5 comments about The Rabbi's Daughter.

1. If one is familiar with the religious Jewish life the book grabs you until the last page. A few small points are interesting however. If she comes from a orthodox family why does her father as a rabbi use a loudspeaker on sabbath and kiss other woman? sounds a bit strange.... in addition the very specific language describing in full detail the sexual experiences where not needed to make the book a fantastic book. All in all very well written! Looking forward to her next book.



2. I finished this book in a day and found it very hard to put down.
   It reads as the memoir of a woman who grew up in a religious Jewish household, left the fray to lead a lifestyle of sex and "liberation" and returned to join the ultra-religious Hasidic community. The book promised to highlight the struggles a woman faced in choosing between a religious lifestyle and a non-religious one. And that is my biggest issue with the book. The religious lifestyle she describes consists of a joyless virtually loveless existence full of empty rules, stringencies, and empty relationships. The "non-religious" lifestyle she chooses consists of adultery, promiscuous sex, drug use, lesbianism, more drug use, and more promiscuous sex.
   I had truly wanted to relate to the author, as I am a (mostly happy) Orthodox woman myself, but I do question what "life on the other side of the fence" might be like from time to time. I found it impossible to do so for two reasons. First the author's experience of Judaism was skewed, extreme, and not an accurate glimpse of mainstream Orthodoxy. Second, her non-religious lifestyle disgusted me and I have a hard time believing most secular people engage in half the things the author happily did in her pursuit of a "non-religious" way of life.
   Like some other reviewers I found some of the incidents related strained belief. A woman who repeatedly professes to love G-d so much she joins the most extreme and ascetic Orthodox branch happily recounts how she lost her virginity in a synagogue of all places.
   Her emotions just did not ring true to me. Nor did I really get a sense of genuine spirituality coming from the author.
   I hope anyone reading this book realizes the views of this author are extreme and her experiences are not shared by the majority of Orthodox Jewish women. Some of us do live balanced, fulfilling and happy lives, and interact with genuinely caring and loving people.



3. "The Rabbi's Daughter" is a fascinating journey from one woman's perspective. I was interested to see how many peole were completely turned off by this book. I believe that those who were disappointed may have been looking for 'answers' from a Jewish perspective. If the novel is read in that way, I can see why there would be confusion.
   
   However, this well crafted memoir, by a flawed, caring, idealistic woman, is far more in line with Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love" than a work of Jewish philosophy or theology. This isn't a theological work to bring enlightenment. It's a very raw and real story of one woman's search for inner peace. She looked for it in drugs and sex and being a part of the modern world. She looked for it in the most restrictive forms of Hassidic Judaism. What she finds along the way is knowledge and her own sense of self and balance.
   
   I applaud Ms. Mann's bravery for telling her story.



4. Reva puts everything on the line and does not white wash anything. This book was unbelievably cathartic for me. The descriptions of her feelings and locations were incredibly vivid. It brought me back to my years attending a seminary in Jerusalem. I understood her hunger for spirituality, her desire to suppress her blemished past, and her fantasy about wanting to live a pious life. Although I never got married, I have many friends who did and now live in the ultra-orthodox world in Jerusalem. I am still not quite sure how I escaped the grip of marriage. I wish there was a bit more resolution at the end but it is a memoir, she is still living. I wish her luck and thank you.



5. My feelings toward Reva ran the gamut as I read her book. I would have given it three stars but I read it during a succession of visits to the bookstore coffee shop and found myself thinking about it in between visits. This book is pretty much a memoir of growing up with low self-esteem and its aftermath. What makes this one unique is that much of it takes place in an insulated Hassidic community. I couldn't help thinking of another very similar memoir called Beautiful Stranger by Hope Donahue. Hope also grew up with a distant father and narcissistic mother. In order to fill her chronic void Hope, who is very pretty, becomes a plastic surgery addict. Same story different setting and coping mechanism.
   
