A Short History of a Tall Jew

Dennis Dalzinger brings us A Short History of a Tall Jew which is very well received by the readers on Amazon.com.  It scored 5 stars which is pretty fantastic.  I however didn’t really enjoy the book, but I also didn’t hate it.  I really really wanted to love it, but it really was a little too far fetched for my liking.  The lead character Philip is a likeable chap, you want him to be victorious and come out on top.  You feel for him, and the situation that he is in, as well as the situation that his children are in.  I leapt for joy at the end of the book.  I will read it again in hopes that I will gleam more from the book the second time through.Book Description:

Philip Lachman is 39 and he’s looking for a heart. He’s searching for a second wife who is neither terrified by his teenage son who is into Communism and designer shoes nor turned off by his teenage daughter who dreams of becoming the queen of an oil-rich country. On the eve of Valentine’s Day Philip announces to his custody-battle scared kids that by the following Valentine’s Day he will have found his second wife, his best friend/mate for life, and a loving stepmom for them. Problem is, Philip has no leads, no numbers. Undaunted, he sets out on his quest. Any kind, caring, competent woman will do. So long as she’s not an actress. But this is glittery, glamorous, how-much-money-are-you-worth L.A., and Philip, who barely ekes out a living as a public high school teacher, is in for the ride of his life.

Now here’s what I found troubling about the book.  The children at Mr Lachman’s school are simply awful.  If this is what the kids in America are like these days then there are some serious issues.  I just cannot even begin to fathom what must be wrong with these children’s parents to have their children be such tyrants.  AP Go is quite possibly the most infuriating authority figure imaginable.  And from a Canadian standpoint the ways that Philip’s ex-wife was able to muck around in his life are troubling.  While I do understand that this book was a work of fiction, I found myself on numerous occasions absolutely dumbfounded that anyone could create such a world.