The Gypsies by Jan Yoors Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Gypsies
Book Review: Transports us to another world, another time
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to confess to not having read this book in over 30 years, when I was young and easily impressed, but it's a book I've never forgotten. It may have been the source of my own wanderlust (satisfied, fortunately, by the US Army).
Gypsies are universally scorned, often by people who never even met one. Reading this book taught me more than about Gypsies, but also the need to keep an open mind in the face of uninformed prejudices. (As if a Jew wouldn't know that.)
It doesn't hurt that the author was also a gifted writer. This book is a delightful read from first page to last.
[May 2005: Have discovered another, maybe better, book on Gypsies: BURY ME STANDING, by Isabel Fonseca. Less romantic, more factual, more pieces of the puzzle filled in.]
Book Review: Wow!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book should be made into a movie! I was expecting something dry and academic, but instead found the book to be extremely moving. You'll never view the people in question the same way again. All-in-all, an excellent read.Book Review: insider look at the european gypsies
Summary: 5 Stars
i was very moved by jan yoor's portrayal of gypsy life. my extended family lives in europe, and their opinion, as is most european's opinion, of the gypsies is not too kind. having recently returned from a trip to europe, i was bothered by my lack of understanding of the tziganes. jan's book is the first in a series of books i am reading about the european gypsies, and it seems to mark a trend of a deep split between those who view gypsy life on the outside and those who have lived with and love them. the more i learn about this culture and its history, the more compelled i am to learn and understand even more. i think this book is a wonderful place to start on this topic because it is a narrative, and it gives the reader a sense of "personal history" before extending himself to other more historical material on the romany people. i was only bothered by how curt the ending was. the narrative didn't really arc towards anything; it just ended in an almost bulletpointed epilogue of some of his friends' fate during the hitler invasion. i have a feeling, though, that this most likely resembles the actual way jan was separated from the gypsies (something he doesn't explain or even touch upon in the book). i've discovered that the remainder of that story is in a second book of jan's called "crossings." jan's story is inspiring as he is a man who truly lived more than one life in his lifetime.Book Review: labor of Love, labored writng
Summary: 3 Stars
definitive for all the historic reasons but clunky and labored.
Still... the culture of the Roma is brought to life and at times
I found myself wanting to run away with them.
Book Review: long live wanderlust
Summary: 4 Stars
i stole this book from my father and it was worth it. although i may never get very deep in gypsy culture, i found it a wonderful adventure to read about. another great book is 'gypsy tales', oop by protter.