Jew(ish)

Jew(ish) by Matt Greene is a collection of essays, or thoughts, grouped together by theme or subject matter that represents to the author a literary description of how he has defined himself at his current age, and of his identity, past, and faith. Writing and exploring these things have helped him to work through finding who he is as a person, however it is still a work in progress for him (as well as everyone else).

While I can identify with the author in regards to soul searching, I had a hard time agreeing with a lot of his cynicism and discontent in regards to Judaism. I guess I am one of those more observant and passionate souls of the flock that observes and encourages my family (myself included) into the ideas, beliefs, observances, and rituals that are part of being “a Jew”. And that is ok. We can all have different opinions and upbringings, yet still respect one another. We can agree to disagree and still bond on other subjects. There is a spectrum of belief within the Jewish community, and part of that is what makes it so vibrant and ever changing. No one is perfect, and I would never want to be. Where is the excitement in that?

I enjoyed reading his thoughts and his own opinions. It is always nice to be able to learn things from another’s experiences. I hope that tje author continues to reflect and find what it is he seems to be looking for.

3/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR, Bookbub (as of 12/2/20 a BB listing has not been created), and Amazon accounts immediately.

This was such an interesting book because not only am I not Jewish but I also live in a different country than the author. I know a few people who identify as culturally Jewish but not religiously and I have always wanted to understand what that meant. It was funny, insightful, and very well-written.

This book was a fast read. Not my usual cup of tea but it was still a good read. I enjoyed the tone the author wrote in.

An interesting perspective on what it means to be Jewish. Parts were a bit slow, but the section where the author went to Poland to go on a group tour through the concentration camps was very intense and well-written.

This is an incredibly powerful and important book, and one I can highly recommend for both Jews and non-Jews as a valuable insight into the author’s experiences as a British Jew and a Jewish Brit (these concepts are discussed in the book).

Despite the book’s tag line, it is in part a memoir with the author sharing his thoughts and experiences of what it is to be Jewish, and the good and bad experiences of his friends and family of what it has meant to be Jewish through the decades. I actually found it less of a “plea” since at no point does Greene attempt to project his own political agenda on the readers, and all references to discrimination and anti-semitism in US politics and the main English political parties are fact based.

What is particularly clever is the juxtaposition of some very humorous anecdotes and Greene’s self-deprecating style, with some very tragic stories (the chapter entitled Poland is particularly difficult to read) and personal details on the expectations of the author’s family, his community and society as a whole of how he could and should be living his life as a Jew.

With thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Collections of essays tend to be hit-or-miss for me, but this was a really excellent read. Greene explores the manifestation of Jewish identity in the UK, which was especially intriguing for me as someone who is non-religious, but grew up with a lot of familiarity with American Jewish culture through Jewish family and friends. This is a great collection examining identity, family, and making sense of your upbringing--that you will connect with no matter your faith or lack thereof.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A fascinating, humorous, self reflection book told in a self-deprecating style. Not all is funny, there are some serious stories and one is difficult to read but I'm better for having read it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I recieved Jew(ish) as an Arc from Netgalley and the publisher Thank you. I enjoyed the first part of this memoir, which is about understanding one’s identity when you are Jewish. The author's style of writing was so different to me. I found his style hard to follow and several times I almost stopped reading but I pushed on and finished it. I over all enjoyed this book.

I looked forward to the book as someone who shares many of the same identities as the author. There were thoughtful moments - particularly in the moments where the author reflected on his hopes in building his family. However, the amount of jokes and reliance on old tropes made me think the author has some work to do on his own internalized anti-semitism.

Jew(ish) is a collection of essays, ruminations, and reflections on Jewish identity in the 21st century. Released 1st Dec 2020 by Amazon UK on their Little A imprint, it's 200 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

I have read a lot of ethnography and ethnohistory this year and this was a good choice to wrap up the year. It is by turns wistful, humorous, subtly chiding, and very human. I found myself disagreeing with some of what the author says, of course. He refers to himself as a lapsed Jew. I would rebut that "lapsed" is not at all the same thing as "non-religious" or "agnostic". I grew up in a family dynamic very similar to the one into which he brought his son. I too, am a product of Irish (not Welsh) Catholics on my mother's side, and Jewish family absolutely devastated by the Holocaust on my father's side.

Anyhow, aside from pedantry, much of the content of this book resonated with me deeply. I found kinship in his protective sarcastic humour and deflection. I remember the same sense of dissonance when I visited friends' houses as a child. There's quite a lot to like (and ruminate on) in this book and each of the entries is a short and compact read. The entries are arranged thematically: God, family, comedy, security, Israel, race, and the internet.

Some of the book is undeniably difficult to read (how could it possibly not be difficult?). There are descriptions which have made an indelible mark and will be difficult to eradicate. I think it's a worthwhile book, especially in light of the awful upswing in racist and anti-Semitic attacks both actual and virtual in the USA and worldwide.

