How to Be a Mentsh and Not a Shmuck - Rilegato

“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)

“[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)

“[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)