Jewish Noir II: Tales of Crime and Other Dark Deeds

by Kenneth Wishnia (Editor), Chantelle Aimée Osman (Editor), Lawrence Block (Foreword)

Jewish Noir II is unique collection of twenty-three all-new stories (and one reprint) by Jewish and non-Jewish literary and genre writers, including numerous award-winning authors such as Gabriela Alemán, Doug Allyn, Rita Lakin, Rabbi Ilene Schneider, E.J. Wagner, and Kenneth Wishnia, with a foreword by MWA Grand Master Lawrence Block. The stories explore such issues as the perpetual challenge of confronting resurgent anti-Semitism in the US, the enduring legacy of regional warfare in the land of Israel since biblical times, how the “entitled” behavior of certain ultra-Orthodox communities can fuel anti-Semitic attitudes, Jewish support of the civil rights movement, greedy Jewish businessmen who reinforce negative ethnic stereotypes, the excesses of “golden ghetto” American Jews, the appeal of “tough” Israeli-Jewish soldiers and mercenaries, how real estate fortunes are made, and the consequences of political corruption that feed into an exploitive system, how obsession can lead “good” people to do “bad” things. The stories in this collection include many “teachable moments” about the history of prejudice, and the contradictions of ethnic identity and assimilation into American society.

Genres: Short Stories, Jewish

395 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2022

Reviews

[Yigal Zur · Rating 5 out of 5]

to be fair - i am one of the writers in this collection and one of the few non-american. but i did not know any of the other writers so it was very nice to discover a lot of very good voices and writings giving a very wide spectrum of what means jewish life and world today.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

What does it mean to use the adjective noir to describe literature? In the case of mysteries, it means the works take a dim view of human nature. You’re not going to find wonderful, helpful people here; instead, you’ll find antiheroes and dark deeds. That’s certainly true of “Jewish Noir II: Tales of Crime and Other Dark Deeds” (PM Press). Kenneth Wishnia, editor of the first “Jewish Noir,” now serves as co-editor with Chantelle Aimée Osman. In his introduction to the first anthology, Wishnia noted how noir was becoming more popular in 2015 due to “economic insecurity, incompetence and corruption at all levels of government, disillusionment with the American dream, while those responsible for it all make millions and get away with murder.”
See the rest of my review at https://www.thereportergroup.org/past...

[Zeb Kantrowitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a total of twenty-three short stories in this collection and the genres vary from horror to romance. Stories deal with anti-semitism, anti-jewish anti semitism, the Shoah, the effect of the Shoah on families and the Jewish people as a whole, everyday stories of being jewish in America, and others.

The stories vary from very good to feh (just my opinion) though there are horror, humor and everything in between. Some of the stories discuss the problems of intermarriage and interracial marriage. More then one story discussed the attitude of non-Jews to the Orthodox and secular Jews to the Orthodox.

So there's something here for everyone, but it's very uneven.

[Gavi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Improved about halfway through, but generally really poor, kitschy writing. Stayed mostly in hopes that it would get better but also because I liked the interspersed Yiddish. I feel bad I didn’t like it but I don’t know if the authors put that much into it? I know I really can’t say that for certain. It just felt like each story had been whipped up quickly and sensationally with little regard for sincerity or even continuity/formatting. Also the stories will be SO dated to the time period (2022). Typos were frustrating too. I finish what I start.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories packed a helluva punch. I’d say there were only maybe two stories that I didn’t really connect with, and that’s certainly fair as I’m not Jewish and don’t live in contact with many Jewish folks to have the same cultural touchstones. On balance, an extremely strong collection overall. The last story really stabbed me right in the heart.

I’ve got to check out the first installment of Jewish Noir, I had been eyeing it for a while, but now I really have no excuse!

[Jerry Peace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic stories all but just cemented, concreted even, my aversion to religions, all religions.

[Mira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jewish Noir II is extremely good, with a much higher ratio of stories I liked than the previous installment! Recommended for anyone who likes crime anthologies.

[ManOfLaBook.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

For more reviews and bookish posts visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

Jewish Noir II: Tales of Crime and Other Dark Deeds is a collection of twenty-three short stories, not connected and on different topics. The writers are both Jews and non-Jews alike and were edited by Kenneth Wishnia, Chantelle Aimée Osman, and Lawrence Block who also wrote the introduction.

I was pleasantly surprised to receive this book. I didn’t request it but I read and enjoyed, other books by Kenneth Wishnia and I’d like to think he kept me in mind.

After finishing the Jewish Noir II: Tales of Crime and Other Dark Deeds, the first thing that stood up in my mind is the quality of the writing. In these short stories, sometimes a whole world was discovered. Many of the stories were thought-provoking, as well as spiced with the self-deprecating, dark humor I adore.

I enjoyed the presentation and the way the collection was organized. Even though there is no central theme to the stories, besides the obvious (Jewish noir), the stories flowed seamlessly into one another in a balanced way, which someone made sense.

The collection consists of stories ranging from post-World War II trauma to mysticism, including exploration of the psyche, this new (but not really) wave of anti-Semitism, civil rights, and others. I specifically enjoyed the story about Israeli mercenaries, something you don’t think about when the word “Jewish” comes to mind.

Much like Jewish Noir, this was a diverse collection of stories, which were as varied as the name implies. The dark deeds, noir, and crime promised in the title all make delicious appearances for a fun, and entertaining read.

[Heidi Slowinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jewish Noir II is a collection of twenty-four stories from a combination of Jewish and non-Jewish writers focusing on topics including the resurgence of anti-Semetism in the US, the influence of stereotypes about certain Jewish communities on anti-Semetic attitudes, Israel’s on-going legacy of regional warfare, the Jewish role in the civil rights movement, and many more, timely topics.

This is a brilliantly edited collection of writings. There’s some very real self-reflection in these pages from many of the Jewish voices included. The topics are well-presented and thought provoking. This is a collection that had me reading, ‘just one more’.

There’s a nice emotional balance among the pieces without too much of any one note. An injection of humor here and there broke up the more emotional stories. This would make for a great book club or study group text as each story easily lends itself to in-depth discussion. A skilled facilitator would have no trouble bringing texts from classical Jewish thought and other teachings to create a really meaningful study with this book.

Jewish Noir II is scheduled for release on August 23, 2022 and is currently available for pre-order. I’d like to thank Meryl Zegarek Public Relations for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.