Jonathan Rosen-Joy Comes in the Morning

I don't even remember what interested me in this book. I do know that I got it from one of my favorite sites, www.paperbackswap.com, which I'm happy to tell you about because it rocks!!

One of the reasons I was drawn to this book was because there are really not a lot of modern books that are written towards a Jewish audience that are overtly Jewish in content, especially coming from the Reform movement perspective. I am starting to see more come out lately and am hoping that this is a positive trend. Of course, I am hoping that one day I will start my one genre of literature with plenty of books showcasing strong Jewish women, exactly the way they are written about in other strong female literature, but that's another posting.

Back to the book. The book is told primarily in three voices: Deborah, a Reform rabbi in New York City; Henry, a Holocaust survivor who would like to commit suicide now that his quality of life diminishes further with every stroke; and Lev, his son who has recently broken off his engagement. Originally, I was only really impressed with Deborah, saddened by Henry and thoroughly frustrated with the character of Lev.

So how did Deborah become entangled in the lives of Henry, his wife and two sons? Henry had been hospitalized for a stroke and Deborah was doing chaplaincy at the hospital when she happened upon Henry. She started to do some praying for him and then Lev came in very upset, thinking that she was a Christian chaplain. She explained that no, she in fact was a Jewish rabbi.

The two of them slowly start to develop a relationship with each other, very cautiously and with much trepidation-both having been hurt in the past. The relationship starts with them studying Talmud together (Rosen wrote a previous book called Talmud and the Internet which I have sitting on my pile of books to read). Through the Talmudic study, they get to know each other better and better and the relationship becomes stronger yet fragile still at the same time as they both explore what it means to be involved like this.

As with all relationships, there are struggles and some of them quite traumatic and each make mistakes, as people do in relationships but watching their relationship develop is really beautiful and you want them to succeed in their pairing.

I loved the beautiful depictions of Deborah in prayer. She talks about wearing her grandfather's large Tallit that covers her completely and the incongruity of wearing the Tallit over her t-shirt and underwear first thing in the morning when she davens Shacharit. She also talks about her strictness in Kashrut and many other things yet while at the same time still struggling with many of the customs and laws of Judaism. I don't often feel this way, but I felt that I could really identify with this character and could see parts of myself in her and parts of what I want to be within her as well.

Hillary Rodham Clinton--Living History

I've always admired the Clinton family but never really understood them. This holds true for Hillary as well. I find her to be a hugely fascinating yet very complex woman. On the one hand, she is a stereotypical woman of her generation, married with both a BA and a law degree. With child and a working mother. But I never really felt that I could see what made her tick.


After reading her autobiography, I still don't know if I truly understand her. I certainly know much more about her childhood and some about her college years. I learned how she met Bill and what had originally drawn her to him.

Bill Clinton was an enigmatic man who really drew everyone around him to his charisma. Hillary was no exception. Hillary was actually dating someone else when she met him. They began dating during law school and spent much time together. After law school, Clinton moved back to Arkansas where he knew he would end up after law school. Rodham, on the other hand, went to Washington, D.C. where she ironically worked on the Watergate case.

Ultimately Hillary decided to follow her heart and moved to Arkansas to be nearer to Bill. She worked as a professor for a short while before joining a private law firm and marrying Bill Clinton. We all know what follows in her life. The book followed her time in the White House and the scandals that surrounded the presidency as well as the animosity she faced, being a very different First Lady than had been traditionally present in the White House.

Rodham Clinton juxtaposed her's and Bill's time in the White House with the times of the younger Bush presidency. She also spoke of times she spent with previous First Ladies, especially Jackie Kennedy. She felt a very strong connection with Kennedy for several reasons and valued her opinion, especially when it came to raising a child in the White House.

Throughout the book, Rodham Clinton stayed true to her White House promise, to let her daughter have as much privacy as possible and really did not focus on her daughter as a huge part of the book.

Of course, a book about the Clintons would not be complete without mention of the Monica Lewinsky scandal--something I have some strong opinions about (feel free to ask me my response would be to questions of that nature!!) Rodham Clinton spoke of how she felt throughout the whole experience but instead of explaining what was going through President Clinton's head, she simply stated that the story is Clinton's to share, not hers.

I really enjoyed learning about the details of Hillary Rodham Clinton's life but, as I stated before, I still feel that I don't understand her. I felt that even though she shared a lot of events that happened in her life, I don't feel that I know what makes her tick. To a certain extent, I felt that I was reading a history book, which isn't necessarily a bad thing BUT I was hoping to find out more about what goes on through her head, and more importantly, the emotions and voices of her heart.