The Big Jewish Book for Jews

As the title suggests, this book brings together a confused blend of humor, history, and self-help--with emphasis on the humor. At one moment insightful and at the next inciting and bordering on offensive, this guide covers everything from biblical, theological, and ritual themes to discussions on the importance of pickles and how to pack for a trip to Florida. In its print form, this might be a fun book to flip through for a giggle. But thanks to the animated readings of the authors, it's a thoroughly engaging and entertaining book. The additional voices of Lorna Raver and Yuri Rasovsky provide dialogue, examples, and aural illustrations, resulting in an irreverently instructive look at Jews, Judaism, and Jewish culture. S.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

September 6, 2010
Successful humorists Weiner and Davilman (Yiddish with Dick and Jane) deliver a new volume in which they outline the basics of being "really Jewish." They explain that within American society, Jewish traditions are either vanishing or evolving into popular culture. From clothing, to names, to sayings, the public at large is adopting elements of Jewish identity historically limited only to Jews which, in the view of the authors, is having an impact on the meaning of sacred traditions and practices. As an alternative to the growing trend, the authors school today's Jewish youth in embracing their heritage with detailed lessons in cooking far too much food for gatherings, delivering back-handed compliments, and many other "Jewish" traditions. With a heavy dose of sarcasm and practical charts and guides on a range of topics (how to use the Bible to tell if your wife is unfaithful; how to be passive-aggressive; how to not accept the first table you're shown at a restaurant), this treatise manages to be both hilarious and sincere.