Foreskin's Lament: A Memoir - Shalom Auslander

In his bitingly funny memoir of growing up in a dysfunctional Jewish family and wrestling with a vengeful God, Auslander's combination of unrelenting humor and anger renders a rich and fascinating portrait of a man grappling with his faith, family, and community. A New York Times Notable Book, and a chaotic, laugh riot ( San Francisco Chronicle ) of a memoir. Shalom Auslander was raised with a terrified respect for God. Even as he grew up and was estranged from his community, his religion and its traditions, he could not find the path to a life where he didn't struggle daily with the fear of God's formidable wrath. Foreskin's Lament reveals Auslander's painfully, cripplingly, incurably, miserably religious youth in a strict, socially isolated Orthodox Jewish community, and recounts his rebellion and efforts to make a new life apart from it. His combination of unrelenting humor and anger renders a rich and fascinating portrait of a man grappling with his faith and family.