It’s clear that author Karen Brodkin approaches the subject of Jewish Americans from a very personal perspective. Her book on the subject How Jews Became White Folks And What That Says About Race in America (Rutgers) is much more than academic. What began as a general study of ways that race, ethnicity, class, and gender combine to construct an American identity, Brodkin found her lens focusing solely on Jewish Americans and their experience. Even with that, an vast array amount of research and resources were utilized, lending the book itself a sometimes overwhelming quality. (more…)