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Book Review of Foreskin's Lament : A Memoir

Foreskin's Lament : A Memoir
crawford avatar reviewed Conflicting, dark & hilarious on + 59 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


I'm not really comfortable going in-depth about the religious aspect of this book- and the whole book is about religion. Many rabbis and public leaders in the Jewish faith have spoken out against Auslander's writings, so this book will definitely offend certain people.

As a gentile (with a parent who converted later in their life) I found this book educational in a way and very, very funny. The way Auslander "talks" to "God" is shocking, funny and very raw- he basically suspects he'll always get screwed around the corner and begs God to leave his pregnant wife and their child alone. He writes the book from staring at his pregnant wife- certain she'll die in labor or the child will or the baby will be deformed- and he goes back to his childhood and we find out how his viewpoint was shaped that way.

There's a ton of sex, bad language and "offensive" behavior in this book- but there's also a ton of heart and some of the most emotionally honest memoir writing I've ever read. The book is also hilarious if you're not easily offended.