Publishers Weekly reviews Life in the Present Tense: "a treasure trove of wisdom"
September 23, 2007
Publishers Weekly reviews Life in the Present TenseBefore her life was cut short by cancer at age 42 in 2003, Modern Orthodox writer and editor Rosenwein had been a beloved columnist for seven years for the New York Jewish Week, reflecting once a month on child-rearing, careers, love, holiness and Jewish tradition.
With equal parts humor and heartache leaping from the page in the columns written after her cancer diagnosis, Rosenwein deals with aging parents, challenging modern schedules, timeless holy days and the joys of raising her three children. The columns address the quotidian concerns of a suburban Jewish family as well as more global issues: the fear and sadness after 9/11 and the sense of anxiety that some American Jews have about Israel.
Sometimes, the rough thematic order of the short essays is distracting, as readers are expected to jump forward and then backward in time—her daughter is four, then a newborn. Since the essays are so heavily autobiographical, a chronological order would have better suited the collection.
Still, this is a treasure trove of wisdom from one of American Judaism's most beloved and lamented voices. Rosenwein's husband, Barry Lichtenberg, provides a touching afterword, and novelist Tova Mirvis (a former intern of hers) the foreword.
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