annieb123's Review of Mazel Tov

by J. S. Margot

A heartwarming, funny and provocative memoir of a woman navigating clashing cultures during her decades-long friendship with an Orthodox Jewish family, new in paperback

When 20-year-old student J. S. Margot took a tutoring job in 1987, little did she know it would open up an entire world.

In the family's Orthodox Jewish household she would encounter endless rules - 'never come on a Friday, never shake hands with a man' - and quirks she had not seen before: tiny tubes on the doorposts, separate fridges for meat and dairy products. Her initial response was puzzlement and occasionally anger, but as she taught the children and fiercely debated with the family, she also began to learn from them.

Full of funny misunderstandings and unexpected connections, Mazel Tov is a heartwarming, provocative and disarmingly honest memoir of clashing cultures and unusual friendships - and of how, where adults build walls, sometimes only children can dissolve them.

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Mazel Tov is an engaging and warm memoir of the author's transformative friendship with a Jewish family. Originally published in Dutch in 2017, this English language translation is due out 23rd Feb 2021 from Pushkin Press. It's 320 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is precisely as described: a warm friendly real memoir of the power of friendship. It emphasizes how our differences, from culture and religion to food and simple gestures when looked at objectively and honestly can form bridges to friendship and understanding. I liked author's voice and her frankness and openness about her initial interactions with the Schneider family and her own conversations with her partner, Nima.

This will have a broad appeal for readers of biography and memoir and would also make a good selection for public or school library acquisition. It could conceivably be added to reading lists for sociology, culture studies, and allied subjects.

Four stars. An engaging and well written book.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Mazel Tov

by J. S. Margot

Reviewed by annieb123 on Feb 16, 2021

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