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Failure Is Obsolete: The Ultimate Strategy to Create Recurring Success in Your Business and Your Life
by Benji RabhanA data-driven way to make smarter decisions every day: &“One of the smartest conversion guys I know&” (Perry Marshall, author of The Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords). Failure Is Obsolete reveals an easy-to-use formula for testing high-risk ideas in a low-risk environment, providing increased likelihood of success before you waste a lot of time and money moving in the wrong direction. Be more confident in your business decisions—from creating new products to hiring employees and launching new marketing campaigns—as well as personal decisions like dating or choosing a retirement home. This useful strategy evolves from the author&’s years of experience in conversion rate optimization, helping companies improve their websites and marketing funnels so they make more money. In addition, Failure Is Obsolete reveals some of Benji Rabhan&’s best conversion techniques that readers can use on their own websites.
Nationalist in the Viet Nam Wars: Memoirs of a Victim Turned Soldier
by Nguyên Công Luân&“A dark and fascinating tale . . . illuminated by Nguyen&’s story of escape from Communist tyranny to the United States in 1990, and by his honesty and integrity, which shine through on every page.&” —Historynet.com This extraordinary memoir tells the story of one man&’s experience of the wars of Viet Nam from the time he was old enough to be aware of war in the 1940s until his departure for America 15 years after the collapse of South Viet Nam in 1975. Nguyen Cong Luan was born and raised in small villages near Ha Noi. He grew up knowing war at the hands of the Japanese, the French, and the Viet Minh. Living with wars of conquest, colonialism, and revolution led him finally to move south and take up the cause of the Republic of Viet Nam, exchanging a life of victimhood for one of a soldier. His stories of village life in the north are every bit as compelling as his stories of combat and the tragedies of war. This honest and impassioned account is filled with the everyday heroism of the common people of his generation. &“Long overdue, this memoir will be a worthy addition to any academic library interested in the tragedy of Vietnam. . . . Essential.&” —Choice &“An essential read for those who seek to understand the complex tragedy of the wars of Vietnam.&” —ARMY
Awake at the Wheel: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an Uphill World)
by Mitchell Lewis Ditkoff&“Mitch Ditkoff has created a GPS for the innovation process. Awake at the Wheel is a witty and inspiring roadmap for the journey from ideas to invention!&” (Donna Fenn, author of Alpha Dogs) Awake at the Wheel is a book about ideas: what they are, where they come from, and what it takes to manifest them in a world not always ready for the new and the different. Simply put, it's a book about possibility, about the wellspring of creation, about the strange and fascinating process we all go through whenever we have an idea and try to do something about it. And while it's often said that &“ideas are a dime a dozen,&” the fact is that your idea—the one you can't get out of your head—is priceless. That is, IF you make the kind of effort required to turn that top of the line idea into a bottom line reality. Maybe it&’s an idea for a new business. Maybe it&’s an idea for a new product . . . or invention . . . or a book you want to write . . . or a school you want to open . . . or a move you want to make. Maybe it's an idea for something that will change the world . . . or if not THE world, then YOUR world. Whatever it is, one thing is clear: it's time for you to take the next step. Now! &“A superb catalyst for anyone with the urge to bring their best ideas into reality.&” —Tim Gallwey, author of The Inner Game of Tennis and The Inner Game of Work
Battles of the Sexes: Raising Sexual IQ to Lower Sexual Conflict and Empower Lasting Love
by Dr. Joe Malone Sarah Achelpohl HarrisA fresh look at relationships between twenty-first century females and males. In the twenty-first century, it is no longer just the battle of the sexes, but individual battles of the sexes that pose challenges to how men and women relate to each other. Battles of the Sexes helps men and women understand their own sexual nature, as well that of the opposite sex, and develop sexual empathy for each other. Leading young adult health experts Joe Malone, PhD and Sarah Harris, MS, RDN, provide insight into the mismatch both sexes endure between our rapidly changing culture and our inherited nature and the resulting battles both genders fight. Cutting-edge, yet understandable science is used to illustrate things like the effect of women&’s menstrual cycles and the chemical and visual laws of attraction. Malone and Harris lay out what motivates the genders inside relationships, particularly men and their relationship with women and women and their relationship with food, in a way that encourages sexual empathy. Battles of the Sexes illuminates how couples can recognize chemical dangers to their bonds and gives singles valuable insights for dating, empowering loving, lasting, committed romance between men and women that will benefit not only individuals, but also our entire species.
