Overview
Though culturally Jewish, Elissa Altman was not raised religious. Her mother, an aspiring actor, didnāt feel the ancient teachings of the Talmud were relevant to modern life. Her father, the son of a cantor whose family died in the Holocaust, was the consummate rule breaker, caught between his spiritual hunger and his ongoing culinary affair with shellfish and spamāall things treyf, that which is unkosher and therefore forbidden. Altmanās youth was laced with contradiction and hope, betrayal and the yearning to belong. Synagogue on Saturday and Chinese pork ribs on Sunday. Bacon for breakfast before going to visit her orthodox grandparents.
Longing for the religious traditions that grounded her friendsā lives, Altman attended Hebrew school, only to discover her own prohibited desire for other women. After her parentsā marriage fell apart, Altman found a haven at her grandmotherās house, cooking meals that made her feel whole again while embracing her homosexuality. Her story is a poignant, humorous and uplifting account of learning how to honor your past while becoming your most authentic self.
āWhat makes Treyf so original is the authorās wry humor and her gimlet eye.Ā .Ā .Ā . Her prose shines.ā āThe Wall Street Journal
āA beautiful, brilliant memoir filled with striking images, unforgettable people, and vivid stories.Ā .Ā .Ā . Wrought with such visceral love that the pages shimmer.ā āKate Christensen, author of Blue Plate Special
āGorgeous, singular, heartbreaking, haunting.ā āJoanna Rakoff, author of My Salinger Year
āHard to put down.ā āBooklist
āPoignant and life-affirming.ā āKirkus Reviews
This book title, Treyf (My Life as an Unorthodox Outlaw), ISBN: 9781504093569, by Elissa Altman, published by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc. (January 2, 2024) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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