| Product Description: |
This isnt your zaydes Jewish comedy. The once revolutionary, understated "Jew-ish" and "Israel-lite" flavor of Seinfeld has been replaced by a brutal matter-of-factness that would make earlier generation cringe. Your primer to the ever-changing face of Jewish comedy at the dawn of the 21st century: the new faces, their outrageous routines and their sometimes surprising seriousness about the most de pressing issues of our time. |
| by anonymous customer: |
Shtick Around: Laughter to Tide Us Over during Hard Economic Times
Reb Simcha doesn't disappoint in his second book about Jewish humor, "Shtick Shift." It's a rollicking read, full of historical anecdotes, fascinating moments of comic nostalgia and loaded with laughs! Couldn't put it down! It's a light-hearted way to pick up all kinds of interesting tidbits about the Jewish comics of yesteryear who we grew to know and love as we were growing up -- Jack Benny, the Marx Brothers and Mel Brooks -- and brings their influence into the present with Seinfeld, Costanza and Sandler, among many others. Forget those failing equity funds! Pick up a copy of "Shtick Shift" and enjoy! |
| by anonymous customer: |
Mediocre
Other reviewers seem to love this, but I found it to be too brief and not very in depth. The topic is interesting, and since there are not very many books written about contemporary Jewish humor, it is a must read for that reason alone. But very often, I found that Weinstein makes a point without explaining himself fully or following the point through to its logical end. Also, he refers often to stories from the bible to support his readings of contemporary Jewish culture, which is fine, especially considering that he is a rabbi, but he glosses over the Eastern European shtetl influence on contemporary Jews.
Finally, what annoyed me the most about this book was that Weinstein himself often tries to be funny, and it usually falls flat. Just because humor is someone's topic of critical inquiry, it doesn't mean that that person has comic talent him or herself. |
| by zev203: |
William
Simcha Weinstein's book about Jewish humor is brilliant and humourous. An absolute pleasure to read! |
| by anonymous customer: |
Keeping Us Laughing
Weinstein, Simcha. "Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st Century",Barricade Books, 2008.
Keeping Us Laughing
Amos Lassen
Like everything else in our world, humor is in a state of flux. Sarah Silverman says things publicly that makes us blush. Sasha Baron Cohen puts on a woman's one piece topless bathing suit and we roar. Movies like "Borat" and "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" use suggestive phrases in Hebrew that man do not understand. Have we reached a new high (or low) in Jewish humor"?
Simcha (Rabbi) Weinstein takes a hard look at what makes us laugh today (or cower in embarrassment). We no longer have our grandfather's brand of Jewish humor. Today we are more matter-of-fact and the old guard does not know how to take it. (I consider myself to be fairly up on the times and both Judd Apatow and Sara Silverman make me nervous). The new Jewish comedians like Jon Stewart, Larry David and those already mentioned take pride in their Jewishness and use it for laughs. Routines tend on the outrageous even when they seriously reflect the temper of the times.
This is a book that looks not only at Jewish humor but how we live today. Weinstein intelligently looks at Jewish humor as he also takes on the issues of anti-Semitism, intermarriage, assimilation and survival as it is depicted through today's comedy. I found as I read that there was so much of me in this book especially in the area of Jewish identity. It seems to me that Weinstein probes the inner Jew in all of us and takes us along with him on a journey of self-discovery. In doing so, Weinstein brings us close to Judaism.
We go back to the roots of Jewish American humor--to vaudeville and the lower east side as well as to film and TV. Weinstein has the ability to look at humor and tell us about it clearly. He explains with astuteness and shows the changing face of what we consider funny. And we do see that the movie capital of the world is indeed run by Jews and this quite naturally has its influence. There are great laughs here but there is so much more. Weinstein raises important questions and gives great and insightful answers. I also love that that the book is about more than just Jewish humor---Weinstein also has a look at our history and our influence and he does it all so well.
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| by anonymous customer: |
Unique and refreshing!
Where a lot of Torah scholars avoid pop culture like the plague, Rabbi Simcha Weinstein dives right in, and comes up with a thorough and poignant analysis of the evolution of American Jewish humor, some keen moral insights taken from Jewish tradition, all the while keeping it funny. Personally, I just think it's really cool to see a rabbi address a topic that's a part of so many of our lives (any of us who, for example, watch television), that most simply won't touch, or at least, won't give such a thoughtful treatment. Modern Jewish humor, from a timeless Torah perspective - a rare find, and a great read! |
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Welton Reccommends
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