   Reva had one thing Hope didn't, a mentally handicapped older sister. Eventually their mother gets tired of taking care of the sister and puts her in an institution far away. This devastates Reva and haunts her throughout the book, even though she doesn't seem to make much effort to visit her sister. Reva seems to feel that her anxiety and loneliness problems are somehow tied to her sister's trauma. It is my personal belief that her mother's narcissistic unavailability and preoccupation with appearances (such as bullying Reva into a nose job at 16) had a lot more to do with it.
   
   First Reva tries to fill the void with drugs and promiscuity. Later she joins a Hassidic sect in an effort to atone and straighten herself out. After a series of introductions by the community's matchmaker Reva marries Simcha. They meet in hotel lobbies and take long walks because physical contact is forbidden. A lot of the young people in this book seem to feel that religious observance will conquer all of their problems and hang ups. Reva is over sexed and feeling guilty about it and looking forward to marriage. Simcha has some hang ups about sex and is trying to avoid it. They both feel that religion will provide them this outlet. She expresses her disappointment on their wedding night. The two become intimate strangers and eventually the marriage falls apart. Reva is left feeling even worse since she feels that her community blames her for her marriage's failure.
   
   I don't want to spoil the ending but Reva's mother who made such an impression on me insists on committing one last selfish act. I would recommend this book along with Beautiful Stranger to young women suffering from low self-esteem, poor family relations and interpersonal skills. They should be read as cautionary tales about quick fixes, especially external ones.

2 comments about Man's Search For Meaning.

1. It has been many years since my original read of this book, and I won't let it happen again. This thought provoking book is a must read for everyone interested in the study of human behavior. Exceptionaly insightful!



2. This is a must read for all those "woe is me" people always complaining about everything. Man's Search for Meaning will enlighten you to what "having a bad day" really means. I applaud Viktor Frankl for his inner strength to survive such an ordeal and come away with such dignity and inner peace.

5 comments about Anne Frank Remembered.

1. This was a great book and filled in a few of the questions I had always had about Anne Frank. For it to be written by Miep added so much on a personal level that I loved. This book along with the Diary of Anne Frank should be required reading for the human race.



2. This is a well written and thoroughly moving memoir. Read in conjunction with the diary of Anne Frank you get such a feel for people from two different backgrounds on the same side of an abominable war. I loved her humbleness and it gives great insight into the pressure on those who were protecting others.



3. Miep Gies does not consider herself to be a hero, although anyone familiar with her story would probably consider her one. In "Anne Frank Remembered" Gies (along with Alison Leslie Gold) tells of the role she played in hiding the Frank family in Amsterdam during WWII. She sets the stage with her own personal background and how she came to work for Mr. Frank, and the special connection that she almost instantaneously shared with Anne.
   
   Thousands are familiar with the events that happened while the Franks were in hiding, thanks to the legacy of Anne's diary that Gies rescued when the families were finally captured and taken to concentration camps. Gies recalls what life was like in those days, when her husband played a role in the Dutch Resistance movement and they took a Jew in to hide in their own home while hiding the eight people at 263 Prinsengracht. Her story is one of almost unbelievable courage and audacity - to so boldly defy the German captors who invaded their land and to stand up against the evils that were being perpetrated against the Jews. Miep Gies believes that others would have done, and did do, the exact same thing that she did.
   
   The story Gies has to tell expands upon the events put forth in Anne's diary. Although those in hiding knew the danger that awaited not only them but also their helpers, reading events from Miep's perspective adds another layer to the saga of the Frank family. One might wish that she expounded more upon the period after the war ended, but her focus is on Anne Frank first and foremost. So much hope was held out that Margot and Anne might make it. When news came that they didn't, it seems as if a part of Miep died, and it took her several years before she could bring herself to read Anne's diary. Even if these events are hard to speak about and hard to read, her story is a necessary addition to Anne Frank's legacy.



4. Millions of people around the world have been inspired and touched by the story of Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl, who spent two long years in hiding, with family and a few friends, in Amsterdam, from their Nazi persecutors, during the second World War, before they were discovered and shipped off tho their deaths in Auschwitz.
   
