Persuasively Written Book Jacket Copy:
A New York Times Notable Book 2007
A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of 2007
One of Slate's Best Books of 2007
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 a way to a life where he didn't struggle daily against God. Foreskin's Lament reveals Auslander's "painfully, cripplingly, incurably, miserably religious" youth in a strict, socially isolated Orthodox 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 a fascinating portrait of a man grappling with his faith and family.
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Praise for Foreskin's Lament:
"Shalom Auslander writes like Philip Roth's angry nephew. Foreskin's Lament is a scathing theological rant, a funny, oddly moving coming-of-age memoir, and an irreverent meditation on family, marriage, and cultural identity. God may be a bit irritated by this book, but I loved it."
-- Tom Perrotta, author of Little Children and The Abstinence Teacher
"Funny, fierce and subversively heartfelt.... Writing with humor and bitter irony about the most personal subjects, with deep, real-world consequences, is no task for an acolyte, although many have tried. With his middle finger pointed at the heavens and a hand held over his heart, Auslander gives us Foreskin's Lament. Mazel tov to him. And God? Well, he'll survive."
-- New York Times Book Review