A review by abbywdan
Foreskin's Lament by Shalom Auslander

3.0

I read this book at my parents' house in December when I was home for the holidays. My parents' house is not a fortress of great Jewry or anything, but Home With Family is certainly a Jewier place to be than, say, Apartment With Roommates (though not necessarily Aboard the 2/3 With Hasids from Brooklyn).

As noted by one of the fine ladies at Jezebel, reading [book: Foreskin's Lament] felt much like reading [book: A Million Little Pieces], which is to say... rapturously confessional, a bit too showy. [Author: Auslander], whose work I always enjoy on This American Life, clearly had a difficult, if not impossible, youth, and clearly has some ongoing anger. He has a lot to get out, so thank goodness for creative outlets. I'm just not sure this qualifies as a memoir. To me, it's more of a confession, a shoving-off, of his past actions and thoughts. It made me curious to know more about the author TODAY, which I guess means I will buy more of his books as they come, which I guess is a success on his part. Hm.