   Twenty years ago Miep Gies (98 years old at the time of writing of this review) revealed her own courageous and generous role in hiding the Frank family and others, and providing them with food, companionship, and most of all hope.
   
   She gives revealing insight into Anne's life and of her own.
   
   Miep had been a hungry child refugee from Austria, just after the First World War, and passed her own experiences of generosity and compassion on.
   
   We read of the Nazi ocupation of the Netherlands, the decrees and attacks against the Jews, and of the deportations and hidings.
   
   Ultimately every man and women must ask what they would do, when a world goes mad.



5. My son had to do a report on a historical character for his 8th grade English class so we picked up this book and several others at the library. I had read the Diary of Anne Frank several times in the past - mainly for school when I was younger. I started to look through this book and couldn't put it down. It is a very simply written and a straightforward account of the story of the Frank family, how she got to know them and their years in hiding. The last section when Otto Frank returns home (he was the only survivor of the original eight) is heartbreaking. Miep was there through it all and her strength and courage are incredible.
   
   We visited the Holocaust Museum in D.C. last summer and all those haunting pictures and displays came back to me. If you visit D.C. you should go there. We must never forget what happened to these people.

5 comments about The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey.

1. Curious George fans of all ages should love this warm-hearted book about his creators and how they narrowly escaped (and rescued George!) from the Nazis coming into Paris. Their story reveals two people of great creativity, tenacity, and humor--and courage, too. This truly delightful book is packed with information and a compelling, well-researched story, cleverly written in a style similar to the original "George" books. The illustrations are fanciful and vibrant, but the pages are also enhanced by H.A. Rey's own drawings, Margret Rey's photography, and pictures of their personal ephemera in a wonderful scrapbook style. It really is a fascinating history that made me love and appreciate George all the more. It is sophisticated enough for adult readers, but approachable enough to share with grade-school children... and might prove a gentle way to introduce children to the history surrounding World War II. For any monkey still blessed to be young at heart, this is a book worth owning and sharing.



2. This book is one of the most intersting books that i have ever read in my intire life! you will find many marvolous things about CG including that his real name is FIFI! (wich is french for curious) This book will always remain in my bedroom for as long as i live!!!! Very intersting storys about history and that time period! many intersting facts such as, you can always find a redheaded lady in CG books, because that redhead is his wife and she is always walking thier dog in the books, who they also took everywhere with them in real life.



3. This will be a present for my nephew George's 37th birthday. He loved
   Curious George as a child, and still does. It's wonderful how someone
   carries a love for a childhood toy, book, etc. throughout their life.
   Such an individual eternally has a special spot in their heart
   Kudos to Amazon for providing the book for $5.00 under market price.



4. I enjoyed reading it and was surprised at all they went through.



5. This is a great book with historical information. I really enjoyed reading about the authors struggles and survival.

5 comments about The House of Rothschild: Volume 2: The World's Banker: 1849-1999.

1. What has Ferguson not told about the Rothschilds in this second volume of his seemingly exhaustive two volume set?
   
   He all too facilely dismisses Victor Rothschild's being the fifth man in the World War II Soviet spy ring of Blunt, Burgess, et. al. He dosen't discuss the Rothschilds' connection with Freemasonry at the highest level, and their gift to Israel of the Supreme Court building, a New World Order artifact, heavily laden architecturally with Freemasonry symbolism. Likewise, glaringly absent from note are Illuminati activities, which the family has been widely thought to be involved with. History Professor Ferguson could fill in his blanks on some vital but shady Rothschild history from Henry Makow, a researcher and writer--and a Jew.
   
   According to an article on Ferguson in Harvard Magazine (May/June '07), he is about to take on biographical writing of Henry Kissinger, at Kissinger's request. This should generate caution. Could Kissinger's "papers" be entirely relied on? Kissinger probably saw what sheen Ferguson could put on the Rothschild's archives as raw material, ignoring or minimising important but dark concerns.
   
