How to Be a Mentsh (and Not a Shmuck)
Michael Wex
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
Bookshop.org has the highest-rated customer service of any bookstore in the world
Description
Sure to resonate with Jewish and Gentile readers alike, How to Be a Mentsh (and Not a Shmuck) is a wise and witty self-help manual for pursuing happiness while still acting with integrity, honor, and compassion. Michael Wex, New York Times bestselling author of Born to Kvetch and Just Say Nu, draws on sources that range from the Talmud and Yiddish proverbs to contemporary music and movies in this insightful guide that explores not only human nature and psychology but our duties to ourselves and one another.
Product Details
Price
$13.99
Publisher
Harper Perennial
Publish Date
August 24, 2010
Pages
240
Dimensions
5.4 X 7.9 X 0.5 inches | 0.43 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9780061771125
Earn by promoting books
Earn money by sharing your favorite books through our Affiliate program.
Become an affiliate
About the Author
Michael Wex is a novelist, professor, translator (including the only Yiddish translation of The Threepenny Opera), lecturer, and performer. He's been hailed "a Yiddish national treasure" and is one of the leading lights in the current revival of Yiddish, lecturing widely on Yiddish and Jewish culture. He lives and shmoozes in Toronto.
Reviews
"[S]uperb...brilliant...[O]ne of the leading lights in the Yiddish revival, Michael Wex distills the age-old principles that have been the nucleus of Jewish survival...into some relevant lessons, delightful anecdotes, and real-world applications for not just Judaism but all faiths."--Sacramento Book Review
"The Sneaky Chef of contemporary Jewish culture...Wex writes books that look and read like snacks, but he hides scholarly vegetables between the covers...Wex has achieved on the bookshelf what Hillel advised that we all do in life: In a place where there are no mentshn, try to be a mentsh."--Forward
"[A]n often humorous and frequently provocative guide to being a good person, a mentsh....This book reflects extensive learning, serious thought, a sense of the absurd and the unfair, as well as an impish willingness to play the mazik (scamp)."--Jewish Book World
"Funny...astute and relevant."--San Francisco Chronicle
"Just superb....The book is funny, too, and is certainly the finest explanation of the religious significance of The Apartment and Groundhog Day. Talmud, Torah, Jack Lemmon, Bill Murray--need I say more?"--Mark Oppenheimer, author of Thirteen and a Day: The Bar and Bat Mitzvah Across America
"...blessed with humor, grace and a well-developed sense of contemporary pop culture (references range from Genesis to Groundhog Day) ... a consistent pleasure: entertaining, educational...with more than a few thought-provoking suggestions for achieving mentsh-hood (or at least avoiding shmuck-itude)."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The Sneaky Chef of contemporary Jewish culture...Wex writes books that look and read like snacks, but he hides scholarly vegetables between the covers...Wex has achieved on the bookshelf what Hillel advised that we all do in life: In a place where there are no mentshn, try to be a mentsh."--Forward
"[A]n often humorous and frequently provocative guide to being a good person, a mentsh....This book reflects extensive learning, serious thought, a sense of the absurd and the unfair, as well as an impish willingness to play the mazik (scamp)."--Jewish Book World
"Funny...astute and relevant."--San Francisco Chronicle
"Just superb....The book is funny, too, and is certainly the finest explanation of the religious significance of The Apartment and Groundhog Day. Talmud, Torah, Jack Lemmon, Bill Murray--need I say more?"--Mark Oppenheimer, author of Thirteen and a Day: The Bar and Bat Mitzvah Across America
"...blessed with humor, grace and a well-developed sense of contemporary pop culture (references range from Genesis to Groundhog Day) ... a consistent pleasure: entertaining, educational...with more than a few thought-provoking suggestions for achieving mentsh-hood (or at least avoiding shmuck-itude)."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