What This River Keeps: A Novel (Break Away Bks.)
by Greg SchwippsThe moving story of a Midwestern family fighting to preserve their ties to the land and to each other: &“Bears comparison to the best work of Steinbeck&” (Kent Haruf, author of Plainsong). In the rolling hills of southern Indiana, an elderly couple copes with the fear that their river bottom farm—the only home they&’ve ever known—will be taken from them through an act of eminent domain. The river flowing through their land, where the old man has fished nearly every day of his life, may be dammed to form a reservoir. Their son, meanwhile, sinks deeper into troubles of his own, struggling to determine his place in a new romantic relationship and the duty he owes to his family&’s legacy. What This River Keeps is a heartfelt novel about what it means to love a place and a family, and the sometimes staggering cost of that love. &“Like the best work of Richard Russo, Greg Schwipps lushly creates the depth and breadth of a single community with absorbing detail, a refreshing keenness and lyric kind-heartedness. These are likeable, imperfect people, beautifully drawn, living without pretense in what they want from the world.&” —Tom Chiarella, fiction editor of Esquire Magazine
Style and Music: Theory, History, and Ideology
by Leonard B. MeyerLeonard Meyer proposes a theory of style and style change that relates the choices made by composers to the constraints of psychology, cultural context, and musical traditions. He explores why, out of the abundance of compositional possibilities, composers choose to replicate some patterns and neglect others. Meyer devotes the latter part of his book to a sketch-history of nineteenth-century music. He shows explicitly how the beliefs and attitudes of Romanticism influenced the choices of composers from Beethoven to Mahler and into our own time. "A monumental work. . . . Most authors concede the relation of music to its cultural milieu, but few have probed so deeply in demonstrating this interaction."—Choice "Probes the foundations of musical research precisely at the joints where theory and history fold into one another."—Kevin Korsyn, Journal of American Musicological Society "A remarkably rich and multifaceted, yet unified argument. . . . No one else could have brought off this immense project with anything like Meyer's command."—Robert P. Morgan, Music Perception "Anyone who attempts to deal with Romanticism in scholarly depth must bring to the task not only musical and historical expertise but unquenchable optimism. Because Leonard B. Meyer has those qualities in abundance, he has been able to offer fresh insight into the Romantic concept."—Donal Henahan, New York Times
The Weakness of God: A Theology of the Event (Indiana Series in the Philosophy of Religion)
by John D. CaputoThe author of What Would Jesus Deconstruct? makes &“a bold attempt to reconfigure the terms of debate around the topic of divine omnipotence&” (Choice). Applying an ever more radical hermeneutics—including Husserlian and Heideggerian phenomenology, Derridian deconstruction, and feminism—John D. Caputo breaks down the name of God in this irrepressible book. Instead of looking at God as merely a name, Caputo views it as an event, or what the name conjures or promises in the future. For Caputo, the event exposes God as weak, unstable, and barely functional. While this view of God flies in the face of most religions and philosophies, it also puts up a serious challenge to fundamental tenets of theology and ontology. Along the way, Caputo&’s readings of the New Testament, especially of Paul&’s view of the Kingdom of God, help to support the &“weak force&” theory. This penetrating work cuts to the core of issues and questions—What is the nature of God? What is the nature of being? What is the relationship between God and being? What is the meaning of forgiveness, faith, piety, or transcendence?—that define the terrain of contemporary philosophy of religion. &“Caputo comes out of the closet as a theologian in this work.&” —Catherine Keller, Drew University &“Caputo has a gift for explaining Continental philosophy&’s jargon succinctly and accurately, and despite technical and foreign terms, this book will engage upper-level undergraduates. Includes scriptural and general indexes . . . Highly recommended.&” —Choice
Prevention Is the Cure!: A Scientist's Guide to Extending Your Life
by Dr. Fred SancilioLearn the secrets of longevity and staying youthful: &“A good read . . .Very important.&” —Larry King A scientist discusses the nature of health and sickness—and what we all can do to remain vibrant as we grow older—in a book that takes you through the root causes of most diseases and guides you in ways that can save your life and the lives of others. Discover the four primary causes of illnesses and how to avoid them. Learn the ten commandments of longevity, the secret habits of centenarians, and, most important, learn how you can remain youthful well into your eighties and nineties. Dr. Fred Sancilio shares the story of the tragic demise of his own father, the tipping point to his quest to find the truth about why some people always seem to be sick, while others are perpetually healthy. Learn how scientists study the differences between eating habits of various populations, and the connection between the incredible health of the Inuits of Greenland and a diet that could well benefit all of mankind. This guidebook to a long and healthy life will lay the groundwork for a robust and active future.
