Interesting. Every time I started thinking about what it would be like to become ba'al teshuvah, though, I had to remind myself that the only reason they were willing to talk to Robert Eisenberg was because he's a man. They wouldn't give me the time of day even if I spoke Yiddish.

It was encouraging to read about all these kids growing up speaking Yiddish, when I was always taught that it was a dying language.

It gives one a sense of what it's like to be a liberal Christian who has to deal with being linked to conservative evangelicals. 'They're crazies, I couldn't disagree with them more, but... they're our crazies.'

I would like to say something more coherent about this book, but my thoughts about it all are still in a state of disarray and likely to remain so for a while. ( )

This sounded so promising. Robert Eisenberg had a great in with the various Hasidic and Orthodox groups being fluent in Yiddish. Unfortunately it seemed that he only spent a week or two with each group. Not enough to make an emotional connection or to really get to know the people. This ended up being just a very cursory overview of a number of groups. I realize that this was written some time ago so some things were dated. I wonder where some of these folks are now?

I was puzzled when he was in Poland and visited a town with only two remaining Jewish men. How did they form a minyan? Did that not matter to them? Did they go somewhere else to have the right number of people to pray? It wasn't mentioned at all. It seemed like it should have come up as a difficulty in being so isolated.

I finished it, but I was disappointed. ( )

Very informative book about the different sects of the Hasidic movement, and how each group believes they are more religious than the other groups. Quite funny and well written. ( )

I enjoyed this book -- from its origins in my backyard to other, non-traditional Jewish neighborhoods. I like how he managed to fit in - even though he was an outsider. Met some really great people and tried to stay away from stereotypes. ( )

An interesting glimpse into the Hasidic world, but they were a little too shallow. I wanted a more in-depth look, which you're really not going to get in a book of essays, so perhaps I was expecting too much. But it was well written and engaging.