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dougsasser's review
4.0
This was a Goodreads give away. The author grew up reading the Old Testament in Hebrew. She shares what it was like to explore many English translations of the Bible. Her family discusses the Bible with lively and intelligent talks at the dinner table. Throughout the book she gives a careful analysis of scripture passages. Mostly this is a personal memoir concerning how the Tanak has shaped her life.
kairakaira's review
4.0
A million years ago, Aviya was a teacher of mine — and still one of the reasons I’m a confident writer today. I hadn’t heard that name in ages and someone mentioned it at a reading I was at the other week— and then I saw this at the library & it felt like a sign to pick it up.
I would have never picked up this book and I’m so glad I did. Such an interesting topic and such a well paced book. I really enjoyed this and even if your godless like me but grammar obsessed — it’s for you.
I would have never picked up this book and I’m so glad I did. Such an interesting topic and such a well paced book. I really enjoyed this and even if your godless like me but grammar obsessed — it’s for you.
rpmiller's review
4.0
Pleasantly surprised by the personal nature of this book, the thoughts that came to my mind as I read were also personal; And yet the idea of understanding, even considering the limitations of communication, still produced an incredible feeling within me of ancient times, ancient thoughts, a world and culture that remain the same over the centuries. We are all connected as humans, across the globe, across time, forever linked. Most impressive, to me at least, was the description of Jewish debate about the meaning of every word, every phrase. That debate is how I read literature, it's what I remember about Jesus at twelve debating the elders, it's how we understand each other, both the living and those of the past. The debate is what is missing in Catholic dogma, in the evangelic experience. Debating ideas is how we refine our understanding, its how we express ourselves as individuals.
Don't be intimidated by the title, this is not a scholarly text on arcane topics of a religious nature. It's a book about the joy of exploring the mystery of thought.
Don't be intimidated by the title, this is not a scholarly text on arcane topics of a religious nature. It's a book about the joy of exploring the mystery of thought.
lizshayne's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Okay so I feel like I've been leaning into "nonfiction by women that strives for subjectivity" and this does not disappoint.
There's this weird thing where I am very much not the target audience (as, um, someone who knows Hebrew and spends a fair amount of time with Jewish texts) so it's what do I think of what she thinks non-Hebrew speakers see in Tanakh. Which is cool.
It's the memoir part that stands out to me, the texts in the contexts of growing up religious and the way they become part of one's life.
I also love a good literary analysis and this book does have a lot of those. You kind of have to love pilpul though.
There's this weird thing where I am very much not the target audience (as, um, someone who knows Hebrew and spends a fair amount of time with Jewish texts) so it's what do I think of what she thinks non-Hebrew speakers see in Tanakh. Which is cool.
It's the memoir part that stands out to me, the texts in the contexts of growing up religious and the way they become part of one's life.
I also love a good literary analysis and this book does have a lot of those. You kind of have to love pilpul though.
robinrobin720's review
5.0
I love this book. I listened to the audio book, but I just may buy the paper version for rereading.