An intimate account of the author's youth in a strict Orthodox community describes his dysfunctional family's vengeful personification of God, his exile to reform school after a childhood misdemeanor, and his efforts to make sense of his religious beliefs while connecting with the outside world. 30,000 first printing. Shalom Auslander, author of Beware of God: Stories (2005) and a contributor to This American Life , reveals his ambivalence about God through fear, black humor, and undirected anger. If Foreskin’s Lament sounds like a terrible rage against God, it is, in parts, but it coalesces into a fascinating reflection on the role of faith and ritual in modern life. Most reviewers found Auslander’s stories about his tormented life refreshing, moving, and humorousâ€"for example, the story of his father building an ark for the synagogue, only to be ostracized, struck a high note. However, a few criticized Auslander’s tendency to mask real anger and deep questions with comedy. Beneath the humor, however, lies a reflective memoir on religion’s powerful holdâ€"and why, sometimes, it’s so hard to shake it off. Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc. Shalom Auslander writes like Philip Roth's angry nephew. Foreskin's Lament is a scathing theological rant, a funny, oddly moving coming-of-age memoir, and an irreverent meditation on family, marriage, and cultural identity. God may be a bit irritated by this book, but I loved it. -- Tom Perrotta, author of Little Children and The Abstinence Teacher Shalom Auslander ���was raised in Monsey, New York. Nominated for the Koret Award for writers under thirty-five, he has published articles in��� Esquire ,��� The New York Times Magazine ,��� Tablet ,��� The New Yorker , and has had stories aired on NPR's��� This American Life . Auslander is the author of the novel Hope: A Tragedy , the short story collection��� Beware of God ,���and the memoir��� Foreskin's Lament . He lives in New York. To learn more about Shalom Auslander, please visit www.shalomauslander.com. Used Book in Good Condition