   Same question on the Warburg's family papers that he is availing himself of. What will Ferguson tell us about Paul Warburg's role in establishing the egregious Federal Reserve, and Max Warburg financing the Bolshevik revolution?
   
   Let's hope that Ferguson can either put this and other allegations to rest once and for all or illuminate them if true--but now that he's shown his colors with the Rothschilds, I doubt that he will, either way.
   
   It seems that sympathetic academic interest in these elitist families and individuals is inevitable in part because that is where the big bucks for research and publishing would be, especially for a scholar who professes to have, as he says in the Harvard Magazine article, "become a thorough philo-Semite".
   
   Is there a whiff of opportunism here at the expense of objectivity?



2. A very complete book, a mine of facts but the author was unable to sort what is important from miscellaneous. The mix of general european history, business history and family events is by moments as indigestible as porridge por a non-scot.



3. This book was just way too detailed for me. It contains lots of facts and figures about biz transactions but it is just too much. It was to the point of who cares? Niall Ferguson really did his home work as far as that is concerned but it made the book boring. To me it felt like it was written by an accountant. It is the story behind the facts and figures and how they came about which make for interesting reading. But I have to give him credit for the time he spent putting this book together is unimaginable.
   
   Having said that I would have enjoyed it more if it had some stories where they made 1.2 million on this deal or lost 500,000 on that deal but it wasn't there. Just an accounting at the end of the year saying this was what they had at the end. No exciting stories like the robber barons trying to take over a railroad or JP Morgan putting together large trust deals in the US. Although chapter 11, which tells of the Rothschild involvement with mining and Cecil Rohdes and De Beers was very interesting and by far the the best chapter in the book, although it was not enough for me to give it a better rating. But that chapter for me made the book.
   
   I skimmed more of this book then I did the first one. There are a few more interesting stories in here but not enough to really keep you interested. If you like well written interesting biographies this is probably not for you.



4. I agree with one of the critics that the book had many facts and details that broke up the pace of the book for me. Ferguson presumes that the reader knows a fair amount about bonds, consuls and other financial mechanisms. He would have done well to slow down a bit and explain a few of the terms and concepts. And I think that Ferguson tells an utterly superficial and innocuous history of the Family. Long awkward sentences make for labored reading. That having been said, this was no doubt a delicate and ambitious undertaking.



5. Ferguson insults the purchaser of the Penguin Paperback by omitting the bibliography and only providing sketchy footnotes. "Serious scholars" who desire these items are advised to buy the Harcover edition. Other than that, it is a good read

5 comments about The Myth of Hitler's Pope: Pope Pius XII and His Secret War Against Nazi Germany.

1. These fierce arguments and counter arguments concerning Pope Pius XII can cloud the core issues. Maybe, instead, we can judge the virtue and effectiveness of this particular shepherd by the actions of his flock.
   
   Did Catholic/Protestant trained consciences prevent German citizens from donning Nazi uniforms, then participating in atrocities of the most diabolical kind? Maybe you think Allied 'Christian' soldiers occupied the moral high ground. Yet, remember the deliberate targeting of civilians in the Dresden and Hamburg bombings?
   
   Conversely, true Christians are "no part of this world", even to the point of being "hated by the world". They maintain strict neutrality from the world's many and recurring political and militaristic conflicts. Their shepherd is none other than Christ himself.



2. The catholic church and the Vatican have been fooling people for centuries with their propaganda and this is another attempt. Nice Job....



3. Thank you Rabbi Dalin for telling the true story of Pope Pius XII. I give this book 5 bright stars and would give it more if possible. Pope Pius XII had many Jewish friends, and did much to help save the lives of many Jews before and during the Holocaust. The fact that many have chosen to slander this saintly man's name is a sign of the devil's work.
   