Earth As It Is (Break Away Book Club Edition)
by Jan Maher&“A small-town hairdresser is not quite what she seems in this . . quietly luminous tale of folksy gender-bending that&’s entertaining and authentic&” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Texas, 1930s. Charlie Bader has come of age struggling with urges he doesn&’t understand. After his new bride finds him wearing her lingerie, she leaves in disgust and Charlie tries to move on. Landing in Chicago, he soon discovers a community of cross-dressers and starts attending their secret soirees. But when the attack on Pearl Harbor draws the United States into World War II, Charlie volunteers for the army, serving as a dentist and trying once again to leave his obsession with soft clothes behind. After the war, thanks in part to the army&’s faulty record-keeping, Charlie reappears in the small town of Heaven, Indiana—as Charlene. There, Charlene opens a beauty shop where Heaven&’s women safely share their stories and secrets as she shampoos, clips, curls, and combs their hair. Charlene manages to keep her story hidden and her sexual desires quiet. But when she falls in love with a female customer, she faces a moment of truth—and risk—unlike any she&’s known before. &“A complex and deeply emotional novel which explores a rarely discussed aspect of gender identity in the post-war Midwest . . . captivating.&” —Historical Novel Society
Pilot to Profit: Navigating Modern Entrepreneurship to Build Your Business Using Online Marketing, Social Media, Content Marketing and Sales
by Lisa LarterReady to generate sales, build brand buzz, and watch your cash flow soar? Entrepreneurs, prepare for takeoff! Pilot to Profit clears up the confusion of modern entrepreneurship—so you can build a smart, successful, and sustainable business with sky-high returns. If you find yourself overwhelmed with questions—Do I really need to be on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter? How do these other people command such high fees (and how can I)? How do I double my profits this year without doubling the work?—this book can provide answers to help you get unstuck, as well as proven strategies to help your business get found and turn connections into paying customers, whether you&’re an established enterprise or just starting out. Learn how to: Gain a stronger money mindset and stop sabotaging your ability to be paid what you&’re worth for the work you doSet your money-making &“radar&” on high alertCreate a clearly defined business model that maximizes what comes in, with less effort put outFind the right channels to grow your business so you can reach more peopleCreate content that raises your credibility and puts you on the map (because without great content, your business might never be found)Use email and social media to grow your fan base Lastly, you&’ll walk away understanding how to sell what you do, whom to sell it to, and precisely how to find and connect with those people. This book takes you step-by-step on your journey to building a successful, profitable business you love. With Pilot to Profit, you&’re officially cleared for takeoff.
It Takes All 5: A Single Mom's Guide to Finding the Real One
by Kerri ZaneA supportive survival guide for women who want a &“REALationship&”—not a rebound! With the wit and warmth of a girlfriend, divorced mother Kerri Zane shares her own story of bouncing back from the painful breakup of her marriage—and explains her philosophy about caring for yourself both inside and out before you make the leap into the next romantic liaison. Using solid statistics, tangible facts, proven healing mechanisms, and first person stories of wisdom, she provides a beacon to show how to become a more confident and loving whole woman, ready for the challenge of finding &“the REAL One&” and forming an authentic and renewable REALationship.
The Heart of Marketing: Love Your Customers and They Will Love You Back
by Judith Sherven Jim Sniechowski&“This book will radically boost your sales. Feeling good about yourself afterwards will just be a nice side effect&” (Mark Joyner, author of The Irresistible Offer). This book is about marketing. But more important, this is a book about you, the soft sell marketer—and your desire to market and sell your products and services, online or off, without compromising your personal or professional values. In short, it&’s about putting your heart into marketing. Based on the principle that selling is spiritual service, this book validates the power of heart-to-heart connections that lead to emotional authenticity and marketing believability, taking sales beyond mere commercial transactions into long-term customer relationships. For those who want to focus on integrity, avoid deceptive or hard-sell tactics, and maintain a balance between commerce and conscience, it will inspire the imagination—setting the foundation for you to understand and profit from the practice of soft sell marketing.
