OUTWITTING HISTORY The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescured a Million Yiddish Books

Winner of a MacArthur “genius grant,” Aaron Lansky founded (at the age of 23) and still leads the National Yiddish Book Center, which has rescued and preserved millions of volumes that otherwise would have been destroyed. In this anecdotal memoir, he tells the story of his obsession and eventual success with considerable charm, humor, and literary skill, occasionally digressing with background on the Yiddish language, its writings, and readers, with some perceptive critical explication. Though a little too long, the book spins a great yarn, rendered even better by George Guidall’s spirited, informal, and fast-paced rendition. Guidall, who learned the language in his youth, not only pronounces the many Yiddish words and phrases correctly but reads them with just the right nuance and tone of Jewish irony. Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 06]