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"  Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde by Rebecca Dana (Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam) Struggling fashion writer flees with freshly broken heart from Manhattan to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where she rooms with an Orthodox rabbi from Russia while putting her life back in order; some readers were impatient with Dana&amp;#039;s stylista shtick, but most embraced her tender portrait of a much-needed (and lasting) platonic friendship. There are legions of women who owe their coming of age to first-run episodes of Sex &amp;amp;amp; the City and Nora Ephron paperbacks, and while Dana is clearly among their ranks, this tale of young womanhood pushes beyond those stalwarts of modern chick culture. Her memoir begins as a classic tale about coming to Manhattan with stars in her eyes and hope in her heart, snagging plum writing jobs, and meeting the man of her dreams. Yet after an unexpected and painful breakup, Dana finds herself moving out to Brooklyn to rent a room from an eccentric rabbi. The unlikely pair become dear friends, searching in parallel for love, friendship, and belonging, each trying to find a seemingly elusive sense of &amp;quot;home.&amp;quot; A story filled with tenderness and grace. \u2014Riva K. Soucie, Washington DC Dana&amp;#039;s hilarious and self-deprecating memoir will have readers laughing from the first sentence. Dana writes with a charming self-awareness about the complexity\u2014and occasional superficiality\u2014of her glamorous life in New York. At the heart of Dana&amp;#039;s story is the unlikely friendship with Cosmo, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish rabbi. Cosmo wrestles with his faith as Dana struggles to recover from a failed relationship; both help each other find their rightful place in the world once again. Although the frequent name-dropping may grate on some readers&amp;#039; nerves, Dana&amp;#039;s memoir is an entertaining and surprisingly sweet read. \u2014Maria MacNamara Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde is one part Devil Wears Prada and one part spiritual journal. Interspersing name-dropped designers with Hasidic terminology, Dana manages to write about the year she spent living in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn with the page-turning quality of a gossip column. Dana herself is so likeable: struggling to fit in, fresh with heartbreak, and a coveter of life&amp;#039;s little luxuries (read: shoes). The reader quickly becomes Dana&amp;#039;s champion, eagerly following her as she learns that perhaps who she&amp;#039;s always been was, in fact, good enough all along. \u2014Kristina DeVesty, Arlington, VA Dana&amp;#039;s exploration of her Jewish roots is juxtaposed with her celebrity interviews and obsession with high fashion. While there are indeed entertaining aspects, the narrative is unfortunately as blurry as the point of the narrative. \u2014Penny Bernal, Encinitas, CA Rebecca Dana&amp;#039;s portrayal of her experience as a (non)gefilte fish out of water is enjoyable and fits well into the time frame she spent recuperating from a hellish breakup. The parallel of her time spent with the rabbi and her self-realization is successful, and many readers will applaud her exploration of a culture so different from her own. But her story lacks the reflection that would make her fresh transition back to Manhattan as a new woman convincing. \u2014Joanna Russell Bliss, Atlanta, GA Tweet what you think about the book!  The Feminist and the Cowboy by Alisa Valdes (Gotham) Chick-lit novelist and longtime feminist finds herself falling for Marlboro Man type\u2014and succumbing to his alpha-male assertiveness. This pas de deux broadly appealed, but dissenting readers had trouble with issues perhaps summed up in the former title of the author&amp;#039;s blog: Learning to Submit. New York Times-best-selling author Valdes&amp;#039; memoir describes her mind and heart&amp;#039;s journey from staunch intellectual feminist to a woman who finds herself deeply in love with the wrong man. Raised by progressive academics to espouse contemporary ideas about gender equality, she finds herself in a morally intractable position when she falls in love with a conservative rancher whose antiquated ideas about gender turn upside down nearly everything she believes to be true. The plot makes for a triumphant love story, but the writing comes off as pontifical at times, especially when Valdes indulges the occasional socio-political digression, which typically have little place in a memoir as deeply personal as this one. \u2014Riva K. Soucie, Washington, DC Sassy, honest, and wicked smart, Valdes is the perfect narrator. Her journey to discovering that her life as a feminist is not nearly as fulfilling as the submissive, traditional relationship she develops with the cowboy is a compelling one. While this view may be unpopular today, it makes Valdes&amp;#039; story a unique read filled with authentic romantic drama. \u2014Kristina DeVesty, Arlington, VA Valdes&amp;#039; memoir is as interesting as its title. She reflects on our roles as men and women in society, her personal growth and development resulting from her unlikely relationship with a modern cowboy, and the meaning of submission. Her changing philosophy and ideas, resulting from her relationship with a real life cowboy, sharply contrast with ideas many American women were raised to embrace and leave the reader with much to think about.