   The cause for beatification of Pope Pius XII took an important step forward on May 8, 2007 when the Congregation for the Causes of Saints voted to approve a decree that the life of the late Pontiff showed "heroic virtue." Although I am sure he is a saint in heaven, hopefully it won't be long before he is declared a saint by the Church.
   
   I highly recommend this book to everyone who is interested in the true story of Pius XII. It is a true historical account of the evil of Hitler and the Nazis. Also, chapter 6 includes a great deal of very interesting information about Muslims and their anti-Semitic beliefs and teachings.



4. Call me obtuse if you want. I just can't think of any way of reviewing this without sounding preachy, or as some loving people say: as a bloody Catholic fundamentalist.
   
   My review is simply this: you hate this Pope in particular or Catholicism in general? Then by all means, go buy and read the Harry Potter series. After having read 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I can safely say that Harry Potter is a veritable classic of universal literature. Yes, I used the word 'classic', as in worthy of studying in class - as in school, universities, etc. And and I used 'universal' as in that EVERYONE should read those books.
   
   To those people I prefer to recommend Harry Potter because this book is basically a well-documented book defending the REAL PRO-semitic actions of this late Pope, as well as the historical significance and repercussions, including of course, all the false accusations laid on against him and the reasons behind those. And to top it all off, is written by a jewish Rabbi. So you either take this as it is, or you simply will risk high-pressure problems.
   
   Harry Potter on the other hand is safe, superbly written adventure, and with a real profound study of human nature.
   
   So, off you go then!



5. We are getting to the place where anti-Catholic bigotry is one of the few forms of group hatred that is still OK. In a society where any other form of bigotry, or even a suspcious of the same, is viewed with implacable oppositon, it is still pretty much OK to spread the grossest lies and distortions of the Church and its long, complex historical record. In the same way that the only fact most recently educated students know about World War II was that the evil Americans interned innocent Japanese civilians, the only fact which most people know about the Church is a grossly exagerrated and distorted view of the Spanish Inquisition.
   
   In this context, it is possible for most absurd lies to get a great deal of traction. Many people, particularly Jews, believe that the Pope during World War II, Pius XII, actively supported Hitler. They think he was a buddy of Hitler's and helped to round up Jews for the gas chambers. Most Americans find nothing implausible in this story, so, since a few lunatic writers have put it out there, they believe it.
   
   This story is, and always has been, an absurd, malicious lie with absolutely nothing behind it but hatred of the Church. Pius XII was always a determined opponent of Hitler. The Church, as an organization -- and the Pope heads the Church -- saved more Jews from the Holaucaust than any other single institution. At a time when every one was sitting on their hands, or looking the other way, the Church acted. Jews at the time, and in the State of Israel, understood that the Church was one of their only friends in ths time of great horror. To turn this record around, and to argue that the Pope was a friend of Hitler's, has as much validity and legitimacy as those who deny that the Holaucaust (but hope that it will happen again), argue that Bush and Mossad were behind 9/11 and who otherwise wear tinfoil on their head while reading the National Inquirer.
   
   That said, it was very helpful that David Dalin wrote this book, because he is a Jewish Rabbi. By its nature, this kind of defense is best done when it is not a Catholic doing it, but a Jew. It is very hard to accuse a rabbi of being biased in favor of the Church or indifferent to the fate of the Jews. It is very good to see people like Rabbi Dalin reach across religious lines, purely and simply to uphold the truth. It makes me think that, maybe despite everything, there is some chance that people of good will really can unite against those who want to use lies to tear down everything that is good and decent in the world.

5 comments about Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books.

1. 
   The best book I have read in a while. A must read. Dont waist time reading this review, just get it and read it. Enjoy. I did!



2. This desire to hang on to history and heritage is noble and necessary. Bravo to the author and his colleagues. There are things that can be expressed in Yiddish, that when translated, need twice as many English words to convey their meaning. Unfortunately, this book is incorrectly marketed as an adventure---we expect to encounter Indiana Jones! With so much built up anticipation, the reader is left with a "hmmm" instead of a "WOW!" at the end.



