Vickie Lewis
The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara (1997)
Author: David I. Kertzer
Genre: Nonfiction (History)
Book Summary:
In June of 1858 Edgardo Mortara the son of Momolo Mortara, a Jewish merchant in Bologna, Italy, was taken by officers of the holy inquisition. The reason given to the family was that the boy had been baptized by one of the family's Catholic servants. According to the Catholic church no child baptized Catholic could be raised by the heathen Jews. As the Mortaras desperately tried to rescue their son from the Catholic church and the pope himself, forces outside Italy began to gather on their side. The case of young Edgardo Mortara garnered international attention and served as the catalyst for ending papal political power. SPOILER: Even though the papacy was damaged by the case, the Mortara family was damaged even more. Edgardo was not reunited with his family until he was a grown full-fledged Catholic, when his mother was on her deathbed and his father was already dead.
Geographical Setting: Italy
Time Period:1850's
Appeal Characteristics:
The story is very deliberately paced and delivered in a very organized manner. The author makes excellent use of letters and personal correspondence to really convey to the reader what these historical characters were thinking and feeling. The author also uses primary documents such as newspaper articles from the time to give the readers a good sense of public opinion from both the Catholic and Jewish sides. The author breaks up these primary documents and letters with his own narrative prose and sometimes dialogue, which gives the story a nice flow. The author really focuses on the Mortara family and how losing Edgardo affected their family. The book focuses not only on the Mortara family and their struggle but on the historical struggle between the Catholic Church and the Jews in Italy. Kertzer does a nice job of providing a personal family story and a global religious and politcal history as well.
Read-alikes If you enjoyed David Kertzer's writing style and his subject matter you should try his other books Prisoner of the Vatican: The Pope's Secret Plot to Capture Rome From the New Italian State and The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican's Role in the Rise of Modern Anti-Semitism. If you enjoyed reading about Catholic church history and Papal history and if you enjoyed reading about the personal histories of some major Catholic figures you might enjoy Cardinal Giacomo Antonelli and Papal Politics in European Affairs by Frank J. Coppa, and How the Pope Became Infallible: Pius IX and the Politics of Persuasion by August Hasler.If you liked the way personal correspondence was woven with the authors own prose and you want another book set in Italy you could try A Venetian Affair by Andrea di Robilant. And if you would like a more personal look at the effects of religion try the contemporary memoir Turbulent Souls: A Catholic Son's Return to his Jewish Family by Stephen J. Dubner
Red Flags: There is some violence. There also is occasional use of bad words and sexual description.
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