I really loved My Thirty-Minute Bar Mitzvah. I appreciated the character study and insight into Jewish identity. I'd read more from this author.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when going into reading this, but, after reading it, I found that it was a very good memoir!

I’ve read a lot of books on various topics pertaining to Jewish identity and I think that this book gave us another perspective on that, as well as a story that was interesting. However, while I enjoyed this read, I didn’t really understand the historical context for the story and, thus, felt a little lost at times because I just didn’t know where those events fell in time or what they were.

I would recommend this read and would like to read it again after brushing up on some South African history.

Thanks to netgalley for this read!

Not quite what I thought it would be based on the title, which only becomes clear after being emerged in the book, but it was a fine read and should appeal to those interested in both Jewish life in South Africa and the history beginning in the early 1960s. The writing itself is fine and it falls into the category of literary nonfiction. As a reader, not having a solid enough background on this topic was a bit of an impediment, but as a memoir, it had enough unusual detail to it to hold my attention until the end. And the title itself got me thinking, which is always a good sign!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this memoir. I hope it is well read.