3. This book is the last present I bought my grandfather before he died. I walked into a small bookstore and the owner recommended it to me (you simply cannot get this kind of service from the major book chains). I must have read half the book in a day, before I sent it to him, and got to finish it only after he passed away.
   
   I'm glad I bought this book, he loved it and so did I.
   
   The book tells the story of a graduate student trying to rescue Yiddish books from elimination, and all the characters he meets along the way. The book is easy to read, funny, inspiring, well writing and a page turner. A story of how one man's passion triumph over the odds.



4. Seller sent book in excellent shape and the story is a great read on preserving history.



5. This is an interesting personal story about a guy doing something everyone else thought was stupid. It would have been a great 30-page essay for the Web, but in the world of commercial publishing a story needs to fit into a 5-page magazine article or be padded out to fill a 300-page book. This, then, is the padded version.
   
   If you read between the lines of the padded version, what you learn is that this guy got books for free from people anxious to clear out their basements. Then he got Steven Spielberg to pay for the books to be digitized and got some other rich folks to give him $7 million so that he could build himself a nice office in central Massachusetts. Now he sells hardcopy reprints of these books, whose authors and publishers have all died, for $53 per copy from his Web site. It is an inspiring story of entrepreneurship perhaps, but given the digital copies and his non-profit organization's mission statement to distribute this material widely, one would rather have expected to see these books available for viewing/searching online.

5 comments about Things We Couldn't Say.

1. I bought this book at the American Book Center in The Hague, Netherlands, a few years ago. As I knew many of the places mentioned in the book, it took on an even deeper meaning for me. I love this book, and I list Diet Eman and Hein Sietsma as heroes. Definitely 5+ stars!



2. The true story of true Christians, and Dutch patriots, Diet Eman and Hein Sietsma, and their courageous risk of everything to resist Nazi tyranny and hide thousands of Dutch Jews.
   True Christians always love the Jewish people and Israel, and true nationalists are opposed to both Communism and Nazism, both the antithesis of national self-determination.
   Diet recounts her own life, and experiences and what she saw and heard, as well as her deep faith in G-D, that guided her in all she did and thought.
   Diet recounts her experiences in Scheveningen prison, where she describes how Jewish families, who were caught in hiding, were hauled into the prison, mothers, fathers and children: 'On the nights the guards brought Jews in, we always heard the children crying all through that place. It was bad enough for us to have to suffer through a place, like Scheveningen, but it was terrible to hear those poor innocent children crying.'
   It is up to true Christians and righteous gentiles to stand by the State of Israel today, in the struggle for her survival and that of her children, against the monstrous Islamic-extreme leftist hate machine.



3. Excellent book. The book is fast paced, exciting and touching.
   
   The risks and sacrifices that the author and her fiance went through for their beliefs and for unkwown people amazed and inspired me. Highly recommended.



4. The account of the author and her experiences fighting the German occupation of Holland during WWII is harrowing. It is hard to imagine that any human being can display so mush courage at such a young age.



5. I have read more than 75 books of this genre depicting this period of history. "What would I have done under the same circumstances?" That is the question I am always asking of myself whilst reading these stories. This is the story of a group of people with the courage of their convictions...Diet's story is inspiring and touching. It illustrates perfectly that the power of prayer is undeniable and when 'all one can do is pray' one has done everything.

5 comments about Unchosen: The Hidden Lives of Hasidic Rebels.

1. Unchosen is interesting, just because it takes on a subject no one else has thought of, but the author doesn't actually come to a conclusion. The writing is good enough, and what she writes is interesting, but she leaves out any sort of analysis. She stumbled upon a fascinating subject, but she didn't do anyting with it. All she does is record the stories of half a dozen rebels and then drop it. She can't even say the extent of the phenomenon, because of course there's no way to find that out. So there's not much to get out of this, besides encouragement to doante to Footsteps, a charity organization she profiles. It was interesting, and worth reading I guess, but I was pretty let down at how little she did with the material. She didn't write any of her own ideas.
   
