Born To Kvetch
-
-
4.0 • 1 Rating
-
-
- $19.99
-
- $19.99
Publisher Description
As the main spoken language of the Jews for more than a thousand years, Yiddish has had plenty to lament, plenty to conceal. Its phrases and expressions paint a comprehensive picture of the mind-set that enabled the Jews of Europe to survive persecution: they never stopped kvetching about God, gentiles, children, and everything else.
In Born to Kvetch, Michael Wex looks at the ingredients that went into this buffet of disenchantment and examines how they were mixed together to produce an almost limitless supply of striking idioms and withering curses. Born to Kvetch includes a wealth of material that's never appeared in English before.
This is no bobe mayse (cock-and-bull story) from a khokhem be-layle (idiot, literally a "sage at night" when no one's looking), but a serious yet fun and funny look at a language. From tukhes to goy, meshugener to kvetch, Yiddish words have permeated and transformed English as well. Through the fascinating history of this kvetch-full tongue, Michael Wex gives us a moving and inspiring portrait of a people, and a language, in exile.
Customer Reviews
Educational Yiddish
I enjoyed listening to this book, although it was hard for me to keep up with much of it as my knowledge of the language is very rudimentary. However, it was exciting to hear the words and phrases I did recognize from my childhood as my parents (and other relatives) used them often in daily communication. I could listen to this book many times, and learn new things each time. Listening has also stirred an interest for me in learning more Yiddish.
I very much enjoyed listening to the author, Michael Wex, narrate his book. Very lively narration with quite a bit of dry humor. Very authentic!!