Description: From the day that Bobby Zimmerman first turned on the radio in his parents' home in Hibbing, he'd had a pretty good idea that big things were happening, that old values were changing, that something new was on the way.
Brief description: Harry Freedman is Britain's leading author of popular works of Jewish culture and history. His books include Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots of Genius, Shylock's Venice: The Remarkable History of Venice's Jews and the Ghetto, The Talmud: A Biography, Britain's Jews: Confidence, Maturity, Anxiety and Kabbalah: Secrecy, Scandal and the Soul. He has a PhD on an Aramaic translation of the Bible from the University of London. He lives in London with his wife Karen. You can follow his regular articles on harryfreedman.substack.com.
Review Quotes:
"[Harry Freedman] scrupulously dissects the historical and cultural influences that shaped Bob Dylan's music career. A meticulous exploration of one of America's most influential musicians." --Publishers Weekly
"Freedman provides a lively gloss on Dylan's rise from unknown folk beacon to counterculture superstar...[Bob Dylan: Jewish Roots, American Soil] makes for fun reading." --Los Angeles Times "Freedman is able to richly conceptualize the impact of Dylan's music and the context of his rise." --Associated Press "A comprehensive traversal of the folk-rock singer/songwriter's early creative years. This title approaches Dylan from an intriguing perspective and demonstrates what made him unique and how he stood out from the crowd. This biography rewards Dylanists and those interested in the developing folk scene and cultural milieu of the 1960s." --Library Journal