The word 'probably' gets a major workout in Bob Dylan ... Made of equal parts passion and conjecture ... It’s an intriguing idea, but one that Freedman...never really pins down. He does, however, have fun trying ... One might wonder about the purpose of this book. As it is, Jewish Roots, American Soil makes for fun reading even when it doesn’t quite seem to know what dots it wants to connect.
Freedman offers a serviceable introduction to Dylan’s early discography and his biography, including his childhood on the Iron Range of Minnesota. But the books offers little new illuminating information into how Dylan’s Jewish heritage may have influenced his career ... Frustrating ... At the same time, Freedman is able to richly conceptualize the impact of Dylan’s music and the context of his rise.
Doesn’t have a lot to go on, other than the claim that Bob Dylan changed his name because he hated being identified as a Jew ... There is a slight whiff of desperation and occasional high comedy, as Freedman is at pains to tell readers about each and every person of Jewish heritage who crossed Dylan’s path during his early attempts to break in to the music scene in New York’s Greenwich Village ... For Jewish readers this is not one of Freedman’s most enlightening books. He does his best, but Dylan’s is not a generous story in terms of a Jewish inner life.
This title approaches Dylan from an intriguing perspective and demonstrates what made him unique and how he stood out from the crowd ... This biography rewards Dylanists and those interested in the developing folk scene and cultural milieu of the 1960s.
