I spent the first eighteen years of my life in the Bible Belt. In case you had any doubt, Protestant is the way of life there. Growing up, I knew a handful of Catholics and only two Jews. Two.Then I moved to New York. I started hearing descriptions that involved one's Jewishness instead of one's Baptist-ness, and I had no idea what any of these characteristics meant. And though I've spent five years here and numerous hours with my friends in the "Jew frat," I still don't find much to which I can relate. Who knew that Challah bread was 1) Jewish, and 2) not pronounced like 'chew' or like 'chronic'? Well, not I, as the kids I babysit informed me last year as they ridiculed my Jewish naivety.
When I was approached with Sex, Drugs, & Gefilte Fish: The Heeb Storytelling Collection, I had my doubts—not of its quality or humor, since several top-notch actors, writers, and comedians contribute to this story collection, but if I had absorbed enough New York Jewishness to appreciate (or even understand!) the humor.
However, these stories on sex, drugs, work, and family are more like a casserole of angst-ridden, self-reflective hilarity with a little bit of Jewish flavor thrown in. The publisher describes it as "an examination of what 'Jewishness' means" to the stories' authors, but I think it can be relatable to anyone with an experience that is just so ridiculous, it becomes self-defining. The stories are occasionally vulgar, mostly hilarious, and always refreshingly honest. One of my favorites was about a 12-year-old boy who thought Bo Derek was a man, so he convinced his mom to take to him to see "10" to find out what was so special about "him." Another by actor/comedian Michael Showalter describes "mustorderitis," the phenomenon that forces one to order a specific item on a menu, even if you know it is going to be garbage. Face it...gazpacho from a diner in the middle of West Virginia is not going to be very good.
The stories are so short that I found it hard to put the book down. You'll keep telling yourself, "I'll just read another one...ok, just one more." I laughed throughout, but at the end, my question about gefilte fish still remains unanswered (see post title).
The fine people at Hachette have graciously offered FIVE copies of Sex, Drugs, and Gefilte Fish to our US/Canadian readers! Each of the below will get you one entry (max 3):
- Leave a comment with your email on this post and explain gefilte fish to me! If you don't know, make something up and entertain me!
- Tweet about it (@booknerds)!
- Subscribe and let me know about it (if you're already subscribed, let me know about that, too!)
Good luck!
