation, cold war school drills, ubiquitous smoking and bad food.  The New York Times chided Finkelstein’s failure to appreciate the “fabled” Route 66 and disputed his assertion that nostalgia had labeled the 1950’s a healthier era. ^[4]

Kirkus Reviews described Finkelstein's 2024 book Saying No To Hate: Overcoming Antisemitism in America as "a brief, even-toned overview of American antisemitism". ^[5] Publisher’s Weekly praised the book’s “comprehensive, accessible, and nuanced” account of antisemitism in America, while commenting that its suggestions for combating antisemitism were familiar strategies, namely to “engage allies” and hold elected officials accountable. ^[6] Foreword magazine described the book as revealing, sobering and empowering, with occasional strays into whataboutism. ^[7] The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle noted that some readers “will undoubtedly be shocked and disturbed” by the book’s content, and elaborated on Finkelstein’s strategies for combating antisemitism: defining and identifying hate, improving education, showing Jewish pride, and holding teaching institutions accountable. ^[1]

Books

• Saying No To Hate: Overcoming Antisemitism in America, Jewish Publication Society, 2024. ISBN   978-0827615236 ^[8]
• American Jewish History: A JPS Guide, Jewish Publication Society, 2007. ISBN   978-0827608108 ^[9]

Children's books

• Amazing Abe, Holiday House, 2024. ISBN   9780823451647 ^[10]
• The Shelter and the Fence:When 982 Holocaust Refugees Found Safe Haven In America, Chicago Review Press, 2021. ISBN   978-1-64160-383-6 ^{[11] [12] [13]}
• Union Made: Labor Leader Samuel Gompers And His Fight For Workers' Rights, Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills, 2019. ISBN   978-1-62979-638-3 ^[14]
• Heeding the Call: Jewish Voices in America’s Civil Rights Struggle, Jewish Publication Society, 1997.
• Forged in Freedom: Shaping the Jewish-American Experience, Jewish Publication Society, 2002.
• Theodor Herzl: Architect of a Nation, 2013. ISBN   978-1491715673
• Schools of Hope: How Julius Rosenwald Helped Change African American Education, Calkins Creek, 2014. ISBN   978-1590788417
• The Other 1492: Jewish Settlement in the New World, Beech Tree, 2001. ISBN   978-0-688-11572-2 ^{[15] [16]}
• The Capture Of Black Bart: Gentleman Bandit Of The Old West, Chicago Review Press. ISBN: 978-1-61373-995-2
• The Way Things Never Were: The Truth About the ''Good Old Days'', Atheneum, 1999. ISBN   978-0689814129 ^[17]
• Remember Not to Forget: A Memory of the Holocaust, Jewish Publication Society, 2004. ISBN   978-0827607705
• With Heroic Truth: The Life of Edward R. Murrow, Clarion Books, 1997. ISBN   978-0395678916 ^[18]

Awards

• Golden Kite honor award for nonfiction, 1998, With Heroic Truth: The Life of Edward R. Murrow ^[19]
• National Jewish Book Award, 1998, Heeding the Call ^[20]
• National Jewish Book Award, 2001, Forged in Freedom ^[20]
• Sydney Taylor Book Award, 2002, Forged in Freedom ^[21]
• Finalist for National Jewish Book Award, 2024 (Education and Jewish Identity), Saying No to Hate ^[22]

See also

• List_of_winners_of_the_National_Jewish_Book_Award

References

1. Gianni, Kathleen (July 24, 2024). "'Saying No to Hate' delivers essential insights and strategies". The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
2. Maughan, Shannon (January 11, 2024). "Obituary: Norman H. Finkelstein". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
3. Popper, Nathaniel (May 28, 2004). "Two Finkelsteins Share a Name But Not a Political Perspective". The Forward. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
4. Stansell, Christine (May 16, 1999). "Those Weren't the Days". The New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
5. Finkelstein, Norman H. (May 1, 2024). "SAYING NO TO HATE". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
6. "Saying No to Hate: Overcoming Antisemitism in America by Norman H Finkelstein". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
7. Gonzalez, Eileen (May 1, 2024). "Review of Saying No to Hate". Foreword Reviews. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
8. Reviews of Saying No to Hate:
   • Gianni, Kathleen (July 24, 2024). "'Saying No to Hate' delivers essential insights and strategies". The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
   • "Saying No to Hate: Overcoming Antisemitism in America by Norman H Finkelstein". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
   • Finkelstein, Norman H. (May 1, 2024). "SAYING NO TO HATE". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
   • Gonzalez, Eileen (May 1, 2024). "Review of Saying No to Hate". Foreword Reviews. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
9. "American Jewish History: A JPS Guide by Norman H. Finkelstein". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
10. Finkelstein, Norman H. (February 20, 2024). "AMAZING ABE". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
11. Finkelstein, Norman H. (June 8, 2021). "THE SHELTER AND THE FENCE". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
12. Schwartz, Penny (July 1, 2021). "A Holocaust tale with a happy ending". Jewish Journal. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
13. "Interview with Norman H. Finkelstein, author of THE SHELTER AND THE FENCE". Jewish Books For Kids…and More!. July 16, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
14. Finkelstein, Norman H. (June 11, 2019). "UNION MADE". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
15. "Other 1492: Jewish Settlement in the New World by Norman H. Finkelstein". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
16. "CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Bookshelf". The New York Times. February 25, 1990. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
17. Reviews of The Way Things Never Were:
    • Stansell, Christine (May 16, 1999). "Those Weren't the Days". The New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
    • "The Way Things Never Were: The Truth about the ""Good Old Days"" by Norman H. Finkelstein". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
18. Finkelstein, Norman H. (April 14, 1997). "WITH HEROIC TRUTH". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
19. "Golden Kite Awards". SCBWI. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
20. "Past Winners". Jewish Book Council. February 11, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
21. "Forged in Freedom: Shaping the Jewish-American Experience". Home. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
22. "Past Winners". Jewish Book Council. January 16, 2025. Retrieved January 24, 2025.

External links

• Obituary
• Official website
• Jewish Publication Society author bio