How to Spell Chanukah and Other Holiday Dilemmas.

by Emily Franklin (Editor)

"What a holiday! No pestilence, no slavery, no locusts, no cattle disease or atonement. No synagogue, no guilt, no mortar, and no real lesson to be absorbed and passed down to my Jewish offspring. Thank God," writes Joshua Braff, one of eighteen Jewish writers who extol, excoriate, and expand our understanding of this most merry of Jewish holidays.

These essays, by Adam Langer, Tova Mirvis, Steve Almond, Eric Orner, and others, range from the comedic to the snarky, the poignant to the poetic, and includes such topics as the jealousy experienced in December when the rest of America is celebrating Christmas (we never get to join in the reindeer games!); the problem parents have dampening their children's desire for more presents (call it Greedikah!); and the weight gain associated with eating 432 latkes in eight nights ( dayenu , enough!).

Whether your Chanukahs were spent singing "I have a Little Dreidel" or playing the "Maoz Tzur" on the piano, whether your family tradition included a Christmas tree or a Chanukah bush, whether the fights among your siblings over who would light the menorah candles rivaled the battles of the Maccabees, or even if you haven't a clue who the Maccabees were, this little book proves there are as many ways to celebrate Chanukah as there are ways to spell it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Judaism, Short Stories, Holiday, Jewish, Essays, Memoir

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Growing up, Emily Franklin wanted to be “a singing, tap-dancing doctor who writes books.”

Having learned early on that she has little to no dancing ability, she left the tap world behind, studied at Oxford University, and received an undergraduate degree concentrating in writing and neuroscience from Sarah Lawrence College. Though she gave serious thought to a career in medicine, eventually that career followed her dancing dreams.

After extensive travel, some “character-building” relationships, and a stint as a chef, Emily went back to school at Dartmouth where she skied (or fished, depending on the season) daily, wrote a few screenplays, and earned her Master’s Degree in writing and media studies.

While editing medical texts and dreaming about writing a novel, Emily went to Martha’s Vineyard on a whim and met her future husband who is, of course, a doctor. And a pianist. He plays. They sing. They get married. He finishes medical school, they have a child, she writes a novel. Emily’s dreams are realized. She writes books.

Emily Franklin is the author of two adult novels, The Girls' Almanac and Liner Notes and more than a dozen books for young adults including the critically-acclaimed seven book fiction series for teens, The Principles of Love. Other young adult books include The Other Half of Me the Chalet Girls series, and At Face Value, a retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac (coming in September 2008).

She edited the anthologies It's a Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths about Life in Your Twenties and How to Spell Chanukah: 18 Writers Celebrate 8 Nights of Lights. She is co-editor of Before: Short Stories about Pregnancy from Our Top Writers.

Her book of essays and recipes, Too Many Cooks: Kitchen Adventures with 1 Mom, 4 Kids, 102 New Recipes ~ A Memoir of Tasting, Testing, and Discovery in the Kitchen will be published by Hyperion.

Emily’s work has appeared in The Boston Globe and the Mississippi Review as well as in many anthologies including Don't You Forget About Me: Contemporary Writers on the Films of John Hughes, When I Was a Loser: True Stories of (Barely) Surviving High School by Today's Top Writers, and Because I Love Her: 34 Women Writers on the Mother-Daughter Bond. Emily writes regularly about food and parenting for national magazines and newspapers. She travels, teaches writing seminars, and speaks on panels, but does not tap dance. Emily Franklin lives outside of Boston with her husband and their four young children.

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a little worried going into this book, and I was right to be. Hanukkah is a celebration of the Jewish people's resistance to assimilation. Almost all of these short stories were basically about not caring about Hanukkah, not knowing what it's about or why they celebrate, etc. Reading this book was a disappointment. I expected more and I expected better.

However, there were three stories that I really enjoyed, so I want to emphasize those. If you pick up this book, these are the stories you should focus on: "The Only Dreidel in Idaho," "An Israeli Chanukah," and "Eight Nights." I think "Eight Nights" was my favorite, it's the last story in the collection and was so beautiful.

[Becky Rice · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know that you’re supposed to avoid stereotypes, but I’m going to lean into one here. When I picked up this book I was excited because generally speaking our people have two excellent character markers: comedy and storytelling. I didn’t find that here. Many of the stories lacked a point or were no told in an interesting fashion, and most of the stories weren’t funny at all. Mostly it just seemed pointless, leaving me frustrated and disappointed.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quasi-cute collection of short stories that I thought would be fun to read around Hanukkah- some were way better than others, but that was to be expected! Many were mediocre.

[Jessica McClenahan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read this for a library challenge (“holiday tradition I don’t celebrate”). Disappointed to see “gypped,” “schizo” and “retarded” used multiple times by various contributors. A few of the stories were good, but the language of some of the authors was inappropriate and distracted from the collection as a whole. Yikes. I would not have finished this book if not for the challenge.

[Emily Willis]

I knew going into this book that Chanukah isn’t a holiday as central to the Jewish tradition as others, but, given that I was fairly ignorant of both Chanukah celebrations and Jewish-American experiences, I figured it would still be enlightening. Now, I at least know about a dozen or so experiences with the holiday. And it was enlightening. I learned more about another culture and how many people in that culture view the one I was raised in.

Some of the essays were poignantly relatable; others were less so. Overall, I’m glad I read them.

Read for my December thematic month book.

