Reviews

Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman

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barnesbookshelf's review against another edition

4.0

This is another book that I would love a sequel to. Its been over 10 years since originally published, and I would love to know what Feldman's journey has looked like in those years.

I found this book triggered a lot of emotional responses from me. Frequently I got angry about the misogynistic abuses Feldman endured. I had to keep reminding myself that it was a different time and different culture, but I still struggled. Part of the reason I was eager to keep reading was because I knew she escaped the toxic environment she had grown up in. When she finally left, I felt her joy at freedom. I hope she is doing well.

vespertillio's review against another edition

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2.0

I often really enjoy memoirs but this one did nothing for me. At times I felt like I was reading fiction and I felt no connection to her story as if it was really HER story.

nyquilsquirrel's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

wanderingmole's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was an extraordinary insight into a particular community. It offered decadent detail into a foreign way of life, all the while highlighting issues of power, fear-based rule-making, freedom, agency, self-expression, and generational trauma which, evidently, transcend far beyond the Hacidic community.