THE HUMAN RECORD is a leading primary source reader for world history; providing balanced coverage of the global past. Each volume contains a blend of visual and textual sources that are often paired or grouped together for comparison; as in the Multiple Voices feature. A prologue entitled "Primary Sources and How to Read Them" serves as a tool that helps you approach; and get the most from; each document. Approximately one-third of the sources in the Eighth Edition are new; and these documents continue to reflect the myriad experiences of the peoples of the world.
#4810 in Books 2017-09-05 2017-09-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.58 x .5 x 5.79l; #File Name: 1250121264320 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy SHortzLovely journey of the soul and heart.13 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Her writing is often laugh out loud funny while the descriptions of her darker tribulations are painful ...By Rina GoldbergIlana Kurshan has written a spellbinding book.Her writing is often laugh out loud funny while the descriptions of her darker tribulations are painful and resonant.She has written a one of a kind book; a new genre.I don't have enough accolades. So moving and personal and intellectual and literary wrapped up in a compelling raison d'etre for women studying the Daf or any Jewish texts.Ilana's ability to weave the text into her daily life is unique and inspiring.I cannot recommend this book more highly.8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. "The Talmud was fertile ground for gleaning new insights and fresh perspectives."By booklover10In her memoir; "If All the Seas Were Ink;" Ilana Kurshan recounts her journey from loneliness and despair to joy and fulfillment. When she was in her twenties; she fell in love; married; and moved to Israel. Unfortunately; the union ended in divorce and at twenty-seven; she felt adrift. Although she has a first-class education and was able to support herself—she is a capable editor; translator; and literary agent--she experienced bouts of depression and self-doubt. At the urging of a friend; she decided to join the Daf Yomi; a worldwide endeavor in which students learn a page of the Babylonian Talmud each day. It takes seven and a half years to complete the thirty-seven tractates. All the while; she kept a journal and took notes; which served as this book's nucleus. As Kurshan states in the introduction; "My daily Talmud study was an anchor; if not a life raft."The author is an ardent bibliophile who lyrically expresses her love of language; appreciates the commentaries of the Jewish sages (even when she disagrees with them); and longs for a meaningful and spiritual existence. She is not Orthodox; Ilana was brought up in an egalitarian synagogue and has led services on the Sabbath and festivals. She keeps a kosher home and observes the Sabbath; but rejects other traditions that do not jibe with her beliefs.Kurshan discusses her exploration of the Talmudic texts; and notes parallels between her life and passages in the Daf Yomi. In addition; she weighs in on the debates among various scholars concerning such topics as the Holy Days; matrimony; the rituals that took place in the First and Second Temples; property disputes; the Jewish calendar; and prayer. "No detail is extraneous and little is transparent;" Kurshan declares. In spite of her prodigious capacity for acquiring knowledge; Kurshan is modest and self-effacing. Her frank and eloquent writing reveals a quick wit; sense of humor; goal-oriented personality; compassion; and—she would probably admit--a streak of stubbornness. Now living in Jerusalem with her second husband and their four children (including twin girls); Ms. Kurshan is committed to the lifelong pursuit of Torah. As a coda to this engrossing memoir; Ilana Kurshan might have used Frost's famous lines to describe her odyssey: "I took the [road] less traveled by/ And that has made all the difference."
