Rating: 
Summary: An opinion-shaping book.
Review: "Exodus" isn't perfect. The characters are rather
stereotypical. I think Herman Wouk is a better author.
But I found "Exodus" at just the right time in my life
for its message, I guess. One has to remember it IS
historical fiction, and one might describe some of it as
propaganda, but it is powerful. He is sympathetic to the
Palestinian Arabs, used as pawns by the
Arab governments, who
are the main villains of the story
though they don't come off as heroic as the Israelis....I can live with all the
characterizations.
Rating:
Summary: An opinion-shaping book.
Review: "Exodus" isn't perfect. The characters are rather
stereotypical. I think Herman Wouk is a better author.
But I found "Exodus" at just the right time in my life
for its message, I guess. One has to remember it IS
historical fiction, and one might describe some of it as
propaganda, but it is powerful. He is sympathetic to the
Palestinian Arabs, used as pawns by the
Arab governments, who
are the main villains of the story
though they don't come off as heroic as the Israelis....I can live with all the
characterizations.
Rating:
Summary: READ THIS BOOK
Review: Exodus by Leon Uris is a gripping novel. This epic story is the epitome of human natures ability to suffer, to persevere, and to succeed. This novel comes highly recommended by me. The Exodus follows the story of people. Not just any people, a special type of person, a Jew. The Jewish population has undergone numerous tyrants that have tried, unsuccessfully, to banish the Jewish population from the face of the earth. The Exodus follows these people as they return to their rightful homeland of Jerusalem. During the course of this novel, they face numerous obstacles on there road to the rebirth of a Jewish homeland. Even after the forming of the Jewish state of Israel, Jews are persecuted for pursuing peace. The story of the Israel is astonishing. I was quickly surprised by the benevolent and unselfish ways of Jews through their lives. They give all to their Israel, including their life. The Exodus focuses on a few important characters. Yakov Rabinsky a.k.a. Akiva, Jewish extremist fighter. Jossi Rabinsky a.k.a. Barak Ben Canaan, brother of Yakov, Jewish conservative, father of Jewish politics. Karen Hansen Clemet, Jewish refugee in search of her father. Dov Landau, Jewish survivor of the German concentration camps. Kitty Fremont, American nurse out to look for a daughter figure. Jordana Canaan, Jewish sabra fighter. And finally, Ari Ben Canaan, famed fighter for the Jewish people. The Exodus has been the one of the few assigned reading books that I have enjoyed reading. The story of these people and their home is an example of human nature at its best. This novel connects with me. The story, the character, the settings, and the plots all are not fanaticized. Whether or not it these actual people existed is irrelevant. It is all so believable. The novel is filled with tragedy, but the common goal was something worth fighting for. Once everyone united and fought for it, it was achieved. And that I believe was the best thing about the novel, to see that everyone's unselfishness, benevolence and hard work came to show in the birth of Israel. The Exodus does have one downfall. The beginning of the novel is slow and somewhat confusing. The beginning of the novel lacks a common antagonist and therefore leaves you confused. Once you do get past the first fifty eight pages, the novel takes off and you can get quite interested. Despite this minor setback, the Exodus was gripping and inspiring. Some parts of the novel made you angry, made you want to cry, made you want to fight, and most important, made you contented at their success. The Exodus was an excellent novel and should be read by anyone with the opportunity.
Rating:
Summary: A riveting tale that blends history into a story
Review: Exodus is the epitome of historical fiction, telling the profoundly moving tale of the experience of one family and one nation as they find themselves over the course of a half century. It is the epic tale of the creation of Israel, one that explores the minutest tale of this fascinating history and places upon it, a human face with which everyone can sympathize. For those who enjoyed this book, I recommend the Hajj (also by Uris) for the Palestinian perspective!
Rating:
Summary: A thrilling story
Review: I read this book when I was fourteen, yet the story is still vivid in my mind. Exodus is beyond a literary work. It is more than that. Historical sociological, philosophical in range, it challenges the reader to confront stereotypes, to see reality with another man's eyes and to judge fairly.
Even though the book started slowly, the pace ,plot and challenges intensified with the introduction of the Palestinian Jews. Still I will say that Leon Uris deliberately did that since he was writing the book for the international audience.
The pogroms in Czarist Russia are told, the anti-Semitism that followed the Dreyfus affair in France and Western Europe , which prompted the emergence of the Zionist movement are clearly spelt out as the motivating factor for the creation of a Jewish state. Even holocaust is clearly unveiled as the final catastrophe that made the creation of a Jewish state inevitable.
The book gives a good picture of plight of the Palestinian Jews under the Ottomans and later their struggles against the British in the mandate. It shows the complicated nature of the different peoples in the land, such as the alliances between Druses and Jews, understanding with Bedouin tribes and intra-Jewish differences. Israel's proclamation of independence and defiant victory against the Arab states seeking to annihilate is well written in this book. The characters that enriched the story are brought out to be so lively and natural. Ari Ben Canaan, his uncle Akiva, the rest of the Ben Canaan family, Kitty the American nurse who fell in love with a land and people she had not wanted to know, the angelic Karen, the rebellious, Dov, David and a host of other characters made the plot rich.
