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222poohbear's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
deanna_rigney's review against another edition
4.0
"My family and me are like oil and water, if oil made water depressed and angry and want to kill itself..." This is the memoir of a man brought up in a dysfunctional Orthodox Jewish family from which he begins to rebel against at an early age. It is funny, angry, totally irreverent, and an interesting look at the damage extreme religious custom and perception can have on the psyche of both a family and the individual.
slow_spines's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
3.5
Shalom Auslander is a very reluctant theist. He is a man at war with God, determined to win or die trying. Foreskins Lament is a puffed up account of his life, charting his youth as an orthodox Jew to his adulthood as a begrudging, reluctant Jew. And it is frequently hilarious.
Auslander is an excellent writer, he is clearly comfortable with language and its rules and employs a range of grammatical devices to make situations pop. The narrative itself is script-like, roving around like a directors lens. The dialogue is fun and profane, and though many of the characters come and go, they are given substance through their recurring needs and actions. Theyre broken records playing the same suffocating tune: obey, repent, observe.
The overriding message is that an angry God begets angry followers, and no one is angrier than Auslander. Angry at his angry family. Angry at the absurdity of being orthodox in the face of life's inherent absurdity. Angry at the God who seemingly controls every aspect of his life - a God who either fucks with him, or, permits good things to happen so that he can fuck him harder down the line. Angry at himself for not being able to shake this paradoxical belief and properly free himself.
This doesn't reach the same heights as Auslanders later works (Hope is the funniest novel I've read, and more thoughtful too), but it is perhaps unfair to compare an older novel with its younger sibling. Absolutely worth a read if you're looking for something light and profane. And with a title like this, a perfect read for the train.
Auslander is an excellent writer, he is clearly comfortable with language and its rules and employs a range of grammatical devices to make situations pop. The narrative itself is script-like, roving around like a directors lens. The dialogue is fun and profane, and though many of the characters come and go, they are given substance through their recurring needs and actions. Theyre broken records playing the same suffocating tune: obey, repent, observe.
The overriding message is that an angry God begets angry followers, and no one is angrier than Auslander. Angry at his angry family. Angry at the absurdity of being orthodox in the face of life's inherent absurdity. Angry at the God who seemingly controls every aspect of his life - a God who either fucks with him, or, permits good things to happen so that he can fuck him harder down the line. Angry at himself for not being able to shake this paradoxical belief and properly free himself.
This doesn't reach the same heights as Auslanders later works (Hope is the funniest novel I've read, and more thoughtful too), but it is perhaps unfair to compare an older novel with its younger sibling. Absolutely worth a read if you're looking for something light and profane. And with a title like this, a perfect read for the train.
alexiscrocker's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
This memoir is deeply reflective and hyper aware of the choke hold religion has on even its most unwilling participants… it also makes you blow snot bubbles snort-laughing at the absurd (but true and wholly relatable) inner monologue of a man who asks only the most reasonable questions and comes to only the most logical of conclusions.
mikewa14's review against another edition
4.0
amusing memoir - full review here
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/foreskins-lament-shalom-auslander.html
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/foreskins-lament-shalom-auslander.html
lavoiture's review against another edition
4.0
I'd give this 4.5 stars. It was hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time, and it really made me hate religion. I would laugh out loud at some point and then be close to tears. And it wasn't all about foreskin--I thought it was about how Shalom Auslander wanted his foreskin back or something. I suppose it kind of was about that, but it really was a memoir of Shalom's life growing up as an Orthodox Jew in New York. Very good book!