I found this such an interesting and thought-provoking book, an exploration of publishing in the US, a field from which Jews were very much excluded in the early part of the 20th century but who then came to dominate it. At first Jews had little access to literary institutions and were rarely, if at all, employed as writers, academics or editors. But by the 1960s the reverse was true, giving rise to the expression “literary mafia”, not only amongst non-Jewish writers such as Truman Capote and Jack Kerouac but also amongst Jewish writers themselves. In this intelligent and balanced account of this development, the author examines what he calls “literary enfranchisement” and its impact on American literature as a whole. In particular the rise of Jewish editors to important positions in the major publishing houses inevitably influenced what books were actually published. For anyone not much interested in the intricacies of the publishing world the book might feel a little dry but I found it fascinating – not least because it introduced me to writers I’d never heard of before but am now looking forward to discovering. An informative, illuminating and entertaining book.

The Literary Mafia explores (and debunks) the 1960s/70s conspiracy about a group Jews controlling publishing in the US. While the writing could be a bit dry in places, I’d highly recommend this to anyone interested in this section of history.

Very interesting and informative non fiction about something that I never knew before. You learn something new everyday.

An interesting dive into the modern history and prejudices of the literary industry, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interesting in learning more about the industry.

This is a fascinating, never-before told story of the publishing industry in the United States. Thoroughly researched - the book is an important work for the conversations about a more equitable future for publishing.

The Literary Mafia, while clearly a thoroughly researched and lovingly penned book, was a bit too dry and dense for me. The book purports to be about Jewish peoples and their connections to American publishing throughout the twentieth century, it reads a bit more like a Master's thesis than an entry-level read on the subject. Lambert has clearly done his homework, and I truly cannot say anything in The Literary Mafia is wrong, or even presented poorly overall, just that it is a bit hard to follow if you do not already have a fairly in-depth knowledge of the authors, editors, publishers, and publishing houses (of which there are a great many) mentioned and studied within. The tone Lambert takes in his book is also incredibly dry, which I suppose was an attempt at impartiality, but made for a fairly unengaging experience, and did not particularly make for an 'unbiased'-feeling read, due to the constant reassertion of the author's central thesis.

I was very intrigued by the description, title, and beautiful cover for this book, but unfortunately it was a bit above my purview due to the subject's inaccessibility to any layperson unaware of the history, as well as the ins and outs, of the publishing business. Nonetheless I am certain this book will be fascinating and thoroughly enlightening to its intended audience, and I have very few actual criticisms of the text itself. I would only recommend this to those already fairly familiar with the subject matter being discussed here, as to avoid the slightly disappointing and confusing experience I had.

Thank you to NetGalley and Yale University Press

There are many aspects of the book I enjoyed. The thesis of the book is interesting and is supported by the information and analysis provided. Surprisingly, this doesn’t always happen. I found the biographical information and background very interesting. What I liked least about the book is its formal writing style. I much prefer a conversational tone. I also would have liked to see more history of publishing and Jewish involvement. Nonetheless, the book is well worth reading. Thank you to Netgalley and Yale University Press for the advance reader copy.

This book was surprisingly funnier than expected. Very eye opening and addictive from the first chapter.