The Masked Saint: Husband, Pastor . . . Hero: Inspired by True Events
by Chris WhaleyProfessional wrestler turned Baptist pastor turned vigilante superhero: A rousing, inspiring novel based on true events and made into an award-winning film. In the ring, Florida&’s Chris Samuel is known as The Gladiator. Until a calling urges him to uproot his wife and two daughters and take up more spiritual challenges in theology. Yet the battles he won as a deathmatch champ are minor compared to those he must overcome at his struggling new church in Fort Worth, Texas: an overbearing congregant, failing attendance, much-needed repairs, and mounting bills. Then he meets Miss Edna, an elderly fan—of God and the Gladiator—who encourages Chris to go back to mat. After all, it could save his church from financial ruin. But when he stumbles upon a brutal fight in a seedy side of town, Chris&’s blessed body slamming skills save the night. Donning his mask and tights, the good pastor is determined to take out the bad guys. Now, as his crime-fighting avenger The Saint makes headlines, Chris must reconcile his fearless secret identity with his real mission in life. And it&’ll take his faith, his family and Miss Edna to remind him about grace, goodness and the truth.
How About Demons?: Possession and Exorcism in the Modern World (Folklore Today #No.467)
by Felicitas D. GoodmanThe author of the Exorcism of Anneliese Michel &“is to be commended for a stimulating and wide-reaching treatment of a compelling and much-debated subject&” (Journal of Folklore Research). As part of a series that strives to introduce new or previously unrecognized folkloric phenomena—as well as new approaches and theories that result from discovery and investigation—How About Demons? provides an overview of a topic that has for many years captured the imagination of people from all walks of life. Rich in detail derived from the author&’s fieldwork and anthropological literature, this work contemplates possession and exorcism in a holistic manner—discussing their effects on both the body and soul. How About Demons? paints a picture of possession as a usually positive experience occurring in a wide variety of cultures and religions around the globe. It also details the ritual of exorcism which is applied when things go wrong. &“Quite an interesting book.&”—Religious Studies Review &“It is by far superior to anything else on demons we have seen in the past few years.&”—The American Rationalist
Cutting Edge Sales: Confessions of Success, Influence & Self-Fulfillment from the World's Finest Knife Dealers
by Jon BerghoffA guide to successful selling from the professionals at Cutco Cutlery: &“Everybody needs the practical wisdom contained in Cutting Edge Sales&” (Brian Tracy). Since 1949, a growing culture of Cutco Cutlery salespeople has been quietly grooming our nation's youth to be the next generation of CEOs, philanthropists, and entrepreneurial success stories. Here, twelve former and three current Cutco Cutlery sales professionals—with over $300 million combined in Cutco Cutlery sales—have gathered together to collaborate and share their influence, secrets and real world wisdom with sales professionals, business owners, and entrepreneurs across the globe. As a true expression of their willingness to give back, each author involved in this project agreed to donate 100% of their royalties to the charity of their choosing. Your purchase of this book will help the authors in their quest to positively transform the world—and your execution of the Cutting Edge Sales lessons will positively transform you and your business.
Understanding Philanthropy: Its Meaning and Mission (Philanthropic and Nonprofit Studies)
by Michael P. Moody Robert L. Payton&“A fine volume on the moral meaning and function of philanthropy…makes the case that philanthropy is essential to democratic society.&”—Choice Philanthropy has existed in various forms in all cultures and civilizations throughout history, yet most people know little about it and its distinctive place in our lives. Why does philanthropy exist? Why do people so often turn to philanthropy when we want to make the world a better place? In essence, what is philanthropy? These fundamental questions are tackled in this engaging and original book. Written by one of the founding figures in the field of philanthropic studies, Robert L. Payton, and his former student sociologist Michael P. Moody, Understanding Philanthropy presents a new way of thinking about the meaning and mission of philanthropy. Weaving together accessible theoretical explanations with fascinating examples of philanthropic action, this book advances key scholarly debates about philanthropy and offers practitioners a way of explaining the rationale for their nonprofit efforts.
