THE WOMAN WHO LAUGHED AT GOD The Untold History of the Jewish People

In essays of breadth and depth, Kirsch draws on various disciplines--ancient, medieval, and modern history and literature, biblical scholarship, anthropology, science, folklore--to shed light on contemporary Jewish life. Presenting a convincing vision of a diverse and dynamic Judaism that resists simple definition, he examines biblical stories from a female viewpoint; reveals tensions between zealots and reformers that go back centuries; exposes the truth behind cherished myths; examines Freud, Marx, and others through a Jewish lens; and challenges the sentimentalizing of the Holocaust.. He reads clearly at a good pace, although his voice is occasionally monotonous. What Kirsch says will ring true to some, anger others, and stimulate thought and discussion, possibly generating substance for repeated listening. E.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 02]