Wednesday, September 09, 2015

The Blind Angel, Book Review, Enjoyed!

I'm finally catching up on my book review and "fun" reading. There's still quite a pile between books sent to me, books given to me and a book for the book club I'm in. I must admit that I'll miss The Blind Angel by Tovia Halberstam & Joshua Halberstam, which has been a very enjoyable read, actually much better than I could have predicted.
For twenty-five years Rabbi Tovia Halberstam, a scion of the leading Chassidic dynasties, told these riveting tales to an audience of thousands on Yiddish radio in New York. His son, Joshua Halberstam, has translated these tales into a contemporary English that addresses a modern sensibility while maintaining the full charm and authenticity of the original tales.
In all honesty, I'm not the Chassidic Tales type, though I do love a well-crafted story with moral. Some of the stories here were new to me, while others are old favorites. It's hard to give a "favorite story." Each one had something special about it. Nobody was too goody-goody, and nobody seemed all that evil. Just like real life, many people found themselves in unexpected situations. The Chassidic Tale genre generally has a moral and happy ending with some plot twists.

The Blind Angel by Tovia Halberstam & Joshua Halberstam is the perfect book for those who like the genre and need to retell such stories for lessons or as part of speeches. I like books that can be put down and then picked up without having to remember the previous plot and narrative. It's great for those who have little time or short attention spans. And it would make a great gift for others and yourself, too.

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