Melvin S. Marsh

There was a lot that troubled me about this book, not the least of which is that it doesn't speak at all to what the Jewish religion actually believes. That is, at no point does the author tell you anything about what theological ideas one must accept in order to become a Jew - rather, the entire emphasis is on process and ritual and all the rules one must keep to live as a Jew. This present Judaism as a lifestyle rather than a religion, and it leaves the reader wondering whether the author has any affinity for G-d at all. That's sad.

The author also assumes a fairly extensive knowledge of Judaism from the reader right from the start. The author throws around Jewish terms as if they are common and well-known, and for someone who picks this book up and thinks it's a how-to guide (as it promotes itself), that reader may be lost right from the start. Yes, there is a glossary in the back, but the average reader isn't going to bother; they are going to be turned off by the use of insider language they don't understand and assume that conversion is not for them. (Perhaps this is part of that "turning away of converts" the author speaks so much of, which the author has taken upon themselves in this writing.)

On a personal level, I'm not particularly convinced of the author's own conversion, but I suppose that is neither here nor there (and certainly not mine to judge, but it is important when discussing how readers might approach the book). The author is not shy about all of the labels they accept on their own life...not only accept, but perhaps demand...and religious affiliation seems to be just one of a hundred other things the author has determined to change about themself since birth. So the question is - can you truly decide everything about yourself and create an entire being based on mere preference? It's an interesting discussion.

Finally, this book was not proofread. Not in the slightest. The grammatical, spelling, and structural errors throughout are telltale signs that the author didn't even read their own work before publishing. And, as one of my former professors used to say, if you didn't read your own work, what makes you think I'd be interested in reading it? These are very basic errors that would have been caught, many even by automatic grammatical or spelling tools. They simply have not been addressed. So I will just say - this book was not ready for publication. Period.… (meer)

Leaving Bacon Behind is a wonderful reference book for those seeking more information about studying Judaism, including those who are considering becoming Jews by Choice. The information is detailed and well organized, stretching across all the different branches of Judaism, pros and cons of converting in each sub-sect, and in particular, the challenges for the LGBT community, to which the author belongs.

Melvin had many physical and psychological challenges to his conversion. Often, I find that personal anecdotes hamper a good reference book, but in this case, the personal life choices and conversion stories enhance the meanings of the processes.

How long can conversion take? How difficult is the process? How expensive is it to become a Jew by Choice, or a more observant Jew by Birth? What do the holidays mean? How to go “rabbi shopping” and “shul shopping.” There’s a glossary of terms in the back that should be better highlighted throughout the text, but at least there is a glossary available. The footnotes are helpful, and the bibliography is made up of solid sources.

Although I was offered a free copy for review, I was unable to download it and get it onto my Kindle. I bought the book, so I am a paying customer. 5 Stars.… (meer)

An approachable overview of conversion to Judaism.
Marsh shares not only personal anecdotes but also valuable how-tos in converting. I picked up this book as a Christian who recognizes that the foundation of my faith is Judaism. It provided an interesting look at the religion. Some of the jewish words needed to be defined, but understandably they were used just like someone who is bilingual and speaking to someone who is keen to learn the language.
Delightful personal stories and insight into the relgion.… (meer)

I refuse to rate my own book for obvious reasons, but I did want to say why I wrote the book.

Myself and a lot of other JBCs would read other books (like Anita Diamant) and always come back with more questions because they use a lot of words but say very little. I read over a dozen conversion books. It seemed that most books on conversion simply all were middle to upper class, able bodied white women converting (usually but not always) for marriage. I never once read a book written by a man, someone who was disabled, or even by anyone who answered the questions that we had.

For a few years (until the "Jewish by Choice" Facebook group got taken over by a Messianic Jew who removed me and a friend as moderators), I was seeing the same questions appear over and over again. I started making a FAQ which eventually turned into 30+ pages and I joked that if it became any bigger, I would have enough to write a book... and.... I ended up getting more questions. So... here it is!

I hope it helps someone.… (meer)