I feel like my reading slump is finally over, thank goodness. It happens every now and then, and I'm always so relieved when my reading mojo fires up again. Of course, that usually means I want to read ALL THE THINGS, with no time to read them all, soooooooo....
Anyway, here's what I read in December 2018.
1. Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs, and Rituals- George Robinson
Oof, this is a hefty tome! To be honest, it's probably better left as a reference, but of course, fool that I am, I read it straight through. It's incredibly information-dense and delves deeply into a lot of heavy subjects- the sections on Talmud and mysticism were a bit beyond me, to be honest- but if you're wanting to learn more about Judaism (I enjoy learning about religion), this is definitely a book you should look into.
2. Between Gods: A Memoir- Alison Pick
Pick wasn't an adult until she learned her father was Jewish, and most of that side of the family had perished in the concentration camps of World War II. As she learned more, Judaism, which is a matrilineal religion, struck a chord with her, and she became interested in conversion in order to reclaim her heritage and take her place where her soul felt at home. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite that easy for her to convert, and this memoir covers her journey through that, along with her struggles with depression.
This was really lovely, and her frustration comes through on the page very well. She's Canadian, and Canadian Reform congregations are a little stricter in terms of conversion than American ones (which I hadn't known until I read this). I deeply enjoyed following the ups and downs of her story, and shared in her joy when she finally came home to where she needed to be.
3. Semitism: Being Jewish in the Age of Trump- Jonathan Weisman
Written before the murders at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pennsylvania, Weisman writes about the uptick in anti-Semitism during and after the 2016 elections. He vacillates from "It's bad" to "It's not that bad," and honestly, I'd like to see this updated, now that it's obvious that it really is that bad (I attended an interfaith memorial service at the local synagogue where family of the two brothers who were murdered attends. It was moving and heartwrenching). A Jewish friend of mine wrote in her review, "Overall, it felt a little rushed and shallow," and I agree with her.
4. Uncovered: How I Left Hasidic Life and Finally Came Home- Leah Lax
Oh my goodness, this was fascinating. Leah Lax grew up mostly secular and became Hasidic (ultra-Orthodox) at 16, got married a few years later to a man who was basically a stranger, and raised seven children in this lifestyle. And at some point, it was no longer a good fit, and Lax struggled to break free from the bonds she willingly wrapped around herself.
There's a lot to digest here. Lax is attracted to women, but brushes this off early on in order to try to be the person she thinks God wants her to be. Motherhood is wonderful and restrictive, amazing and mentally and physically exhausting, there's never enough time, enough money, enough attention, enough of her (which is a common complaint, I think, for many mothers, but in Hasidic life, the demands and stakes are even higher). She writes in secret, she goes back to school, she cares for her husband when he's diagnosed with cancer... I'm amazed that Lax lasted as long in a Hasidic lifestyle as she did; pretending to be something you're not and trying to squeeze yourself into a mold that doesn't quite fit can be soul-crushing, but Lax managed to come out on the other side seemingly okay, and her writing is beautiful.
5. My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew- Abigail Pogrebin
I loved this! Pogrebin decided that she needed to learn more about the holidays and threw herself into a year of observing every holiday. She studied, she learned, she attended a zillion different shuls of all levels of observance, she interviewed rabbi after rabbi after rabbi. And on the way, she came to appreciate a lot of different things about her faith (although she seemed as baffled by the counting of the Omer as I am, which made me feel better!). I very much appreciated her honesty and sense of wonder as she traversed the Jewish year, and I quite enjoyed every chapter of this book.
6. Once You Go In: A Memoir of Radical Faith- Carly Gelsinger
LOVED THIS.
Despite not growing up in a family who regularly attended church, Gelsinger joined a Pentecostal church as a teenager, in what seemed like a combination of a need to connect with God and fit into some sort of a group, but fitting in wasn't easy. The youth group was cliquish, and Gelsinger had a hard time connecting to the normal (for this church) practices of speaking in tongues and sobbing and crying on the church floor during services. She persevered, however, another example of working hard to squeeze herself into a mold not entirely shaped for her. It nearly broke her, and after her life crumbles when a wildfire destroys her house, the bottom begins to drop out and Gelsinger lets herself finds the faith that truly speaks to her heart.
Awesome, awesome book.
7. This Is Not A Love Story: A Memoir- Judy Brown
Brown (author of the phenomenal Hush, under the pen name Eishes Chayil) grew up in a Hasidic family in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, with a brother no one understood. He was 'crazy,' they said, because that was the only word they had to describe his behavior. Today, we would easily recognize his behavior as severe autism, but back then, it wasn't as widely recognized, and the entire family struggled and suffered under the strain of trying to live with a boy no one knew how to help.
This is an emotional read. Brown, as a child, is under extreme stress (at age ten, she's already deeply concerned about her marriage prospects because of her brother's condition, a not-unfounded fear if you know anything about Hasidic matchmaking traditions, and she worries that whatever is wrong with her brother is contagious), and her behavior toward her brother is pretty terrible- not her fault, no one knew what was going on, but it's occasionally tough to read. Her brother is sent away for the second time to relatives in Israel and finally receives a diagnosis of autism in 1993, and it's then that his life begins to change. Brown meets up with him after several years of intensive schooling, and he's improved so much that she's finally able to get to know him and stand in awe of who he is as a person.
Truly a fascinating, emotional story.
Morantz is a lawyer whose
career has been dedicated to working against cults and abusive psychotherapists.
Among the groups he's litigated against have been Jim Jones and the People's
Temple (of the famed Jonestown), Synanon, Rajneeshpuram, the Moonies, est, and
Scientology. Members from Synanon made an attempt on his life by placing a
derattled rattlesnake in his mailbox (fortunately, he made it to the hospital
in time, although he had to stay there about a week). Truly a fascinating life
and career, although maybe a little too fraught with danger and drama for my
tastes!
I liked this but didn't love it; the writing style felt a bit
scattered to me, and a lot of the end chapter could have been cleaned up a
little more, but overall it was worth the read.
May your New Year be wonderful and full of epic reads! Happy New Year to you all! :)
Wow these all sound great!
ReplyDeleteThey were! :)
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