(Full disclosure: I am a Gentile whose worldview is Pantheistic. I have a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics from Ohio State and a Master's degree in Theological Studies from a liberal Protestant graduate theological school. I am functionally illiterate in Hebrew and in Yiddish, but I am well enough oriented to the Hebrew Scriptures/'Old Testament'—thanks, in the main, to membership in both Catholic and Evangelical churches—that many laypeople would give me more credit than I deserve for expertise on them. I am marginally familiar with Judaism and once worked briefly for a publishing company owned by an Israeli-American Hebrew scholar.)

I'm sure that Joe Bobker has done a masterful job at explicating Jewish feasts in this book, but I found it somehow not easily penetrable. I couldn't put a finger on any poor writing, nor did I find it overly technical, at least at first perusal; I even caught his jokes—not bad for a goy. It might have just been that the exposition is very dense. It could also be that he uses Jewish spelling conventions that differ from those with which I feel more familiar.

I wanted this book because I wanted a reference resource that wasn't just another 'Jewish Calendar 101.' This volume is certainly that, but I suggest that it may not be the best selection for the casual reader, nor is it a quick-reference tool for the uninitiated. I scarcely feel qualified to assign it a rating, so I've chosen one designed to communicate 'okay/fine/no complaints from this peanut gallery.' For all I know, it may be a masterwork, but I doubt I will ever have the discernment to say so with any authority. ( )

As an enthusiastic student of biblical worship, and as one who is reasonably familiar with Jewish feasts and worship practices, I was ready to jump on this attractive looking book, as we say down South, like a duck on a junebug. But for a book ostensibly on fasting, it was awfully hard to swallow. Rather than devouring it, I slogged through, spoonfuls at a time, until I could eat no more. And this was just the first three or four chapters.

For all the book's obvious attractive features (the cover art and the truly humorous section titles), the content itself was thick and overpowering with detail and scholarly language and seemed to assume an already embedded knowledge of Jewish history and customs. A glossary, index, or pronunciation guide would have been so very helpful (though the extensive footnotes were useful) and, without them, the book ended up for me reading much more like a doctoral dissertation.

The old addage is true, "You can't judge a book by its cover". For a reference work, the book succeeds; for a winsome, informative, but accessible accounting of Jewish customs as the marketing would indicate, it fails. ( )

I enjoyed a deeper look at some of biblical feasts, but as a Gentile, I found it hard to follow in general. The author assumes a familiarity with Hebrew and does not stop to explain meanings for readers who don't know Hebrew. Some of them are decipherable from context, but not many. He also alludes to passages from extra-biblical texts and does not give full references. Because of this, I'm afraid the audience for this book is very small. ( )

It took me awhile to get around to reviewing this book because it was not at all what I expected. I was hoping for a book aimed at a general audience that would give me an appreciation for Jewish holidays. I am not Jewish, but I do have Jewish relatives and am always looking to deepen my appreciation for the Jewish faith.

This book had a couple of major problems in my estimation. First, the binding makes it look like either a textbook or a cookbook. It's very confusing what the book is trying to be. It is marketed as a lighthearted book, but I did not find it so. Second, the book clearly assumes you are Jewish and already have a knowlege of the faith. Clearly the author is very well-educated and it comes through in the book. However, again it came across to me in textbook fashion. But it does contain a wealth of information on the holidays which are its subject.

In short, I felt the book had somewhat of an identity crisis.

I would recommend this book to someone who wants a very detailed perspective on Jewish holidays, but only if they are Jewish or already have an extensive understanding of the Jewish faith. ( )

As a Gentile Christian who is familiar with Judaism and the feasts, I nevertheless found this book very hard to follow. I imagine that secular and nominal Jews will find it difficult as well. The book is obviously directed to the minority of devout (or formerly devout) Jews who will get its inside jokes, puns and Hebrew plays on words. As an outsider of that group, even though familiar with the biblical feasts and customs, I found it difficult to tell which parts of the book should have been comedy, which sarcastic, which serious and which frivolous. I hope my Jewish friends fare much better with it.