   For something better, I reccomend "Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers" by Stephanie Levine. She interviews and analyzes Lubavitch girls, and comes up with some fascinating insights. And she includes some "rebels" in the girls she profiles, and I think does it a lot better.
   
   And by the way, all you idiots out there saying Unchosen is just an excuse to critisize Judaism, she says like ten times that of course this isn't how most people feel about the religion, and even the rebels she interviews have things they loved about it. And I'm Orthodox Jewish, and I didn't think it was biased at all. So there.



2. I can't say that I enjoyed this book but I learned a lot about Hasidics and their religious practices. I would recommend this book to people who want to learn about religions other than their own.



3. I am a secular Jew with a great fascination and respect for Lubavitchers, and have read most of the available books on them, which I have found to be thoughtful, deep and illuminating, as well as honest. Hella Winston's book is the exception. The author seems not up to par in either intelligence, honesty or in an open-minded and respectful attitude towards the sub-culture she is supposedly researching as a sociology grad student.
   
   I can especially recommend "Mystics, Mavericks and Merrymakers." (which also includes rebels, depite Hella's claim that she is the only author who has dared to do so.)
   
   It is hard to believe she is an academic or earned a Phd, except that the liberal academic world is so bigoted about religious people that shoddy and superficial work like this was probably given a pass because it is so blatantly hostile to pious Jews.
   
   One small example shows the undercurrent of hostility that distorts the entire book. Winston describes the apartment of a Satmar grandmother "whose walls boast several innocuous paintings of flowers (no graven images here)." Why is the author mocking one of the ten commandments? Why the sarcasm? Why the nastiness? Is this a serious or respectful way to discuss another culture and religion? No graven images here? It seems floral paintings don't meet Hella's standards for Jewish culture, as she explains in the introduciton, "it was still hard for me to fathom that there really could be Jewish peoplelllwho actually believed that viewiing art...could be a bad, even dangerous thing....Didn't Jews ...pride themselves on producing and consuming culture?" As an ex-Peace Corps volunteer, I have troulbe with her difficulty in fathoming that different Jewish sub-cultures are actually...well, different. And that being a New York culture-vulture is actually not central to 4,000 years of Jewish identity. Isn't she weird?
   
   I also found winston less than honest. For example, she stresses the idea that the Hasidim are so strict because their rebbes planted the idea that if they fall away from strict observance, the holocaust could happen again. I will pass over how disrespectful this theory is, as if only fear of mass murder would make Jews observant...it is also dishonest, because she knows, but does not explain that the last Lubavitcher Rebbe taught that blaming Jews for the Holocaust was wrong. Instead she relegates his views to a footnote and disguises his strong stand against blaming Jews to a bland "we cannot know the reasons for the Holocaust."
   
   I also wonder how honest she is about her own motives for doing this research and her own Jewish identity. In the introduction she has a dishonest and superficial discussion of the attitudes of non-Jews to the Hasidim. She lists "a kind of admiration' (it would be too positive for Winton to say simply that some Jews have admiration)... for an "authentic" Judaism (her quotes - yet another example of her palpable hostility - she can't even allow the word authentic when describing Jews who admire Chasids' religious practices). Second attitude of other Jews: 'romantic longing'. Third, that Hasids are primitive, backward, dirty. Lastly, anti-Zionist.
   
   This list of other Jews' attitudes towards observant Jews leaves out any discussion of the truly vehement and irrational dislike of pious Jews by many secular and reform Jews who are threatened by Jews who remain 100% Jewish and are not trying to conform to and please and placate the majority culture. HOstility based on the pervasive fear of assimilated Jews of appearing 'too Jewish.' A fear that has been widely discussed in the sociological and historical literature, for example, in pre-war Germany. A fear and hostility towards Jews who are 'too Jewish' that perhaps our author shares.
   
