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jonid's review
3.0
Published in 2005, I’m afraid it’s a bit of a dated read now, but still interesting to read how famous personalities in the arts, literature, law, business, politics, medicine, the media, (etc) feel about being Jewish. The connection they all have is their Jewish heritage, and there are vast differences in how critical, influential, and important being Jewish is in their lives. Some are Jews by label/genetic makeup only and some are highly devout - but all speak to the burdens and the pride that come with the label of identification. Many experiences and thoughts mirror my own - I frequently felt that my story showed up in these pages. How Judaism (whether religious or cultural) shows up in your daily life is an interesting discussion topic.
jamiebethreads's review
5.0
“I feel like I’m not comfortable with a lot of organized structure. I like to subscribe to the positive things that make me spiritually a good human being, a caring, understanding, altruistic person. I defend and protect my roots, my family, and my friends. And in so being, I feel like I am a good Jew.” -Fran Drescher
This was such a clever concept for a book. The author asked meaningful questions that elicited insightful responses from each interview subject, and it was intriguing to hear from a range of notable Jewish figures in so many fields. Though I found myself disagreeing with certain individual beliefs presented, I feel strongly that the Jewish spectrum is a wide and fluid one and I think that the 50+ interviewees represented that. It would be so interesting to have a follow up book now (as this book was published in 2005) in order to see what has changed and what has remained the same regarding public figures and their perception of/relationship to Judaism today.
My highlights of the book:
•Nora Ephron
•Joan Rivers
•Aaron Brown
•Fran Drescher
•Sarah Jessica Parker
•Ruth Bader Ginsburg
•Natalie Portman
•Steven Spielberg
•Alan and Marilyn Bergman
•Wendy Wasserstein
•Neil Simon
•Diane von Furstenburg
This was such a clever concept for a book. The author asked meaningful questions that elicited insightful responses from each interview subject, and it was intriguing to hear from a range of notable Jewish figures in so many fields. Though I found myself disagreeing with certain individual beliefs presented, I feel strongly that the Jewish spectrum is a wide and fluid one and I think that the 50+ interviewees represented that. It would be so interesting to have a follow up book now (as this book was published in 2005) in order to see what has changed and what has remained the same regarding public figures and their perception of/relationship to Judaism today.
My highlights of the book:
•Nora Ephron
•Joan Rivers
•Aaron Brown
•Fran Drescher
•Sarah Jessica Parker
•Ruth Bader Ginsburg
•Natalie Portman
•Steven Spielberg
•Alan and Marilyn Bergman
•Wendy Wasserstein
•Neil Simon
•Diane von Furstenburg
More...