Claiming Society for God: Religious Movements and Social Welfare (Encounters: Explorations in Folklore and Ethnomusicology)
by Robert V. Robinson Nancy J. DavisThe nonviolent ways orthodox religious groups achieve social power and influence: a &“brilliant&” study of four movements in the US and abroad (Wendell Bell, Yale University). Gold Medal Winner, Independent Publisher Book AwardsClaiming Society for God focuses on common strategies used by religiously orthodox (what some would call &“fundamentalist&”) movements around the world. Rather than using armed struggle or terrorism, as much of post-9/11 thinking suggests, these movements use a patient, under-the-radar strategy of taking over civil society. Claiming Society for God tells the stories of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the Sephardi Torah Guardians or Shas in Israel, Comunione e Liberazione in Italy, and the Salvation Army in the United States, showing how these movements, grounded in a communitarian theology, are building massive grassroots networks of religiously based social service agencies, hospitals and clinics, rotating credit societies, schools, charitable organizations, worship centers, and businesses. These networks are already being called states within states, surrogate states, or parallel societies, and in Egypt brought the Muslim Brotherhood to control of parliament and the presidency. This bottom-up, entrepreneurial strategy is aimed at making religion the cornerstone of society. &“Sociology at its very best…professionally researched and analyzed, both pragmatic and theoretical, overwhelmingly convincing, and an important corrective to a lot of current beliefs…a great read—fascinating from beginning to end.&”—Wendell Bell, Yale University, author of Foundations of Futures Studies
François Truffaut: The Lost Secret
by Anne Gillain&“Truffaut fans will love this English translation of Gillain&’s work drawing on the psychology and cinematography of the acclaimed filmmaker.&” —Booklist For François Truffaut, the lost secret of cinematic art is in the ability to generate emotion and reveal repressed fantasies through cinematic representation. Available in English for the first time, Anne Gillain&’s François Truffaut: The Lost Secret is considered by many to be the best book on the interpretation of Truffaut&’s films. Taking a psycho-biographical approach, Gillain shows how Truffaut&’s creative impulse was anchored in his personal experience of a traumatic childhood that left him lonely and emotionally deprived. In a series of brilliant, nuanced readings of each of his films, she demonstrates how involuntary memories arising from Truffaut&’s childhood not only furnish a succession of motifs that are repeated from film to film, but also govern every aspect of his mise en scène and cinematic technique. &“Brilliant . . . A delicious reexamination . . . that will make us want to sit down and take in all of Truffaut&’s wonderful filmography at once.&” —PopMatters
Woman to Woman: The Truth About Our Intimate Relationships: How We Love, Hurt and Triumph
by PsyD Daniela GranzottoAn exploration of the bonds that play a central role in women&’s lives and which are critical for a woman&’s sense of identity and emotional well-being. For the modern woman, the need for love and acceptance from another has never been more important. Finding true love, however, has never been more fraught with challenge and adversity. You may have experienced infidelity, had a partner who fails to respect your boundaries, or felt deeply sad and lonely in your marriage. You could also be a woman who has a strong desire to marry but can&’t find your soul mate. In Woman to Woman you will read about others who have experienced such challenges, as well as those who were able to find fulfillment in their romantic relationships. In their own words, they talk about marriage, sex, infidelity, divorce, and single life. Entwined within their stories, Dr. Daniela Granzotto discusses critical issues that characterize a healthy intimate relationship. With frankness and warmth, Dr. Granzotto shares her expert knowledge and insight—woman to woman—to empower you with a better understanding of yourself and your love life.
The Event: Event (Studies in Continental Thought)
by Martin HeideggerThis elegantly translated collection of Heidegger&’s private later writings is &“illuminating to some of his most difficult discussions.&” (Phillip Braunstein, Loyola Marymount College). Martin Heidegger&’s The Event offers the most in-depth articulation of his later work&’s most foundational concept, as well as his most substantial self-critique of his Contributions to Philosophy: Of the Event. Written between 1936 and 1944, and published posthumously as volume 71 of his Complete Works, The Event collects Heidegger&’s private writings in response to his Contributions. Richard Rojcewicz&’s faithful and straightforward translation offers the English-speaking reader intimate contact with the author&’s process of formulating some of his most important concepts. This book lays out how the Event is to be understood and ties it closely to looking, showing, self-manifestation, and the self-unveiling of the gods.
The Step: One Woman's Journey to Finding her Own Happiness and Success During the Apollo Space Program
by Martha LemastersA memoir of working as one of the few female employees at the Kennedy Space Center in the 1960s. Martha Lemasters&’s gripping memoir tells the remarkable story of her life as a single mother employed at Cape Kennedy during the Apollo years. Fiercely determined, she works her way up, finally realizing her dream of becoming a writer in a male-dominated workplace, and witnesses history first hand. In this riveting insider's look at the real dream team who made landing a man on the moon possible, we get to know many of the main players in the most powerful scientific and engineering team of its time. The space race and the sexual revolution collide in this true story of what it was like to be a part of this remarkable era, and the historical accomplishment of launching our astronauts to the moon.