Four stars. This would make a good gift to readers of history, ethnography, and allied subjects, as well as lovers of biography and memoirs.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I enjoy reading autobiographies/memoirs. They give you a chance to see life through that person. I'm not Jewish but I am an inquisitive person. It is written with some humour but does tackle some serious issues within the Jewish community. I quite enjoyed this book. I found it very interesting and I'm glad I read it.

I picked this up due to the title and my feelings of being Jew¨ish¨. This was an interesting read for an American Jew and one who has a very different experience of Judaism. He had interesting takes about anti-semitism on the internet and in British politics, and although my opinions differ from Greene´s, this book was a worthwhile and interesting read.

I was intrigued by the book because he was British, having been the the London Jewish Museum and learning about how Jewish life was like there.

I felt like the essays were very scattered. Some seemed rushed and made little sense while others were quite in depth and heartfelt. A better editor and writer could have made for a fantastic book but I was left wondering what the point really was.

This was such a wonderful and thoughtful memoir. As a religious person, it was meaningful to read about what it means to be Jewish in the modern era.

It is almost impossible to slot this book into a simple definition or review. It is a very personal story but it is also the story of so many people, myself included, who have lived in a world where Jews hold a unique position. They are the ultimate outsiders, even when they, to all overt indications, have blended into the communities in which they live. They have been and continue to be a handy scapegoat for all the ills of the world from both the left and right. Yet, unless they choose a more religious life, they are not an obvious minority. Many of us are “white” but are not perceived as such by certain quarters. It makes the discrimination and vitriol harder to combat because it is under the surface and insidious. It is often ignored rather than renounced.

The book tries to make sense of this duality - of privilege on one hand and hatred on the other. The duality that even a non practising Jew, once discovered, will be lumped into a group identity that at best is tolerated by others and at worst can be exterminated.. Lest Western cultures pat themselves on the back for their tolerance, one does not have to dig far to realize with fear that danger lies just below the surface, as it did for Jews throughout history. It makes for increased sensitivity to unreasonable hatred directed at other groups, even as some of those same groups display a shocking intolerance for Jews.

The author looks into some of the reasons for the dichotomy and how it impacts current generations. I don’t think the reader needs to be Jewish to read the book. But I do think that a Jewish person will be able to understand on a more personal and visceral level what he is saying. Hopefully, all others may examine their beliefs and actions and we can all begin to deal with it. One can be hope.

Five purrs and two paws up.

I'd like to categorise this book as a memoir and a non-fiction book. It is a personal story and a thorough history of Jewish traditions and anti-Semitism and trolling on the internet all over the world. It will surely take more than a quick read for me, a non-Jew-ish person, to understand the intricacies of history from the Jew-ish lens, and I intend to put in that hardwork. The historical content seems heavy and unbroken which may end up being difficult to read at one stretch.

I enjoyed quite a few parts of this. I found the chapters on Israel, race and Greene's Poland trip particularly interesting. Although some parts of Greene's narrative came across to me as naive and oversimplified, I thought there was still a refreshing amount of nuance. There are many Jewish activists who touch on issues such as the intricate complexities of Israel, the (perceived) whiteness of Jewish people and the danger of antisemitism from both sides of the political aisle, so these ideas are far from new to me, but it was great to see these potentially reach a new audience that may not otherwise have found its way to them.

I would want to know more about why Greene is so averse to participating in Jewish community life, to the extent of explaining to his son that he is Jew-ish rather than Jewish. Greene's experience is his own and I will not challenge it; however, I profoundly disagree with the idea that one can't be proudly, unapologetically and unequivocally Jewish and still united with other people, without erasing or downplaying their experiences.

Link to review to come shortly.

This was a 2.5/5 star book for me. Matt Greene grapples with his Jewish identity and lets us all in on the internal conversation. Since I am an American reading about a British Jewish experience, there were political references that I didn't fully understand, but I did my best. I most related to Greene's discomfort with people assuming that he has a strong, well-informed opinion on the matter of Israel, and how Zionism often enters the discussion whenever anti Semitism rears its ugly head. I didn't like how he dipped his toes into oppression Olympics at times, and how he writes under the impression that all Jews are white-presenting. An interesting take on Jew(ish) identity, but not the best one I've ever read.

An interesting assortment of essays on being a Jew or Jewish. Possibly something here for everyone and a nice book to leaf through.

Thank you #Netgalley and Amazon first reads for allowing me to review this book.

Very interesting perspective of growing up in the Jewish community. A bit more serious/heavy than I expected but I did learn alot.

Wanted to like this book! Went into it and got a fresh read, a take on a world I know next to nothing about, and that was novel and eye-opening and also a good read, passing the time really well. Until it all started to get bogged down and taking side streets so to speak instead of sticking to the main path - the chapter about family was more of a family tree that had me completely lost and frankly, bored, because I was here to read about the experience of this author around this theme. Thought it got a bit too pedantic and bogged down into details at times, which killed the enjoyment along the way for me

I tried my best to enjoy reading this memoir/story but I struggled through a lot of it. I found Greene’s writing to be very descriptive but that is the same quality that seemed to slow my momentum.