Israel - Against All Odds by Christopher H.K. Persaud is a non-fiction book that is essentially a history of the Jews and the Jewish diaspora from the point of view of the author. Israel - Against All Odds is, in a sense, a historical narrative but it needs to be stated that it is entirely pro-Jews and pro-Israel and in fact Persaud himself presents this disclaimer at the start of the book. So, in that sense, it may or may not be a true depiction of history or at least one which takes into account all perspectives. Nevertheless, it does cover all of the important topics from the Jewish perspective such as the history and roots of anti-Semitism, Zionism, the Nazi Holocaust, the role of the United Nations in the formation of Israel, the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the historical record of Christian anti-Semitism and the Christian belief of Jews as “Jesus killers,” to the more current, present day issues of the American stance on Israel, racism and anti-Semitism in America, the BDS movement, the Iranian nuclear deal, and an insightful look at American politics in regards to Israel.

Israel - Against All Odds is an interesting read. Although clearly one-sided in its narrative, it does provide a broad overview of the history of the Jews since the dawn of civilization. It is a fact that, to a certain extent, the book may be called religious or theological with its utter faith in the gospel and prophecies, among other things. I found the book to be well-researched and Persaud clearly is passionate about the subject. That intensity of feeling shows through in the writing and makes it authentic and genuine from that perspective. Of course, I did not agree 100% with everything written in the book, but then everyone is entitled to their opinion and that is exactly what this book does—expresses Persaud’s opinions on Jews in history and the state of Israel. There are also references provided at the end of book which I appreciated.