**spoiler alert** This book tells of a little girl who gains the attention from her parents that she has always craved when it is discovered that she...more**spoiler alert** This book tells of a little girl who gains the attention from her parents that she has always craved when it is discovered that she has a gift for spelling. Her family, which was already dysfunctional, spirals more and more out of control: (view spoiler)[her brother, who had been a devout rabbi-to-be, converts to Harre Krishna; her mother is sent to a mental institution; and her father pushes her deeper and deeper into an obscure branch of Jewish mysticism, living vicariously through her efforts (hide spoiler)]. I honestly wouldn't recommend this book. While the characters are engaging and multi-faceted, the tension in the family is grating, and the book is deeply disturbing. Moreover, I think that the narrative itself could have used more editing. It seems like the author took two unrelated concepts -- spelling and mysticism -- and shoehorned them together into the same book. It turns out that the author had studied this particular mystic in college, which would explain her own fascination with him and his concepts, but I feel that it hurts her story overall. Just my two cents.(less)
I really enjoyed this book. I'm giving it five stars, but I really should add a disclaimer: the five stars are not to be taken as an endorsement of ev...moreI really enjoyed this book. I'm giving it five stars, but I really should add a disclaimer: the five stars are not to be taken as an endorsement of every joke. Some jokes are in poor taste, and some I just didn't get. That said, so many of the jokes that I *did* get were so side-splittingly funny that they were well worth the ones that fell flat. I can't remember when I had such an enjoyable time reading a book. I laughed out loud so often, reading by myself, that I was half afraid my family would hear me from the other room and have me committed. (less)
Very well-written account of the Nazi regime and the cultures and peoples they devastated. This book is very informative; I'd never read a Holocaust a...moreVery well-written account of the Nazi regime and the cultures and peoples they devastated. This book is very informative; I'd never read a Holocaust atlas before, and after seeing the many different types of information presented, I don't know why books like this aren't more common. I could see specific figures and statistics by country; I saw maps showing the locations of camps, ghettos, and uprisings; some maps showed the journeys of specific people, e.g. Anne Frank and Kitty Hart; some maps showed the popular routes followed by thousands trying to escape persecution. There were also many many photographs, sobering and horrifying. Everyone should read this book.(less)
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