Rather Laugh Than Cry

Written by a Hassidic mother of 12, this autobiography provides a revealing look at the daily life of a contemporary, Hassidic Jewish family. Alien yet familiar, the stories, written over the course of more than a dozen years, clearly show that for all of the community's rejection of conventional clothing, radio, and television, the lives of Hassidic women are not so different from the lives of those outside their group. While the different standards assigned to women in tightly-knit Hassidic society are explored, women from a variety of backgrounds will identify with the author's poignant tales of fighting teenagers for the telephone, teaching a child how to care for a pet, and raising a large family while running a household.