Chasnoff, Joel. 188th Crybaby Brigade: a Skinny Jewish Kid from Chicago Fights Hezbollah. Free Press, 2010
Reason read: Read in honor of Yom Kippur being in October.
Joel Chasnoff was not your typical Israeli soldier. Wimpy. American. Graduate of an Ivy League University. A standup comedian. Twenty-four years old. The only part of his story to make sense was that he had always understood he was an Orthodox Jew. He walked the walk, talked the talk, dressed the part, and especially prayed the part. Even though he was a scrawny, funny, twenty-four year old kid from Chicago, he thought joining Israel’s cause was the way to man up; to become an adult. This is his story, warts, wars, and all.
Religion is strange. Joel was Orthodox enough to join the Israeli army’s tank division and fight for Israel, but not Jewish enough to be buried in their military graveyard. Joel was Orthodox enough to be potentially mortally wounded for Israel, but not Orthodox enough to marry his longtime girlfriend because of a minor discrepancy. This confusing contradiction unleashes an identity crisis for Joel and even though he is the quintessential funny man, there was no hiding his disappointment.
Lines I liked, “Each day lasts a year and flies by in an instant” (p 102). Yup.
Author fact: Joel has his own website here.
Book trivia: I was excited to see recipes at the end of 188th Crybaby Brigade. Meatloaf, sweet tea and grilled cheese. I was all set to try one until I noticed I needed a tank. There is also a glossary of military slang.
Setlist: Led Zeppelin, Jim Morrison, Beatles, “In Your Eyes”, Chariots of Fire theme song, “Hava Nagilla”, Deep Blue Something’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Simon & Garfunkel, John Lennon.
BookLust Twist: from Book Lust To Go in the chapter called “Leavened in Lebanon” (p 130).
~*LunaSea*~ 