Product Description

There are people out there, millions of them, who act as if they still believe everything that their mothers told them in the first six months of their life: they're the nicest, most beautiful, most promising and intelligent bags of flesh ever to walk the earth, and anybody who can't see it is a jealous fool.

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—a blueprint for living a decent and moral life, acting with self-control instead of self-denial, and winning through cooperation rather than competition.

But this is no dull manual about loving thy neighbor. It's a fast-paced and entertaining adventure in the wisdom of the ages, wherever that wisdom may be found: Yiddish proverbs, current events, Talmudic stories, movies, television, and more. Referencing pop culture 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #251383 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-01
• Released on: 2009-09-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Yes, the Yiddish words "schmuck" and (to a lesser extent) "mentsh" have entered the popular English lexicon, but few people in the general population have a more than cursory understanding of their meanings. Novelist, professor and performer Wex (Born to Kvetch) has an intimate knowledge of the Yiddish language and Jewish culture, and here explains both terms in the context of Jewish and non-Jewish life. Though its title might suggest a satirical self-help, Wex is a committed Yiddish revivalist, and this lesson in language and culture is rooted in a shocking degree of scholarship; happily, it's also blessed with humor, grace and a well-developed sense of contemporary pop culture (references range from Genesis to Groundhog Day). The end result is a consistent pleasure: entertaining, educational and only minimally pedantic, with more than a few thought-provoking suggestions for achieving mentsh-hood (or at least avoiding shmuck-itude).

Review
“[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 )

“…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) )

“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 )

“Funny...astute and relevant.” (San Francisco Chronicle )

“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 )

About the Author

Novelist, lecturer, and translator Michael Wex is one of the leading lights in the revival of Yiddish, and author of the New York Times bestseller Born to Kvetch and its follow-up, Just Say Nu.

Customer Reviews

A Timely Item
Michael Wex's new book "How to be a Mentsh (& not a Shmuck) couldn't be more timely. Not only is it the perfect read for those doing the spiritual house cleaning that goes with the imminent Jewish New Year, it also lets one appreciate the poetic justice of an item like this (culled from a CNN news story):

"By early Thursday, genuine tweets about Wilson were interspersed with ads for male erectile dysfunction: "Joe Wilson Cialis $1.9 Viagra $1.1 (Web site address)"

In the book, we learn that the word "shmuck" is a highly nuanced synonym for the membrum virilis, so its comically appropriate that the medicine for a dysfunctional shmuck should accrue to someone who acted like a shmuck.

In fact, that's what this book does- like all really good books, it gives you a new lens with which to view the world. It installs in your consciousness a virtual Mentsh-O-Meter (or shmuckometer) and you may find yourself, like I have, observing the needle waver from Shmuck to Mentsh with every character you meet, whether in fiction, the news, or in your life. And, most significantly, it has a way of interposing itself on your own actions and decisions.

All in all, a fun read, with the encyclopedic insight and wit that Wex brought to his previous works.

Not what I expected, but actually much better.
Rather than be a post-ironic riff on a dippy "self help" book, the kind that seem to clog the shelves these day, this tome actually contains news you can use. It may go a long way in explaining every day Jewish morals and ethics to non-Jews without ever sounding too esoteric or pedantic. And it's just as funny and enlightening as his other work, but this time rings a much more substantive note. Wex's scholarship on the issue of how to present yourself as a fully formed person rivals, or surpasses, that of many so called "Bible" scholars that have commented on similar subjects as well. Gets my highest recommendation.

Best book since Carnegie
The best book on the subject since Dale Carnegie's "How to win friends and influence people." This book is a must read on so many levels. First, for social misfits who can't seem to figure out why folks avoid them, and breath mints turn out not to be the answer: Read this. You'll learn why. Dilemmas of the daily kind are solved with historical and cultural details. And for linguists, this book will tell you where your favorite words come from, but not only that, you'll learn why. The book masquerades as a coffee table novelty (read bathroom mainstay), but is in fact a treatise on how to be human in a world of mush heads. It balances beautifully the intellectual with the fun. And if you start with this, you won't want to miss Born to Kvetch. For Jews and Gentiles alike. Nope, I'm not paid to write this. These books are simply great.