People of the Book

I would like to add People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks to my Fight Evil, Read Books list.

If the phrase, "People of the Book" means Jews, Muslims and Christians to you, then the title might be misleading. The book does have all of those represented, but the book in the title is a Jewish haggadah. A haggadah is the book that Jews use at a Passover Seder to tell their story. The particular haggadah in question is one that really exists and is called the Sarejevo Haggadah. The "People" in the title of the book are the many people through whose hands the book passes in its five hundred year history. The book is a work of historical fiction; none of the characters are real, but the events of their lives happened to real people in some fashion.

There are several themes in the book, but the one that makes me put the book on my list is the idea of, "It could never happen here." Throughout the five hundred year span of the story there are diverse communities of people who have learned to coexist and even intermix in some cases. They all believe that hatred for their neighbors could never flare up in their communities. They believe themselves beyond that. Indeed there are always a few people who buck the systematized killing of whichever group is being killed, but the massive killings happen none the less.

I believe we live in a time and place where we imagine that it could never happen here. But of course we imagine that! It means that we think well of and trust our neighbors. On the other hand, perhaps it also means that we think a little too highly of ourselves; we believe that we could never be swept away by the fear that leads to hatred. That kind of fear requires a vigilant guard. This book might help us to guard against the evil that creeps in when someone tries to lead you to fear The Other.

Even if you don't get into it as deeply as I did, it's still a darn good story with fascinating history.