"Unorthodox" by Deborah Feldman

Straight off the bat, I am rounding up to 3 Goodreads Stars.

I was incredibly excited when I read the blurb for this book because the idea of learning about a life that's so radically different from my own was incredibly appealing. And while, Ms. Feldman absolutely did provide me with an education about Hasidic Jewish history, cultures, customs, and traditions, I don't feel like it was a very full picture of the author's life -- either in the Hasidic community or out of it.

I think this could be because - as other reviews have mentioned - the author wrote this book almost as soon as she left her marriage and the Hasidic community. This leads me to believe that this left little time for editing because a lot of the narrative is the author telling us that she feels like she doesn't fit in but not actually explaining or showing why.

I think, too, it left little time for reflection by the author. The end of the book is practically euphoric with freedom, which the author should absolutely delight in. But, I would have liked to know what it was like to set up an entirely new life and how she did it. How does she balance the differences in her life with her ex-husband's life, especially with their son involved? And, was she finally able to get a normal bathing suit like she'd wanted to at summer camp?