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Summary: An Abbreviated Old Testament
Review: The Gifts of the Jews is interesting reading, but the vast majority of the book is simply a retelling of the Old Testament (Abraham sets out with his family, almost sacrifices Isaac, Joseph leads the Hebrews into Egypt, Moses leads them out of Egypt, etc.). Only a very small portion of the book is actually devoted to the author's thesis that the Jews gave Western civilization a different outlook on God, time, and the importance of the individual.
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Summary: Cahills' Gift to Himself
Review: First, the good news: It will probably take you only several hours to read this book. Now, the bad news: You will have read this book. Cahill leaps off with another sensational title (see "How the Irish Saved Civilization") but gets bogged down in a rehash of the Bible. His "argument" that his selected biblical stories are different than older mythologies just doesn't ring true (e.g. Gilgamesh vs Genesis, etc.). Cahill has a wonderful way of reading ancient peoples minds as well to suit his theories ("we can almost X-ray their mental baggage"..."If we had lived ...and could have canvassed all the nations of the earth, what would they have said..."...). After much review of Sunday School level material, Cahill finally gets to the "Gifts": Monotheism and individual destiny leading to new notions of time and moral behavior. Of course, he dosen't come right out and say this; he drags you through pages of muddled rhetoric. He makes grandiose, uncomfortable statements ("We are the undeserving recipients of this history....without which our ideas of equality and personalism are unlikely ever to have come into being"..."There is no way that it could have been self-evident that all men are created equal without the intervention of the Jews"). Hmmmmmmmmm... There are many books out there that show Jewish history and their great achievements, this just isn't one of them.
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Summary: The history of the Jews is not mythology
Review: After ready Mr. Cahill's book on the Irish, I was very anxious for this book on the history of the Jews. What a dissappointment. Mr. Cahill routinely discounts the narrative history of the Jews presented in the Bible as mythology and he does so without good reason. It's clear that his understanding of Jewish history is limited to the interpretation given by such secular "scholars" (heavy sarcasm) as Joseph Campbell. In the preface Mr. Campbell says this is the 2nd of a six part series. Hopefully, he will refrain from tackling early Christian history from the mythological approach. So much good stuff missed due to a lack of understanding on the author's part. Dissappointment is the only adjective to describe this work. Too bad.
Rating: 
Summary: Lack of evidence to back up bold statements.
Review: When reading The Gifts of the Jews, I found myself on a regular basis closing the book and thinking in confusion exactly where is Mr. Cahill coming from? Is he himself Jewish, and thus glorifying the role of his own people, or just an author who is desperate to find another "hinge of history" to complete his five book quota. Either way, his thesis, which asserts that because of the Jews the mindset of the Western world shifted from one in which the fate of all people is fixed in the stars, and life is predictable and inescapable, to the belief that life is always progressing forward, is a bit of a stretch. I have no doubt that over time the Jews developed this change in thinking, but I find it hard to swallow that this evolution occurred exclusively within their religion. Mr. Cahill then questions, "Where are the Sumerians, the Babylonians, the Assyrians today?", as though to contest whether theirs were cultures as important or influential as the Jews, when these were some of the first civilizations to ever exist? The Gifts of the Jews is disappointing, especially Mr. Cahill's lack of evidence to back up his bold statements.
Rating: 
Summary: A Historical Book on Religion that Holds Your Attention
Review: As a 10th grader asked to read a historical book on the Jews for a school project, I was not anticipating a fascinating tale of past cultures that would keep my attention for about 300 pages, but it sure was what I got. Thomas Cahill does a wonderful job of bringing the influence of the ancient and modern Jewish culture to life. He keeps the reader interested by using his thoughts and humor to describe the past cultures and practices. He relates them to modern times, but his writing style unfortunately can make the reader forget what the story is really about, the influence of the Jewish culture on society. END
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Summary: Interesting way of presenting the influence of Judaism
Review: I never fully understood the major contributions the Jews had on the Western world and my own life, however, until I read Thomas Cahill's historic narrative. Even though the book took me awhile to finish, I gained a better understanding of history in general and of the Old Testament. I have attended Catholic school for 12 years and I have not had a clearer explanation the Old Testament. Cahill's casual approach and references to modern things kept me interested in the book. I also enjoyed how there was a timeline and list of the books of the Torah in the back of the book. These helped me reinstate the main points of the Jewish history after I finish reading. I highly recomend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about Judaism, the Old Testament or even about western civilization in general. You do not have to be Jewish to read this book, as I originally thought, because it applies to everyone. Although it was a harder read for me, I still recommend it to people my age. I thought this book was informative but not at all boring. END
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Summary: well written, persuasive, interesting
Review: As a ninth grader in high school, I found Thomas Cahill's work to be an exceptional book that will appeal to all ages. His content and organization of the information flows together in way that keeps the reader interested. His ideas are not only logical, but persuasive. He seems passionate about each aspect of his ideas, and he uses the universal language of humor to keep his ideas easy to understand. Comments like, "I don't think it should bother us that he[God] is no Hallmark greeting card", and introductory titles such as "The Jews Are It" give a lighter note to the tone of war, persecution and struggle. It is well written, well thought out, and focuses on the positive side of Jewish history. END
Rating: 
Summary: An Illuminating and Useful Read
Review: Cahill takes the unique approach of viewing biblical history, a subject usually mired in myth, and viewing it in a deeply human light. It is a shock to see the dusty prose of the bible become a story of real people embarking on an unprecedented intellectual adventure into the real world. This view of religion as based on a personal understanding of the world beyond the ego is important in our current spiritual void, and Cahill's willingness to avoid dogma makes it all the more worthwhile. Although fundamentalists may quibble with the text as it combines eternal truths to mortal lives, such a combination produces unexpected resonances and connections that make the book essential to understanding the foundations of Western thought.
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Summary: From a tenth-grader's mouth:"I loved The Gifts of the Jews"
Review: I have always believed that reading "good" books is important in forming our ideas, and this book reasserts that belief. The Gifts of the Jews, by Thomas Cahill, is not for the strong of traditional views. I myself was interested, not only because it is a comprehendible look at the Old Testament events (and I needed to do something else for religion when I missed watching the movie necessary for project #1), but it also explains why Judaism is so key in the development in Western civilization. The Jews broke away from the concepts of other cultures in the same epoch, from the idea that everything repeats and nothing new could occur, and set out to follow a Voice and a new way. The thoughts Cahill projects are clear and interesting, never leaving me bored with the book. I strongly recommend this book anyone who is open to a more modern reading of the Biblical translation, not in a politically correct inclusive way but in the language of now, and is just starting to understand.
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Summary: Gift of the Jews -ARE the Jews.
Review: No gentile history buff with a penchant for the Bible (which is *the* testament, if that's how you want to call it (the Torah) - there is no "old" or "new", just "real" and "fabricated") can do any justice or compare to what a real rabbi who practices and lives the faith, as did his father's father - can tell you about jewish history and signifigance.After all, this - the age of "enlightenment" - is really the age of confusion, with so many, many jews sadly assimilated all over the world. And although the author does make *some* valid points, they get lost in the rest of of the text, which can bring only confusion to the misinformed - as one can readily see from some of the reviews posted here. I would then have to agree with the review by "A reader from New York , October 10, 1998".
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