"A captivating memoir . . . showing personal triumphs over adversity. . . .The boy can do it." -Sylvia Nasar,
The New York Times Book Review "Wonderfully rich and precise. . . . Do me a favor. . . read the first paragraph." --Erik Lundegaard,
The Seattle Times/Post Intelligencer "Exquisitely written. . . . [C]ertain to charm away the idle hours." -Trevor Butterworth,
The Washington Post Book World "Both a study of the immigrant experience and a vivid picture of mid-century intellectual life at America's preeminent university. But most of all it is a touching portrait of a complex and staggeringly learned individual, written by one of the few people he allowed to touch his heart." -Daniel Akst,
Smithsonian "An absorbing, psychologically nuanced and overall balanced appraisal of a complex man who lived in complex times. . . . A widely researched, meticulously documented portrayal." --Marion Abbott,
San Francisco Chronicle "Dawidoff's captivating family memoir is a tribute to his twice-exiled grandfather, the Harvard economist Alexander Gerschenkron, retracing his tortuous path to Cambridge and recounting the intellectual passion that earned Gerschenkron the title 'the last man with all known knowledge.'" --
The New York Times Book Review "This is a splendidly crafted book: partly a valuable estimate of Gerschenkron's place in the history of theory, partly a study of academic life and politics in the 20th century and above all a thoughtful and often charming personal memoir." --
St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Nicholas Dawidoff has written a wonderful book, full of humor, love, and understanding." --
The New York Sun "It wouldn't be an overstatement to say this loving memoir is the most fascinating in its class." --
Chicago Tribune "A loving, carefully researched, effortless-seeming book--a delight to read. The story of the great Alexander Gerschenkron as told by his grandson combines the smallest and most telling personal details with an exhilarating wide-angle view of twentieth-century intellectual life." --Ian Frazier, author of
Family and
Great Plains "
The Fly Swatter is a terrific book for many reasons. Amateur students . . . will appreciate Dawidoff's discussion of economic theory. Historians will likewise enjoy his chronicle of a human character moving through world events. . . . Dawidoff's unusual perspective as a grandson might be most compelling for another set of readers." --
The Austin Chronicle "One marvelous memoir." -
Booklist "To give birth to one's own grandfather is no mean feat, but that is exactly Dawidoff's great triumph.
The Fly Swatter is a densely imagined, beautifully written book." --Peter Carey, author of
True History of the Kelly Gang "If [Alexander Gerschenkron] has access to a celestial computer and can download (or perhaps upload?) Nicky Boy's moving tribute, he must be proudly savoring every word." --
The New Leader