Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods (P.S.)

Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods (P.S.)

by Michael Wex

A delightful excursion through the Yiddish language, the culture it defines and serves, and the fine art of complaint Throughout history, Jews around the world have had plenty of reasons to lament. And for a thousand years, they've had the perfect language for it. Rich in color, expressiveness, and complexity, Yiddish has proven incredibly useful and durable. Its wonderful phrases and idioms impeccably... (more)

Yiddish Civilisation: The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten Nation

Yiddish Civilisation: The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten Nation

by Paul Kriwaczek

From the author of In Search of Zarathustra — an illuminating chronicle of Yiddish civilization from its roots in the Diaspora to the present. Paul Kriwaczek begins his search when Jewish culture first spreads to Europe during the Roman Empire after the end of ancient Jerusalem and the destruction of its Temple at the hands of the Romans in the year 70. We see the burgeoning exile population disperse, moving... (more)

The Story of Yiddish: How a Mish-mosh of Languages Saved the Jews

The Story of Yiddish: How a Mish-mosh of Languages Saved the Jews

by Neal Karlen

The last one thousand years of Jewish history is inseparable from The Story of Yiddish. Underlying Neal Karlen's unique, brashly entertaining, yet thoroughly researched telling of the language's story is the notion that Yiddish is a mirror of Jewish history, thought, and practice--for better AND worse. The story of how this mish-mosh of languages saved the Jews is told In the best story-telling tradition and... (more)