Exodus

A Memoir

By: Deborah Feldman

Narrated by: Deborah Feldman

Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

In 2009, at the age of 23, Deborah Feldman packed up her young son and their few possessions and walked away from her insular Hasidic roots. She was determined to forge a better life for herself, away from the rampant oppression, abuse, and isolation of her Satmar upbringing in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Out of her experience came the incendiary, best-selling memoir Unorthodox, and now, just a few years later, Feldman has embarked on a triumphant journey of self-discovery - a journey in which she begins life anew as a single mother, an independent woman, and a religious refugee.

Taking her cues from favorite childhood books read in secret and the modern classics only recently introduced to her, Feldman explores the United States, from San Francisco to Chicago, New Orleans, and the Southwest. In her travels, and at home, Feldman redefines her sense of identity - no longer Orthodox, she comes to terms with her Jewishness by discovering a world of like-minded outcasts and misfits committed to self-acceptance and healing. Inwardly, Feldman has navigated remarkable experiences: raising her son in the “real” world, finding solace and solitude in a writing career, and searching for love.

Culminating in an unforgettable trip across Europe to retrace her grandmother’s life during the Holocaust, Exodus is a deeply moving exploration of the mysterious bonds that tie us to family and religion, the bonds we must sometimes break to find our true selves. Feldman proves herself again to be a captivating storyteller, and her singular life has been an inspiration to countless others and for listeners everywhere.

©2014 Deborah Feldman (P)2014 Penguin Audio

“Unorthodox“ is much better

I picked this up based on Audible’s recommendation after I immensely enjoyed “Unorthodox”. Despite being by the same author and being read by her (like the prior audiobook was), this one seems detached and distant, as if it is telling about someone else, and certainly not drawing the reader into the story. It feels more like a report ‘about the events’ than the captivating and personal experience relayed in the prior book. Too bad, since is an important piece.

Exodus from Unorthodoc

Really enjoyed finding out what happened after Deborah left Berlin and how her life outside came together from within.

Much better than Unorthodox

A more mature Deborah writes this book and, while still emphasizing unfairness, gives us interesting examples of different cultures. Overall, her journey is more positive. Her mispronunciation of some words is distracting and surprising for someone who prides herself on her English.

Liked

I enjoyed this book. it was honest and insightful. thanks for sharing deborah. I can see how some could give a more negative review because of judgement on how the author lived or thought.

Obnoxious

I loved Unorthodox, but this book Was obnoxious. The relationships she’s entered and her obsession with making every single tiny detail in her life about about being Jewish even though she made such a big deal of leaving her religion was just like, shuuuut up already. I couldn’t even finish it

Great follow up to Unorthodox

After listening to the first narrator in Unorthodox it took a bit to associate her with a different sounding voice. But I really like that Deborah narrates it herself. Once again an insightful peek into an otherwise unknown world and culture. I found myself as before rooting for Deborah to succeed in the outside world.

monotonous

not much enthusiasm from the author telling the story. i found myself wandering at times

Not what I expected

I was expecting this book to be a continuation of the first, Unorthodox, describing her journey after leaving the Hasidic community. This book does, but it's more about Deborah's journey to understand her Jewish identity in the world. It doesn't follow a timeline, it jumps around in time to different events and topics. You don't hear about the hurdles of the divorce, custody issues or death threats from the community that she received after leaving. This is about her journey of identity. It's good but not what I expected and probably wouldn't have read it. Regarding performance-- it was good except for the foreign accents she mimicked at times.

Confusing

While I enjoyed each segment I found the jumps forward and backward in time very confusing. Her first book, Unorthodox, was much better.

Meh

I wanted to love this book, but I just can’t. I liked the stories within, the narration was good, but there wasn’t a cohesive line through. Maybe if it was more chronological it would have been better.

I think unorthodox was much better. I did enjoy learning more about her after she left Williamsburg and her Hasidic community.