\u2014Julia McKissack, Valdosta, GA While the conversational style of Valdes&amp;#039; memoir is appealing, many may find it difficult to relate to or support either &amp;quot;character&amp;quot; in her story. While her points about feminism are interesting, Valdes often comes off as immature, and the cowboy remarkably controlling. The overall narrative, though interspersed with several salient and captivating moments, ends up becoming a difficult read. \u2014Melissa Jackson, Bloomington, IN The Feminist and the Cowboy is a love story between a feisty single mom and a traditional cowboy; this alone puts it into chick lit territory, in which Valdes is well-versed. What begins as a romance against all odds quickly evolves into an argument for Valdes&amp;#039; political beliefs. Readers unaware of her political leanings will question why Valdes adamantly argues her newfound position as a &amp;quot;difference feminist&amp;quot; to justify her relationship with someone so different from herself; one wonders why (and to whom) this is so important. Overly defensive and often contradictory, The Feminist and the Cowboy should keep the romance and left the politics behind. \u2014Maria MacNamara Opposites attract in The Feminist and the Cowboy as Valdes, a lifelong liberal, finds a handsome New Mexico rancher who wants to treat her &amp;quot;like a lady&amp;quot;. Her comic approach and self-deprecating banter make the reader more likely to be accepting of this unlikely couple. Unfortunately, the narrative becomes slightly preachy when Valdes attempts to promote her newfound philosophy &amp;quot;difference feminism,&amp;quot; which purports that submission has its benefits. \u2014Penny Bernal, Encinitas, CA Tweet what you think about the book!  Vow by Wendy Plump (Bloomsbury) Unfaithful wife in a tumultuous marriage finds the tables turned when she learns that her husband has a second family down the road a piece. Plump ran up plenty of points for blunt, unswerving introspection, but she left some readers feeling, as one noted, &amp;quot;a bit dirty and depressed.&amp;quot; Plump experienced marital unfaithfulness as both cheater and cheatee. Her perspective is glaringly honest, taking into account the ease with which she fell into &amp;quot;sin&amp;quot; and how it paved the way for her husband&amp;#039;s own indiscretion and, eventually, the dissolution of her marriage. Thoroughly analyzed from all sides, Plumb&amp;#039;s conclusions are agonizingly researched, leaving the reader to ponder the disastrous consequences of marital dishonesty. \u2014Penny Bernal, Encinitas, CA As someone who has been married (faithfully) for more than ten years, I was unexpectedly drawn to Plump&amp;#039;s story. Her honesty and frustration made her story more palatable, and her unusual situation\u2014being both the cheater and the cheated upon at various points\u2014gave her a unique perspective that enriched the narrative. I found myself empathizing with her throughout. \u2014Joanna Russell Bliss, Atlanta, GA A compelling, albeit difficult, read: Even the most open-minded reader may find herself aghast that this marriage was able to last as long as it did\u2014and left feeling a bit dirty and depressed at the story&amp;#039;s end. \u2014Melissa Jackson, Bloomington, IN Plump&amp;#039;s story is either a great way of explaining what a marriage shouldn&amp;#039;t be, or a telling tale of the downfall of society. I can&amp;#039;t decide which. \u2014Amanda Hevener, Akron, OH The phrase &amp;quot;it&amp;#039;s like trying to explain a bad marriage&amp;quot; is often offered to describe an untenable, impossibly complicated situation. And no wonder: bad marriages are notoriously hard to fully understand\u2014a fact Plump proves in this meandering post-mortem of a marriage wracked with reckless infidelity and selfishness. The narrative reach is enormous, and not a single sordid admission is held back to save Plump&amp;#039;s reputation. But the many digressions and detours disjoint the narrative, leaving the reader feeling disaffected and disappointed not to feel a deeper connection. \u2014Riva K. Soucie, Washington, DC Memoirs about infidelity often seem to glorify adultery, glamorizing it in a way that both condones and justifies. Vow is no different in this regard; despite her insistence to the contrary, the account of her affairs is told with much more passion and heartfelt emotion than anything she manages to muster for her own husband. \u2014Maria MacNamara In a manner perhaps befitting its conversational style, the narrative is almost completely without organization, either chronologically or topically, which make it difficult to stay engaged at times. Ultimately, Plump&amp;#039;s memoir is a comfort to those on either side of adultery, thankfully without any trite remarks or attempts at advice. And for those of us who have yet to be caught in the wildfire of someone&amp;#039;s affair, it serves as both a warning and a plea: the issue is not as black and white as it seems. \u2014Kristina DeVesty, Arlington, VA Tweet what you think about the book! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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