“You look at me and you don’t see me. You see something else. What do you see? That’s what I don’t understand…. What do you see that makes you so mad when you look at me?”
One of the first studies on the rise of anti-semitism in the USA during WWII; for the time (1945) it was revolutionary and brave in its explicit portrayal and harsh criticism of bigotry and prejudice, but—although it is still an interesting and insightful read—I feel like Miller could not quite convey what he meant to say to the best of his abilities. He was definitely a better playwright than he was a novelist and it shows in this book’s compelling message, but unremarkable execution.

[no stars because I don’t rate classics]

When first published in 1945, [b:Focus|74049|Focus|Arthur Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1170847780l/74049._SX50_.jpg|71644] was one of the few pieces of fiction that explicitly shined a light on the very real rise of Anti-Semitism and bigotry on American shores, even while American troops were fighting fascist regimes overseas. Bigotry can rear its pernicious head in any community at any time; this was Arthur Miller’s point. That said, I would argue that Focus serves a greater role as a historical document, than it does as a relevant narrative for the modern era.

Overall, Miller treats the concept that “racism is bad” as this a jaw-dropping revelation, which in a present context is patronizingly insulting. In this day and age saying that "Anti-Semitism is bad" is obvious, not a bombshell illumination. This is compounded by the fact that Anti-Semitism is still alive and thriving in the United States, occurring in scale from casual micro-aggressions to outright assault in the case of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting of 2018.

Furthermore, I would argue that Miller is a far better playwright than he is a novelist. The loud and overly simplistic Focus lacks the nuance and affect of better work like [b:The Crucible|17250|The Crucible|Arthur Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547467608l/17250._SX50_.jpg|1426723]. So, if you are a fan of Miller’s work, this one may fall out-of-focus for you (this is a dad pun my father insisted I include in this review, sorry). If you want to read about early works denouncing Anti-Semitism, then Focus is a document with historical merit. Otherwise, I’d say skip it for something more impactful like Elie Wiesel’s [b:Night|1617|Night (The Night Trilogy, #1)|Elie Wiesel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575073611l/1617._SY75_.jpg|265616].

Rating: 2.5 stars

Casi hasta el final, me ha caído muy antipático el personaje del señor Newman y casi me alegraba de lo que le estaba ocurriendo. Miraba por encima a los demás, creyéndose superior a personas con trabajos menos cualificados que el suyo o de otra raza. Es vergonzoso que, en una de las primeras escenas del libro, hiciera caso omiso de la agresión a una mujer solo porque era latina y ya debía de estar acostumbrada a que le pegaran. Sin embargo, hacia el final del libro, empiezo a sentir compasión por él. La escalada de violencia que se produce desde las primeras miradas suspicaces hasta el ataque final llena al lector de inquietud.
Por otra parte, parece incomprensible que, mientras Estados Unidos luchaba en Europa contra los antisemitas nazis, en suelo patrio realiza una discriminación similar contra los judíos.

1.50/5.00

This book made me look at stereotypes in a new way. It's interesting that Mr. Lawrence Newman was stereotyped as being Jewish just because of the glasses he wore. Arthur Miller wrote about a dense subject in a different way than other World War II novels were written. It was engaging and easy to follow. It's amazing that he could have written this novel in the midst of the war- given the opinions of characters on the actual pages it must not have been easy to publish it immediately following.