Title: Great idea, poor results
Product review: I have to agree with Ian and the other reviewers who were, like me, disappointed in this book. The authors talk past each other, neither taking up the other's challenges. Hirsch does not seem up to the task, in terms of writing or scholarship, and ultimately Reinman wipes the floor with him. (There must have been someone who could make a more spirited case from the Reform perspective ... ?) The smug putdowns, especially voiced by Reinman in regard to Reform, grew tedious very early, and I finally gave up on page 152 -- and this was during a 9-hour international flight in which I was desperate for something to read! (I would have liked to hang in there to learn how they became friends, as the book jacket and reviews indicate, but I couldn't take it anymore.) For anyone interested in the topic, I would instead recommend "What Shall I Do with This People?: Jews and the Fractious Politics of Judaism"by Milton Viorst.
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