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Books of the People of the Book
Jun. 21st, 2013 12:59 pmMy commute reading consists largely of paperback mysteries, but there are assorted other things thrown in. Sometimes I am even home for long enough to read something there. The past few months have included several books of Jewish interest and I thought I’d write briefly about those.
Sue Fishkoff, Kosher Nation: Why More and More of America’s Food Answers to a Higher Authority. This was a fascinating look at the kosher food industry. Fishkoff covers a very wide range of topics, even addressing things like the people who make blades for knives used for shechita (ritual slaughter). The history of the industrialization of kashrut oversight is fascinating, as is the growth in purchase of hecshered foods by non-Jews. There are also plenty of debates and scandals to make for juicy reading. The style is accessible and conversational. I’d put this high on a list of recommended reading for anyone with an interest in Jewish food and/or culture.
Deborah Feldman, Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of my Hasidic Roots. You’ve probably heard of this book, since it’s been on various best-seller lists. It’s been portrayed as something of an expose of the Satmar community by a member who escaped. I don’t think that’s accurate. Feldman can only write about her own experience and, certainly, her Satmar upbringing plays a major role in that. But there is obviously other family dysfunction involved too, starting with a father who was a clearly incapable of adult life (mentally ill or just intellectually disabled? It's hard to tell.) There are hints about her absent mother (notably in a reference to a movie about gay Orthodox Jews) but just hints. For example, the most shocking part of the book has to do with the lack of sex education and its consequences for her marriage. Understanding her mother’s absence might help here. Overall, the biggest problem I had was that Feldman is just too young and too close to the events to have really processed them into compelling narrative. There’s some interesting material but it isn’t pulled together into anything beyond bibliotherapy.
Franklin Foer and Marc Tracy (editors), Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame. Many of you already know about my obsession with Jewish baseball players (e.g. my mixed feelings about Jarod Saltalamacchia’s success since that is keeping Ryan Lavarnway from catching more often for the Red Sox) so it’s no surprise that I read this book with interest. Of course there are pieces about Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax (but not the third Jew in the Hall of Fame, Lou Boudreau). But there’s also Mose Solomon ("the rabbi of swat") and Al Rosen and Bud Selig. And there are a lot of other sports. From a Brooklyn boy who became a bullfighter in Mexico to the Israeli athletes massacred at the Munich Olympics to the inventor of fantasy leagues to a competitive eater, the wide range of essays was particularly striking. There are even pieces on Renee Richards and Bobby Fischer and on various people in the business world of sports (e.g. gambler Arnold Rothstein). Of course, as in any collection of essays, some are much better written than others. There were enough enjoyable ones that I feel comfortable recommending the book.
Barry Deutsch, Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite. Everyone’s favorite troll-fighting 11-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl is back in another graphic novel. I’ve mentioned before how much I loved the first book in this series. The second is just as delightful. For example, there is a panel on page 14 in which the troll explains about having many rare things. They include "unlosable marbles" and "white-out of despair" but also "One’s Own Time." That panel alone is worth the price of the book. The ending relies on some real pilpul (hairsplitting Talmudic reasoning). And there is knitting! Go out and get this book now (and the first one if you haven’t read it yet). I’ll wait.
Rochelle Majer Krich, Till Death Do Us Part. I’m rereading a bunch of old mysteries as I weed out my shelves and storage boxes. I’m mentioning this one as it deals with the problem of agunot, women whose husbands refuse to give them a get (Jewish divorce). The plot involves a woman whose recalcitrant husband is murdered and who realizes the killer must be one of the members of the support group for agunot her rabbi has put her in touch with. I thought the religious aspects of the story were handled both accurately and sensitively. The pacing is a bit slow, though. I’d say this book is worth picking up if you stumble upon a copy, but not necessarily an out of print book to search for actively.
Sue Fishkoff, Kosher Nation: Why More and More of America’s Food Answers to a Higher Authority. This was a fascinating look at the kosher food industry. Fishkoff covers a very wide range of topics, even addressing things like the people who make blades for knives used for shechita (ritual slaughter). The history of the industrialization of kashrut oversight is fascinating, as is the growth in purchase of hecshered foods by non-Jews. There are also plenty of debates and scandals to make for juicy reading. The style is accessible and conversational. I’d put this high on a list of recommended reading for anyone with an interest in Jewish food and/or culture.
Deborah Feldman, Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of my Hasidic Roots. You’ve probably heard of this book, since it’s been on various best-seller lists. It’s been portrayed as something of an expose of the Satmar community by a member who escaped. I don’t think that’s accurate. Feldman can only write about her own experience and, certainly, her Satmar upbringing plays a major role in that. But there is obviously other family dysfunction involved too, starting with a father who was a clearly incapable of adult life (mentally ill or just intellectually disabled? It's hard to tell.) There are hints about her absent mother (notably in a reference to a movie about gay Orthodox Jews) but just hints. For example, the most shocking part of the book has to do with the lack of sex education and its consequences for her marriage. Understanding her mother’s absence might help here. Overall, the biggest problem I had was that Feldman is just too young and too close to the events to have really processed them into compelling narrative. There’s some interesting material but it isn’t pulled together into anything beyond bibliotherapy.
Franklin Foer and Marc Tracy (editors), Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame. Many of you already know about my obsession with Jewish baseball players (e.g. my mixed feelings about Jarod Saltalamacchia’s success since that is keeping Ryan Lavarnway from catching more often for the Red Sox) so it’s no surprise that I read this book with interest. Of course there are pieces about Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax (but not the third Jew in the Hall of Fame, Lou Boudreau). But there’s also Mose Solomon ("the rabbi of swat") and Al Rosen and Bud Selig. And there are a lot of other sports. From a Brooklyn boy who became a bullfighter in Mexico to the Israeli athletes massacred at the Munich Olympics to the inventor of fantasy leagues to a competitive eater, the wide range of essays was particularly striking. There are even pieces on Renee Richards and Bobby Fischer and on various people in the business world of sports (e.g. gambler Arnold Rothstein). Of course, as in any collection of essays, some are much better written than others. There were enough enjoyable ones that I feel comfortable recommending the book.
Barry Deutsch, Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite. Everyone’s favorite troll-fighting 11-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl is back in another graphic novel. I’ve mentioned before how much I loved the first book in this series. The second is just as delightful. For example, there is a panel on page 14 in which the troll explains about having many rare things. They include "unlosable marbles" and "white-out of despair" but also "One’s Own Time." That panel alone is worth the price of the book. The ending relies on some real pilpul (hairsplitting Talmudic reasoning). And there is knitting! Go out and get this book now (and the first one if you haven’t read it yet). I’ll wait.
Rochelle Majer Krich, Till Death Do Us Part. I’m rereading a bunch of old mysteries as I weed out my shelves and storage boxes. I’m mentioning this one as it deals with the problem of agunot, women whose husbands refuse to give them a get (Jewish divorce). The plot involves a woman whose recalcitrant husband is murdered and who realizes the killer must be one of the members of the support group for agunot her rabbi has put her in touch with. I thought the religious aspects of the story were handled both accurately and sensitively. The pacing is a bit slow, though. I’d say this book is worth picking up if you stumble upon a copy, but not necessarily an out of print book to search for actively.