[Michael Lewyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of stories (mostly, I think, nonfictional) by a group of (mostly, I think, youngish and secular) Jewish writers about some of their Chanukah experiences. One or two of the stories are moving, one or two are humorous; most were just unmemorable. On the positive side, this book is an easy and (mostly) painless read- the sort of book that you could comfortably read if you were trapped on an airplane for two or three hours, but not exactly a life-changing experience.

[Darren · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't relate to a single one of these essayists. I made it almost 2/3 through before giving up. Most of them seemed to have incredibly bleak and empty lives.

[Gabriel P · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some of these stories were alright. Most of the authors seemed to be sort of embarrassed to be Jewish, and far too much ink was spilled whining and naval gazing about Christmas and/or the childhood of upper-middle class Gen Xers. I was expecting stories about the festival of lights- not the rambling, pointless ruminations of self-hating Jews and their attempts to grapple with either not being Christian in America, or their middle school fantasies of hooking up with their classmates.
Not to mention some cringe inducing language that did not age well, to say the least.
If you actually like or celebrate Chanukkah (or like being Jewish, or have a good relationship with your parents), mostly a waste of time. Maybe 4 out of 18 stories were worth the effort.

[Suzan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was full of self-important, perhaps depressed, self-indulgent yuppies (?), hipsters (?). I found it difficult to identify twith most of the essays. Yes, there were a few that made sense to me (hence the 2 stars) but most of the writers came across as whiney, self-indulgent babies. Feankly, the book would have done better if 3/4 of the writers weren't all middle to upper class New York/East Coast Jews raised in the 80s and 90s. Books like this remind me that I was raised in a different time, and although raised in NYC, raised with a different ethos. Out of 18 essays, I truly enjoyed maybe 5 of them.

[Natasha Penney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not all short stories/essays are created equal and this is certainly true of this book. But at least 80% of the stories packed an emotional punch. As a celebrant of Christmas, I found connectivity in the poignancy of the people who questioned their adult celebrations of Chanukah and whether they bespoke cherished childhood traditions, were lost in crass commercialism or were ways, as adults, to reconnect or redefine with faith and family relationships. There's a universality to most of these stories that transcends religious experience. I rounded up to four stars, but overall I really enjoyed the book.

[Jordana Schmier · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a few really good essays here, but most of it consists of people explaining that their rejection (for at least one year) of Christmas means that they have found meaning in Chanukah and Judaism. Um, no. Instead of seeking to fill knowledge gaps, they proudly exclaim how they celebrate but don't know why. There are so many opportunities and resources to learn and to celebrate with community that I am really disheartened when I read these essays by people who are clearly quite literate but content for that literacy not to extend to their religious practice or tradition.

[David Rubenstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun collection of short stories by 18 authors. They each have unique recollections of their Chanukah experiences. Many of the stories point out how unimportant the holiday is, in Jewish tradition. Some of the stories are humorous, some poignant, some absurd. Beware, though--this is not a children's book.

[Kain · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories were interesting to read and raised questions of identity, memory, and family. Overall a solid read but I sometimes questioned what the authors were hoping I'd take from their stories.

[Bernadette Chappell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why I read this book.

I read this book for a challenge the prompt was a holiday you do not celebrate I liked that it was short stories.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of these short stories were great and some felt like actual trash to read. Sorry if that sounds mean, but also, not my cup of tea.

[Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories better than others. I sent my dad a copy. I'll let you know his review.

[Gabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a gorgeous collection of essays and reflections on Chanukah. I grew up very Protestant, surrounded by Protestant people and holidays, so this exploration of what had been called to me when I was young "Jewish Christmas" (and to discover, it is not in fact such) was wonderful. All of the essays were very real and honest and through them I learned a lot about not only Chanukah, but a culture that I'm sad to say I am not very familiar with. I highly recommend this to anyone unfamiliar with Chanukah but wanting to know more, or anyone who has experienced that questioning of connection and nostalgia for the traditions of our past.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Other reviewers seem to have had a similar experience reading this collection of stories - of the 18 only a small handful are meaningful, moving, or funny but most are boring and not super memorable. The disappointing stories were mostly about not understanding the holiday, or were just random stories that took place around Chanukah but didn't really have anything to do with the holiday. At the end of the book my main thought was, "these were the stories they chose to include? Really?"

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

when i first saw this book i got excited because while there are always holiday stories to read, there are so few stories about chanukah specifically. this book was a bunch of short stories and retellings of the authors' experiences. some were definitely interesting while others were skip-worthy. i guess it depends on what appeals to you.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a delightful series of short stories written by Jewish authors describing the cultural, spiritual, and traditional experiences of celebrating Chanukah. These reflections on Chanukah taught me about the holiday and I felt like an insider getting an education about a holiday I was sorely ignorant about. I really enjoyed it.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some essays were great, some were ok, so I'll even it out into a 3 star rating.

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up. Some stories were better than others.

[Debra B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a holiday gift from a friend. Otherwise, I would have not chosen to read it. I'm glad I did read it. Thoughtful essays and reminiscences.

[Raquel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty entertaining! Not bad for a collection of mostly secular Jews engaging in their cultural heritage and traditions. And I find that this is the real magic of Chanukah!

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Enjoyed the different perspectives of Hanukkah.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look into the Chanukah's of the authors' childhoods.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories that help you understand the author’s connection or lack of connection to the holiday.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

only enjoyed like 3 of the stories- could have been better

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Udine · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far I am laughing my ass off! This was a wonderfully funny book,