Boychiks in the Hood: Travels in the Hasidic Underground – An Unforgettable Exploration of Global Jewish Culture and Flourishing Tradition
by Robert Eisenberg
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.