May 2018 issue of the Midwest Book Review:

"Stanley Kubrick: New York Jewish Intellectual" by Nathan Abrams (who is a professor of film studies at Bangor University in Wales, and the founding co-editor of Jewish Film and New Media: An International Journal) reexamines the director's work in context of his ethnic and cultural origins.

Focusing on several of Kubrick's key themes (including masculinity, ethical responsibility, and the nature of evil) "Stanley Kubrick: New York Jewish Intellectual" demonstrates how his films were in conversation with contemporary New York Jewish intellectuals who grappled with the same concerns. At the same time, it explores Kubrick's fraught relationship with his Jewish identity and his reluctance to be pegged as an ethnic director, manifest in his removal of Jewish references and characters from stories he adapted.

As Professor Abrams digs deep into rare Kubrick archives to reveal insights about the director's life and times, film scholar he also provides a nuanced account of Kubrick's cinematic artistry. Each individual chapter comprising "Stanley Kubrick: New York Jewish Intellectual" offers a detailed analysis of one of Kubrick's major films, including Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut.

Critique: An impressive work of original scholarship, "Stanley Kubrick: New York Jewish Intellectual" presents an exceptionally informative study of one of the twentieth century's most renowned and yet misunderstood film directors. Enhanced with the additional inclusion of twenty-eight pages of Notes, a ten page Select Bibliography, and a thirteen page Index, "Stanley Kubrick: New York Jewish Intellectual" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Cinematic History collections in general, and Stanley Kubrick supplemental studies lists in particular. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of film students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Stanley Kubrick: New York Jewish Intellectual" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $31.60).