The Joys of Hebrew

Rating:
Summary: A must buy for the curious!!
Review: Although this book doesn't exactly give the beginner all the esentials of word(s) origin, it does though, give any reader a fresh insight of meaning and usage. Lewis Glinert is well known author of many Hebrew language texts and a well respected intructor of the Hebrew language from various colleges and universities. The selection of words are well chosen(dictionary style), some biblical, and some just plain everyday words. A nice addition to the list is the Yiddish translation(s), and plus a list of some biblical names with its translations in the back. This is great book for travellers(for those long air flights to and from). Educators, like myself can utilize this book at anytime or place, especially stumped by the curiosities of colleagues and students. The only reason that I gave it a 9 out of 10, is that, there seems to be no evidence of a second book on its way. Well at least get this one! Shlomo Arad

Rating:
Summary: Not the Joys of Yiddish
Review: For those who expect a book along the lines of the Joys of Yiddish, you will be disappointed. Leo Rosten had an extraordinary ability to combine humor and scholarship in his book. He also benefitted from the fact that many Yiddish words are used widely among English speaking Jews and a good deal of them have found their way into the wider English speaking world. The Joys of Hebrew will disappoint those familiar with Rosten's book. In part, it is because spoken Hebrew has not yet developed the expressiveness of Yiddish and also little of colloquial Hebrew is known or used within the English speaking Jewish community. More important, Glinert's writing style cannot compare to Rosten's and his book suffers in comparison. The Joys of Hebrew will be useful to individuals looking to expand their understanding of the language but will have limited appeal to others.