PositiveJewish Book CouncilThe book is strongest when Mnookin uses his legal mind to place elements of Jewish identity on trial ... Utilizing his expertise in the art of negotiation, Mnookin makes his case for a definition of Jewish identity that is wide and inclusive, knowing full well that many will disagree. In this respect, Mnookin is brave; while many writers have unpacked the challenges and questions of modern Jewry, few have the courage to try to answer those questions. While the book at time reads like an insider conversation among people who are already invested in the Jewish community, at others it seems like a primer on Judaism itself ... Though not a memoir, the book is deeply personal. This is not an impartial look at American Jewry. Mnookin reveals throughout how he has reconciled issues regarding his and his family’s Jewish identity, and one sees how those personal experiences clearly inform his analysis, from his examination of intermarriage to his discussion of Israel. Readers will appreciate walking alongside one of our generation’s great legal minds as he thoughtfully struggles to find his place in the 3,000-year-old Jewish conversation.