However, what struck me about this novel of close to five decades is the author's presentation of the Palestinian refugee problem. Their plight hasn't changed. Who is responsible in a world where so much has changed? What is the solution? I think that while Israel must act in good faith for peace in the Middle East, the Arab States should accept responsibilities too for the refugee problem. The answer is approach. How to approach a tragedy with the intention to heal. I read DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE and was inspired by the people's approach to human disasters. South Africa is another good example Also recommend DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE
Rating: 
Summary: Good, if you can get past rascist attitudes toward Arabs
Review: I've read Exodus many times since I first read it in jr. high, and have always been drawn into the story and the characters, in no small part because of the actual history behind the events in the book. I understand that Uris' historical accuracy isn't always perfect, and I can suspend my disbelief and get beyond that. However, in my latest rereading of the book I found myself offended by his portrayal of Arabs. On the surface, Uris excuses the 'unenlightened behavior' of the Arab population by attributing it to selfish, greedy, stupid leaders, and even seems sympathetic toward their plight, but I get the feeling that he believes that all Arabs are selfish, greedy, and stupid, and that the only smart thing they could do would be to put their fates into the hands of the Jews. This attitude is too simplistic and inexcusably ignorant. Uris' propoganda, and his determination to make the Arabs enemies of Israeli Jews takes away from what is otherwise an engrossing, exciting book. I would recommend it anyway, as long as the reader keeps a healthy dose of cynicism regarding his portrayal of Arabs. For anyone specifically interested in a longer (and better) account of the Warsaw Ghetto than Uris provides for Dov Landau's history, I would strongly recommend _The Wall_ by John Hersey.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful book
Review: It warms my heart to see Christian reviewers like Karina Suarez saying nice things about the Jews after reading this book. I listen to progressive radio, ... in New York, and whenever they mention the Middle East they slam the Jews and Israel, and they sympathize with the Arabs. I feel like telling them to read Exodus by Leon Uris. Get the other side. The author beautifully presents history from the Jewish point of view, from the Holocaust to the prison camps on Cyprus to Jewish immigration to Palestine to the Jewish conquest of the desert and conversion of it into farmland, to the U.N. vote to allow the Jews their own homeland (since no country on Earth was willing to accept Hitler's Jews, thus sealing their fate in the death camps), to the Arab attempt to exterminate the Jews and finish what Germany started, to Israel's victory in the first war against a union of Arab invaders. This book also explains that the Palestinian refugee problem was manufactured by the Arabs, not by the Jews, and is hypocritically exploited by Arabs for propaganda value when in fact no Arab nation would allow the Palestinians to live among them. One criticism I have of this book is that it leaves the reader despising Arabs and British, and even a Jewish reader has to be left thinking they couldn't have been so completely evil, they must have had something to say for themselves. You walk away from this book thinking that Arabs are insane. Well, let's say they are overly propagandized to hate the Jews and leave it at that. The Mideast crisis will never be solved until the hateful propaganda is stopped. When every Arab country drums up vicious hatred against the Jews, similar to Goebbels and Hitler, it spells eternal trouble.
Rating: 
Summary: A stirring story
Review: It's been years since I first read this book, and I have read it several times since. Oddly, I don't think it's even particularly well-written. I think the plot is a bit disjointed, the writing uneven. However it tells such a stirring story that I love it anyway. I've always been half in love with Ari Ben Canaan.
There is a bittersweet feeling about this book too, these days, 50 years after the events in the novel - when one looks at the current situation in the middle east. However I think this is a rousing read about the founding of Israel. I think it's a good book. With a couple more re-writes and tighter editing it could have been a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining read decades after it was written
Review: Leon Uris is most famous for having written this book. It may not be his best, but it is an engaging and entertaining read decades after it was first published. The book, an adventure, set during the years between WW2 and the founding of the State of Israel. The book opens with a daring escape from a Displaced Persons camp on Cyprus. The British authorities, after the war, curtailed immigration to Palestine so as to not inflame the Arab populace. Jewish refugees fleeing Europe were put into DP camps since nobody wanted the refugees. From there we dive into the personal histories of the main characters. The story of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is absolutely gripping. The horrors of the Holocaust are laid bare. This had to have been truly shocking to your average middle class American when the book came out. The characters, other than Dov Landau and Karen Hansen, are somewhat wooden and stereotypical. It is as if the historical circumstances are dramatic enough and the characters are there to propel the story along.
Rating:
Summary: School assignment for an 11 year old
Review: Our 11 year old daughter was given a choice of books to read for spring break by her school. (Not public)
Exodus was one of the choices. We looked at all choices and did research on Amazon.com. Exodus sounded like the best choice based upon the jacket quotes and statements on amazon.com. Our Daughter has been very dark and brooding recently and we finally ferreted out that it was because of reading about the torture graphically described in the book. Not cool for OUR 11 year old. You make the call at your house. FYI
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