Really fascinating book that gives you a look inside the secretive world of Hassidic Jews. Rachel Benjamin is a young girl who rebels against her family and her arranged marriage, wishing she could be more like a 'regular' American girl in New York.

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A Jewish girl has problems with her very strict feminist family. A really good book, difficult to put down, about a young romance novel reader's struggle against the pressure for her to change.

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I found this book a voyage into self awareness and questioning of who we are.Are we destined to be what our parents want us to be or can we escape?This book did give a glimpse of what life as a Hassidic Jew is like,For us non-Jews it may seem rather oppressive.I found it very interesting ,I personally love learning about cultures and traditions other than my own.

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Great book!

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This book assumed some basic level of knowledge about Judaism and the greater NYC area. As a midwestern Christian, I was hoping for a glimpse into another world, but I was just kinda confused instead.

The book did seem to be well written, if you already had some inside knowledge. The phrase "spare prose" comes to mind.

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"What Rachel wants is to wear sheer stockings, to swim in a bathing suit, to sing at the top of her voice and wander the world like men do. But as the eldest daughter of a Hasidic rabbi, she is expected to follow in her mother's footsteps; caring for the young ones, helping at home, submitting to an arranged marriage and shaving off her hair. The world of Orthodox Judaism is strictly controlled, and
Rachel can't quite imagine what life is like outside. But the forbidden paperback books that she secretly devours tell her of a world filled with daring, seductive men and sensuous, rebellious women. A world she yearns fo even as her wedding day draws near. A world that she's not even sure really exists....

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