Lynn Davidman

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I give this book 4 stars for content -- for the narratives of the people the I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I give this book 4 stars for content -- for the narratives of the people the author interviewed. Their lives and struggles are fascinating and Davidman conveys many details that capture the similarities and differences between their stories. Any book I have read dealing with the defection of Hasidim from their communities is usually about women. It was therefore especially interesting to read about both men and women, and their differing circustances. I recognize that this is an academic book that required a thesis to hold all of the narratives together, but I found the opening and closing chapters dwelling on Davidman's thesis less compelling than the narratives themselves, and suspect that she may even have been less interested in the polemic than simply conveying all of these moving stories. But still, Davidman's book is well worth the read given the material she presents.… (more)