   The most shocking part of the book was the conclusion, which again leaves the scope of her research and any pretentions at academic objectivity. She expresses revulsion at a culture that demands conformity and depends on shame, fear and ejecting rebels ... as if there is any traditional society on earth that does not require conformity, and enforce it by these universal cultural measures. Is she really this ignorant about cultures?
   
   The shocking part is that she then "concludes" ( my quotes - I suspect it was her initial motive to arrive at this conclusion, as it seems more like a held belief than a finding), she "concludes" that there is "a fundamental weakness in the belief system itself" and predicts "something might have to change sometime soon", quoting predictions of "the demise of these communities" because "so many" "are forced" out. (she makes no attempt to give us a number of her 'unchosen', but the only existing support group has a mere 200 members!)
   
   Leaving one more glaring dishonesty in this book - her total silence on the huge demographic success of the Chasidim. One reason many secular Jews who care about Jewish continuity love the Chasidim is that they - along with the Modern Orthodox - are the only Jews who will exist in America by the nextcentury, according to the juggernaut population trends which show a rush to self-extinction by the other Jewish 'sects' (her term for chasidic groups)who base their Judaism on what fits into the mainstream culture.
   
   The 2000 population study projects that for every 100 Yeshiva/Hasidic Orthodox Jews today, there will be 3,400 great-grandchildren. for 100 Reform Jews today, there will be 10 Jewish great-grandchildren. For 100 secular Jews today, there will be 7 Jewish great-grandchildren. These figures are well known and have resulted in heroic actions by non-observant Jews to try and reverse this death knell. And here is Hella, pretending it is the Chasidim who are in trouble.



4. the very definition of hearsay is: "unverified, unofficial information gained or acquired from another and not part of one's direct knowledge".
   
   that definition sums up this book to a "t". i suggest not wasting your time.



5. I recommend not purchasing this book. Although the topic is good, the author does not know how to write or even reason. The book is about how some Hasidic jews do not like the prasctices of Hasidism. The author, who comes from a very Jewishly non-observant fammily, feels revolted by Hasidic culture and simply dismisses it. There is hardly a word about Hasidim who like their life, who have loving and warm families, and who enjoy their religion. Of course the authors interest is in the folks growing up Hasidic who later leave that way of life, sometimes even the religion entirely, which is a fine topic if she had touched even foir a moment on the positive aspects. The other problem with the book is writing or reasoning skills. As a reader I do not want an endless supply of trivial details about what Hasidic jews drink or shop for. I want an author who comes up with an interesting especially non-obvious insight, and shares that with the reader perhaps supplementing with an anecdote or two. Instead this book focuses obsessivbely on trivial details of some Hasidic Jews with no conclusions or insights. One story was about a guy who like "Long Isl;and tea", leaves his New York city home to travel by bus to Boston, does not know what to do once he gets there, so ....he heads back to New York. All this story, in mind-numbing detail, takes up pages and pages of text. So what? What was the point? Could the pint be made in fewer words? Reading this book is like sitting in a loud bar or at a chili cook-off with someone who wants to tell you every last detail of their hernia operation. Oy vey!

3 comments about Who Was Anne Frank? (Who Was...?).

1. Anyone who is familiar with the Who Was Series would sincerely appreciate this text. This series provides biographies on dozens of famous people, but it is written for children ages 9-12. The pages include a short amount of text and usually a sketch to accompany it. This is a quick read and provides accurate information; however, it is appropriate for the age group. The author definitely took into account the maturity level of the reader, which is appreciated. The character of Anne Frank is written so that the reader feels as though they would know her and can easily relate to some of her life's struggles. I am anxious for the next addition to this phenomenal series. A must for any classroom teacher!



2. I highly recommend this series as a wonderful way of introducing your 3rd or 4th grade child to the world of biographies. There are many personal elements shared that go beyond what the person is primarily remembered for. A must for any upper elementary teacher's classroom library!



3. Great subject for a children book. I got this series of books for my daughter and she really enjoyes reading them. Great read and educational too.