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Michael Wex

Born To Kvetch CD: Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods Audio CD – Unabridged, Feb. 28 2006

by Michael Wex (Author, Reader)

4.3 276 ratings

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As the main spoken language of the Jews for more than a thousand years, Yiddish has had plenty to lament, plenty to conceal. Its phrases and expressions paint a comprehensive picture of the mind-set that enabled the Jews of Europe to survive persecution: they never stopped kvetching about God, gentiles, children, and everything else.

In Born to Kvetch, Michael Wex looks at the ingredients that went into this buffet of disenchantment and examines how they were mixed together to produce an almost limitless supply of striking idioms and withering curses. Born to Kvetch includes a wealth of material that's never appeared in English before.

This is no bobe mayse (cock-and-bull story) from a khokhem be-layle (idiot, literally a "sage at night" when no one's looking), but a serious yet fun and funny look at a language. From tukhes to goy, meshugener to kvetch, Yiddish words have permeated and transformed English as well. Through the fascinating history of this kvetch-full tongue, Michael Wex gives us a moving and inspiring portrait of a people, and a language, in exile.

Language

English
Publisher

HarperAudio
Publication date

Feb. 28 2006
Dimensions

13.97 x 2.54 x 14.61 cm
ISBN-10

0061131229
ISBN-13

978-0061131226
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperAudio; Unabridged edition (Feb. 28 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061131229
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061131226
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 231 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.97 x 2.54 x 14.61 cm

Customer Reviews:
4.3 276 ratings

About the author

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Michael Wex

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Author of Born to Kvetch, columnist, bon vivant and raconteur, Michael Wex has been called "a Yiddish national treasure;" Born to Kvetch, the bestselling book ever written about Yiddish, was hailed by The New York Times as "wise, witty and altogether wonderful."

A native of Lethbridge, Alberta, Wex has worked in virtually every area of contemporary Yiddish. Some of his songs have been recorded by such klezmer bands as Sukke, The Flying Bulgars, and 2007 Grammy winners, The Klezmatics.

Wex's teaching and lecture activities-a unique combination of learning, stand-up comedy and probing investigation into the nature of Yiddish and Yiddishkayt-have taken him from Toronto to Budapest, and to many points in between. His approach is so unique and appealing that his annual series of classes at Klezkamp (a yearly Yiddish cultural event in upstate New York) has been renamed Wexology-and not at Wex's instigation. The only complaint ever heard is that people are enjoying themselves so much that they forget to take notes.

You can find Michael Wex at www.michaelwex.com

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

276 global ratings

5 star		60%
4 star		20%
3 star		12%
2 star		4%
1 star		4%

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Top reviews from Canada

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Joseph Myren

AWESOME

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 28, 2023

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AWESOME

Helpful

Shlomo Silverman

This is possibly one of the most entertaining, cerebral writings I have ever read.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 9, 2015

Verified Purchase

If you are inclined to learn Yiddish, this would be a great place to start. If you aren't inclined, this would be a great book to show you why you should learn Yiddish. The irony and humor, the puns and the hidden insults alone are enough reason to know a few Yiddish words and phrases. There are things that you can say in Yiddish that just cannot be expressed any other way in any other language.
I loved this so much I bought the Audible book and use the 2 of them together to rally learn some Yiddish at its core. Although by far an incomplete course, the book gives me a complex enough and entertaining framework and enough material to really keep my interest. Its not a Yiddish course though, its just how I am using the materials at the moment.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Nothing

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on March 15, 2019

Verified Purchase

It was a gift

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on December 6, 2017

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exactly as the book

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on February 3, 2017

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a great book. a great read.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 29, 2012

Great for those who want to learn the history of Yiddish and understand their heritage and grandparents, humor and traditions. It explains a lot!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Keith Hopper

The idiom that is Yiddish

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 14, 2017

Verified Purchase

The book was not as I expected yet it did not disappoint. Not only does it give insights into the language but also into the way of life for those Yiddish . History,languages and even a little on food gives one a perspective into this way of life.

It may not have been the reading I was expecting but it delivered well providing an insight the t I would have been poor with out.

Rikiberg

extremely revealing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 14, 2017

Verified Purchase

I have enjoyed this, I learnt the history of origin, which was extremely different to that, which I had expected. I have also established a few phrases that I can use either at work, or at leisure, which will satisfy me, relieve tension and/or frustration, but which nobody else understands, which leaves me free form being accused of inappropriate behaviour.
It's a well written book

3 people found this helpful

John Sorowka

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 23, 2014

Verified Purchase

Excellent service all round, packaging, delivery all spot on and the book is enlightening, entertaining......and good value

tonyz

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 21, 2014

Verified Purchase

I never really understood about kvetching until I read Michael book. A masterpiece of trivia and yiddishkeit

One person found this helpful

tomtom

Two Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 12, 2018

Verified Purchase

Not for me

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Buy new: $43.50

Follow the Author

Born To Kvetch CD: Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods Audio CD – Unabridged, Feb. 28 2006

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Product details

About the author

Michael Wex

Customer reviews

Top reviews from Canada

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Top reviews from other countries

Buy new:

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