Terrific ... Unearths the story of a Jewish political movement that opposed ethnic nationalism of all stripes and that fought antisemites head-on — sometimes literally beating them on the head ... An authoritative history ... Thrillingly energetic ... Ultimately, Crabapple wants to offer inspiration, not prescription.
Although Here Where We Live Is Our Country is documented with forty pages of small-type endnotes, don’t expect a dispassionate work of academic scholarship. Crabapple tells you where she stands ... Deeply felt and highly personal ... Despite her eloquent prose, some readers may find her imagination roaming a few steps too far ... Lyrical, lovely, but not convincing to someone who does not already share her enthusiasm.
Crabapple’s book is written for this moment. More than translating Bundist theory from Yiddish, she puts it into the language of today’s left ... Here Where We Live Is Our Country is not a caricature of the Bund, nor a work of fan fiction; it’s a deeply researched portrait ... Poetic and noble ... Crabapple doesn’t spell out what the Bundist response would be today; she leaves that to the reader. What she does is resurrect a buried political tradition in a way her Bundist heroes would appreciate: not just in book form, but in the streets for everyday Brooklyn bus riders.
