The Skeptic and the Rabbi

October 15, 2017

As the introduction affirms, religious conversion is the start of a journey, not the happy-ever-after. Memoirist Gruen (Carpool Tunnel Syndrome: Motherhood as Shuttle Diplomacy), at the remove of 20 years, reflects upon her passage from ardent, liberal, Jewish feminist to embracing her role as a modern Orthodox Jewish wife and mother. Her folksy approach mimics a girlfriend relating the story of how she came to be who she is today, replete with plenty of anecdotes and asides as well as an abundance of exclamation points but less interiority or transition between events. For example, in Moscow, she goes from acknowledging outrage at Joseph Stalin's eradication of his own people to walking in the cool evening air, lightly asking, "How do people live in such an oppressive society?" While Gruen's ebullient positivity is a counterweight to religion-as-abuse memoirs, such as Deborah Feldman's Unorthodox, some additional editorial attention might have been paid to the prose to make it seem a little less overworked. VERDICT An uplifting spin on an often misunderstood life choice.--SC

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2017
Gruen grew up the daughter of religiously nonobservant Jews. She loved all her grandparents but preferred her humanist set to her conservative Jewish set because they exposed her to broader life experiences. As a young feminist, Gruen felt her ideals tested when she began dating a Jewish man who wanted to learn and practice Orthodox Judaism. Gruen was filled with doubts, particularly with regard to the role of women, but she kept an open mind. Over time, Gruen found beauty in some of the foremost aspects of female Orthodox life, such as the practice of covering one's hair and the mikveh, the ritual bath. She discovered that most non-Jews are far more supportive of her lifestyle than Jews who are not Orthodox. Readers will appreciate learning some of the reasons behind Jewish practices as well as understanding the differences between the three major branches of Judaism, Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. This is a rewarding book for both general readers and book groups.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)