'After many admirable works of poetry and interpretation of the slang of the “dangerous classes” and stigmatized minorities, Alice Becker-Ho now analyzes the origins of the word “ghetto” and studies the history of the city that created it. Her sensitivity as a cosmopolitan rebel and a former situationist permeates the pages of this extraordinary journey from Antiquity to modern times, which reveals how the history of Venice was so deeply entangled with the history of the Jews. At the crossroads between Christian Europe and the Islamic world, and hosting Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, as well as Marranos, Venice was a privileged place for a minority forged by the cosmopolitan circulation of commodities and ideas, trade and writing, fidelity to an ancient belief and coexistence with other religions. Narrating this fascinating history, Becker-Ho displays an incredible erudition in a crystalline and enchanting language. This short book is a gem.' — Enzo Traverso, Cornell University; author of Revolution: An Intellectual History (Verso, 2021)