How to Be a Mentsh and Not a Shmuck: Secrets of the Good Life from the Most Unpopular People on Earth - Hardcover

Wex, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0307398005 ISBN 13: 9780307398000

Publisher: Random House of Canada Ltd, 2009

Synopsis

Wise and hilarious, this is a book about happiness, your own and that of others. The principles outlined here will work for anyone, Jewish or not, who makes the effort to put them into practice.

Drawing on the “wisdom of the ages,” bestselling author Michael Wex shows readers how to figure out the right thing to do in any situation. First he describes the two words “mentsh” and “shmuck.” The former refers most often to an adult who has learned to think of others first; the latter refers to someone who thinks he or she is someone special.

In this book, you will learn how to keep yourself from believing you are someone special. You will learn how not to be a shmuck.

About this title

Review:

"[S]uperb...brilliant...[O]ne of the leading lights in the Yiddish revival, Michael Wex distills the age-old principles that have been the nucleus of Jewish survival...into some relevant lessons, delightful anecdotes, and real-world applications for not just Judaism but all faiths."--Sacramento Book Review

"The Sneaky Chef of contemporary Jewish culture...Wex writes books that look and read like snacks, but he hides scholarly vegetables between the covers...Wex has achieved on the bookshelf what Hillel advised that we all do in life: In a place where there are no mentshn, try to be a mentsh."--Forward

"[A]n often humorous and frequently provocative guide to being a good person, a mentsh....This book reflects extensive learning, serious thought, a sense of the absurd and the unfair, as well as an impish willingness to play the mazik (scamp)."--Jewish Book World

"Funny...astute and relevant."--San Francisco Chronicle

"Just superb....The book is funny, too, and is certainly the finest explanation of the religious significance of The Apartment and Groundhog Day. Talmud, Torah, Jack Lemmon, Bill Murray--need I say more?"--Mark Oppenheimer, author of Thirteen and a Day: The Bar and Bat Mitzvah Across America

."..blessed with humor, grace and a well-developed sense of contemporary pop culture (references range from Genesis to Groundhog Day) ... a consistent pleasure: entertaining, educational...with more than a few thought-provoking suggestions for achieving mentsh-hood (or at least avoiding shmuck-itude)."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Funny...astute and relevant. --San Francisco Chronicle"

blessed with humor, grace and a well-developed sense of contemporary pop culture (references range from Genesis to Groundhog Day) ... a consistent pleasure: entertaining, educational with more than a few thought-provoking suggestions for achieving mentsh-hood (or at least avoiding shmuck-itude). --Publishers Weekly (starred review)"

The Sneaky Chef of contemporary Jewish culture Wex writes books that look and read like snacks, but he hides scholarly vegetables between the covers Wex has achieved on the bookshelf what Hillel advised that we all do in life: In a place where there are no mentshn, try to be a mentsh. --Forward"

Just superb .The book is funny, too, and is certainly the finest explanation of the religious significance of The Apartment and Groundhog Day. Talmud, Torah, Jack Lemmon, Bill Murray--need I say more? --Mark Oppenheimer, author of Thirteen and a Day: The Bar and Bat Mitzvah Across America"

From the Back Cover:

There are people out there, millions of them, who act as if they still believe everything their mothers told them in the first six months of their life--that they're the nicest, most beautiful, and most promising and intelligent bags of flesh ever to walk the earth. We call these people shmucks.

In How to Be a Mentsh (and Not a Shmuck), bestselling author Michael Wex offers a wise and witty guide to being a good human being, regardless of your religion or beliefs. Referencing pop culture, current events, and Jewish tradition with equal ease, Wex explores the strategies developed by an oppressed people to pursue happiness with their dignity--and sense of humor--intact.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House of Canada Ltd
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0307398005
• ISBN 13: 9780307398000
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192