As in psychoanalysis, the Jewish approach to history re-actualizes memories of the past to create hope for the future. Parussa (Italian studies, Wellesley College) thus introduces his reading
of the works of four 20th century Italian-Jewish writers: poet Umberto Saba (e.g., Lost Things ); novelist Natalia Ginzburg (The Family); Giorgio Bassini, who wrote about the Jewish community
of Ferrara during the Fascist and World War II periods (The Garden of the Finzi-Continis); and Holocaust witness Primo Levi (The Search for Roots). They all represent a shift in viewing Jewish
identity as a constraint to a tool for individual emancipation. Annotation 穢2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
