In this exploration of the contemporary moral identity of American Jews, the author examines how images of Israel avenging Auschwitz affect the way many Jews think about the Middle East and other aspects of politics and culture. This book is an unsuccessful mixture of political commentary and literary criticism. Breines contrasts weak/gentle Jews--victims of anti-Semitism who shun violence as immoral--with tough Jews--Israeli army officers and right-wing settlers of Arab territories--using literary examples. The author sees the emergence of the tough Jew in modern novels as a reflection of current right-wing Israeli politics. He finds this trend disturbing and pleads for a return to gentleness and nonviolent resistance to persecution. His message is noble, but he spends over 250 pages rambling. He fails to construct a convincing argument and draws no real conclusion. Charles Liebman and Steven Cohen's Two Worlds of Judaism (Yale, 1990) offers a better analysis of current Jewish politics. Not a necessary purchase. - Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L., Cal. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.