Generation J, 1st, First Edition

by Lisa Schiffman

Generation J is a beautifully written, constantly courageous, hip, wise memoir by a young woman determined to figure out what it means to be Jewish. Lisa Schiffman, who grew up in the mostly Christian community of Levittown, New Jersey, writes of her own alienated "We were a generation of Jews who'd grown up on television, with Barbie, with rhinoplasty as a way of life. Assimilation wasn't something we strove for; it was the condition into which we were born." Feeling unmoored in early adulthood, Schiffman begins a search for the essence of the Jewish identity she feels exiled from. She undertakes experiments such as eating nonkosher food every day for a week, and gently confronting her parents' ignorance of their own religion. Oddly, her greatest religious epiphany comes from the experience of getting a henna tattoo--a vine across her torso, with the Star of David at the end. The tattoo sets off what she calls, elsewhere in the book, "a big think-through": "There is the vine. There is me. There's Judaism, the religion of paradox and reconciliation. I'll learn from it what I can. I'll sort out my own conflicted truths. I refuse to reject myself--any part. I no longer choose to exile." --Michael Joseph Gross

Genres: Jewish, Judaism, Religion, Memoir, Nonfiction, Judaica, Womens

Paperback

First published August 18, 1999

Reviews

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly introspective look at one woman’s journey to reconcile her relationship with being Jewish. The questions she asks herself and others are fascinating.

[Jpo]

um, better than I thought it would be.

read it in about 5 minutes.

[Samira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a facinating book of essays about what it means to have a Jewish identity. Written by an "uncomfortable Jew" married to a "lapsed Unitarian," and very thought provoking.

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Witty, easy-to-read account of one woman's search for her Jewish identity. I don't know that I learned much from it, but it was reassuring to see some of my questions reflected in her journey.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book. Easy to read. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was the author could have documented her sources a little more clearly.

[Meg]

Interesting

[Theresa Cassiack · Rating 5 out of 5]

an intimate look at one womans life exploring her heritage