A memoir from an accomplished novelist is always a gift, but this one stands out. When you tell me it’s about growing up in and marrying within the Orthodox Jewish culture, I’m hooked–but when you tell me it’s some of the best writing I’ve seen about growing up, evolving your beliefs and finding your own way outside of the stories you’ve been told—and have told yourself—then I’m blown away, and I was.

How many real conversations have you had today—the kind where you grew closer to another, or gained in your understanding, or saw another perspective? I want more conversations like those, and this book is a how-to for parents, friend and those of us who conduct interviews. So much hinges on our ability to communicate–to talk AND listen. I want to do better, and this helps.