The Gypsies by Jan Yoors
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Book Reviews of The Gypsies
Book Review: insider look at the european gypsies
Summary: 5 Stars
i was very moved by jan yoor's portrayal of gypsy life. my extended family lives in europe, and their opinion, as is most european's opinion, of the gypsies is not too kind. having recently returned from a trip to europe, i was bothered by my lack of understanding of the tziganes. jan's book is the first in a series of books i am reading about the european gypsies, and it seems to mark a trend of a deep split between those who view gypsy life on the outside and those who have lived with and love them. the more i learn about this culture and its history, the more compelled i am to learn and understand even more. i think this book is a wonderful place to start on this topic because it is a narrative, and it gives the reader a sense of "personal history" before extending himself to other more historical material on the romany people. i was only bothered by how curt the ending was. the narrative didn't really arc towards anything; it just ended in an almost bulletpointed epilogue of some of his friends' fate during the hitler invasion. i have a feeling, though, that this most likely resembles the actual way jan was separated from the gypsies (something he doesn't explain or even touch upon in the book). i've discovered that the remainder of that story is in a second book of jan's called "crossings." jan's story is inspiring as he is a man who truly lived more than one life in his lifetime.Book Review: A Revealing, Critical Understanding of These Tribal People
Summary: 5 Stars
I came across this book without much intention, and it proved to be a revealing, first-hand account of the traveling Rom peoples of Europe in the early 20th century. Yoors lived with the Rom on and off through their genocidal persecution under Hitler's regime. A lyrical writer, Yoors captures a detailed essence of these people whose seemingly mysterious ways, he points out, were often perpetuated by the Rom themselves as defense mechanisms against civilized culture (or Gadje, the outsiders). His account demonstrates personal and cultural revelations about how the Rom have been persecuted through time in the form of outright racism, genocide, and overt hostility which continues through today. The US only recently -- 1998 -- decided to stop officially discriminating against US-based Rom, and the word 'gyp' is still commonly used as a slur even among seemingly enlightened people. More importantly, Yoors' account reveals how, despite the racist, mysterious, mainstream view of the Rom, they instead lived a relatively carefree, dependable lifestyle in which each tribal member was (is) cared for.Book Review: Great Book!
Summary: 5 Stars
I really enjoyed reading about Gypsy life. When traveling I would see gypsy caravans here and there in Europe and have been fascinated by their life. This book having been told through the eyes of someone that lived in their world yet came from ours was really engaging. I was surprised to find out about the culture and many rules for making this life work. Also, it was so different than I expected since Gypsy life is very stereotyped; as with most groups there are good and bad members. Jan Yoors was fortunate to have been attached to this kind and loving group of travelers. I was amazed that his parents allowed him to continue to travel with the Gypsies at such a young age. I would be interested to know more about how they could reason that out. Also, it would have been helpful if the book had a glossary for the many words used to describe the Gypsy customs. This book has encouraged me to learn more about the Gypsies.Book Review: I felt like a Gypsie
Summary: 5 Stars
Reading this book helped me understand how the Gypsies fit into society and more importantly, how their family and social structure operates. It didn't go so much into the history of the Gypsies, so I recommend other books if your objective is to find out every detail of their history. But one thing the author points out is that the Gypsies see us (Ganji) as rediculous people who deserve to be told lies - so I wonder how much real information is out there about their history.
What I DID learn is how structured and reverent their own rules are about how they treat each other. Some of which, especially concerning their attitudes on cleanliness and respect for each other, were particularly interesting and at times seemed more strict than in our societies.
Overall, an easy read and provides a great glimpse into a world none of us knows too much about.
Book Review: One of the best Romani resources.
Summary: 5 Stars
I am of Romani descent, my ancestors were Czech, and as a girl my great-grandmother told me fascinating stories about her family's nomadic lifestyle. For me, Yoors' work was a continuation of my grannies stories. Of all the material I have read on the Romani, I found "The Gypsies" to be the most concise. Yoors had the amazing opportunity to not only observe the Romani society, but also to be absorbed into it. The readers are given the rare gift of seeing dual sides of the story. Because of his young age, he was able to enter into their society with few cultural biases. At the same time, because he was a gaje he was able to appreciate and embrace the cultural differences. This is a wonderful chronicle of a beautiful culture, which unfortunately is fading fast. For infomation on present day Romani, "Bury Me Standing" by Isabel Fonseca is a great resource.