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Joshua CohenA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
In what ways is The Netanyahus an example of a campus/academic novel? In what ways does it differ, if at all?
Critics claim that the history of Zionism provided in Chapter 5 is over-simplified. Do you agree with this assessment? If so, what aspects are simplified? What is missing?
The novel’s epigraph is a quotation from Ze’ev Jabotinsky regarding the Jewish Diaspora. What did Jabotinsky mean by it, and is there any validity in his remark?
How is assimilation of foreign peoples, culture, and religion in American culture and society portrayed in the novel? Is full assimilation possible?
In conjunction with question 4, is the assimilation of the vast Jewish Diaspora possible for the state of Israel in creating a singular Jewish identity?
The importance of history and its ramifications on contemporary society is a broad topic in the novel. Based on examples from the novel, is history useable? If so, how and to what extent?
What is metafiction and how is it used in the novel?
American and Jewish stereotypes are used in the novel, but to what extent are they reinforced or broken?
Consider the meaning of fairness in the argument between Judy and Ruben’s father Alter from Chapter 6. Who is right if anyone?
Corbin University’s motto is “petite et dabitur vobis,” which is from Mathew 7:7 and means “Ask, and it shall be given you.” The rest of the verse is “seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” How does the motto correspond to Ruben’s experiences regarding his Jewish heritage and with Ben-Zion Netanyahu?
American Literature
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Guilt
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Jewish American Literature
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National Book Critics Circle Award...
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Nation & Nationalism
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Politics & Government
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Pulitzer Prize Fiction Awardees &...
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Satire
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The Best of "Best Book" Lists
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The Past
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