Review: Unorthodox
Devoireh was born into the Satmar community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As a Hasidic Jew, and a woman, she gives us a look into growing up in a tight and controlled environment, where everything from your dress to your every movement throughout the day is decided by the Rebbe and enforced by not only your parents but everyone around you. When Devoireh was young, her mother left - leaving her with her mentally disabled father. Raised by her grandparents, with a strict aunt looking in, Devoireh tried to fit in to the society around her while secretly reading English books - a forbidden practice as the Satmar Hasids believe that reading uncensored English texts will leave to sin. As she grew older, she slowly realized that Williamsburg was not the place for her, and neither was the Hasidic life.
I really enjoyed the story of Devoireh's transformation to Deborah, the author who brings us her story. From childhood to married life, from raising a child to leaving the life of an ultra-orthodox Jew, Deborah's journey is always interesting, sometimes sad, and you can feel her personality shining through the book. While I understand that this story is Deborah's story of growing up as a Satmar Hasid, and that the book is going to be biased by her own experiences, it still gives us a window into the life of a Hasidic woman.
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