A Conservationist Manifesto
by Scott Russell Sanders&“Eloquent . . . a must-read for anyone committed to taking care of the natural world and passing it along to future generations&” (ForeWord). As an antidote to the destructive culture of consumption dominating American life today, Scott Russell Sanders calls for a culture of conservation that allows us to savor and preserve the world, instead of devouring it. How might we shift to a more durable and responsible way of life? What changes in values and behavior will be required? Ranging from southern Indiana to the Boundary Waters Wilderness, and from billboards to the Bible, Sanders&’s 40-point blueprint for ecological health extends the visions of Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and Rachel Carson to our own day. A Conservationist Manifesto shows the crucial relevance of a conservation ethic at a time of mounting concern about global climate change, depletion of natural resources, extinction of species, and the economic inequities between rich and poor nations. The important message of these &“original and intriguing&” essays is that conservation is not simply a personal virtue but a public one (Publishers Weekly). &“A book to be savored—for its language, its stories, its sense of place, and for how it reminds us of the profound relationships with nature and each other that can inspire us to change how we live on this planet.&” —Will Rogers, President, The Trust for Public Land
Battle of Surigao Strait (Twentieth-Century Battles)
by Anthony P. Tully&“[Tully] paints Admiral Nishimura's high-speed run into history with an entirely fresh palette of detail.&” —James D. Hornfischer, New York Times–bestselling author of Neptune&’s Inferno Surigao Strait in the Philippine Islands was the scene of a major battleship duel during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Because the battle was fought at night and had few survivors on the Japanese side, the events of that naval engagement have been passed down in garbled accounts. Anthony P. Tully pulls together all of the existing documentary material, including newly discovered accounts and a careful analysis of US Navy action reports, to create a new and more detailed description of the action. In several respects, Tully's narrative differs radically from the received versions and represents an important historical corrective. Also included in the book are a number of previously unpublished photographs and charts that bring a fresh perspective to the battle. &“By giving a fuller view of the Japanese side, Tully's work forces a substantial revision of the traditional picture of the battle. Battle of Surigao Strait is not only military history based on scrupulous use of a plethora of new source materials, but is a spanking good read. Highly recommended.&” —War in History &“Tully has managed to trace the complicated flow of and reason for events on the nights of 24-25 October with a skill and aplomb that forces one to reconsider previously held views.&” —Naval History
In Search of Jewish Community: Jewish Identities in Germany and Austria, 1918–1933
by Michael Brenner and Derek J. PenslarA collection of essays interrogates the nature of Jewish identity in the time between two world wars. The history of Jews in interwar Germany and Austria is often viewed either as the culmination of tremendous success in the economic and cultural realms and of individual assimilation and acculturation, or as the beginning of the road that led to Auschwitz. By contrast, this volume demonstrates a re-emerging sense of community within the German-speaking Jewish population of these two countries in the two decades after World War I. The fresh research presented here shows that while Jews may have experienced a deepening sense of impending crisis and economic decline, a renewal of Jewish communal life took place during these years, as new groupings sprang up, including organizations for youth, for rural Jews, and for political groups such as Zionists and Bundists. Several chapters consider the impact of economic and political crises on German-Jewish family life. Together, these essays form a complex mosaic of German Jewry on the eve of its demise. &“An excellent collection . . . well written and cogently argued.&” —David N. Myers
Becoming Soviet Jews: The Bolshevik Experiment in Minsk (The Modern Jewish Experience)
by Elissa BemporadAn &“endlessly rewarding&” contribution to the study of Jewish life in the Soviet Union: &“Fascinating . . . nuanced and respectful of human limitations&” (Slavic Review). Minsk, the present capital of Belarus, was a heavily Jewish city in the decades between the world wars. Recasting our understanding of Soviet Jewish history, Becoming Soviet Jews demonstrates that pre-revolutionary forms of Jewish life in Minsk maintained continuity through the often violent social changes enforced by the communist project. Using Minsk as a case study of the Sovietization of Jews in the former Pale of Settlement, Elissa Bemporad reveals the ways in which many Jews acculturated to Soviet society in the 1920s and 1930s while remaining committed to older patterns of Jewish identity, such as Yiddish culture and education, attachment to the traditions of the Jewish workers&’ Bund, circumcision, and kosher slaughter. This pioneering study also illuminates the reshaping of gender relations on the Jewish street and explores Jewish everyday life and identity during the years of the Great Terror. &“Highly readable and brimming with novel facts and insights . . . [A] rich and engaging portrayal of a previously overlooked period and place.&” —H-Judaic