Skip to content

Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story Hardback - 2013

by Dana, Rebecca


Summary

The ultimate fish-out-of-water tale . . . 
A child who never quite fit in, Rebecca Dana worshipped at the altar of Truman Capote and Nora Ephron, dreaming of one day ditching Pittsburgh and moving to New York, her Jerusalem. After graduating from college, she made her way to the city to begin her destiny. For a time, life turned out exactly as she’d planned: glamorous parties; beautiful people; the perfect job, apartment, and man. But when it all came crashing down, she found herself catapulted into another world. She moves into Brooklyn’s enormous Lubavitch community, and lives with Cosmo, a thirty-year-old Russian rabbi who practices jujitsu on the side.
While Cosmo, disenchanted with Orthodoxy, flirts with leaving the community, Rebecca faces the fact that her religion—the books, magazines, TV shows, and movies that made New York seem like salvation—has also failed her. As she shuttles between the world of religious extremism and the world of secular excess, Rebecca goes on a search for meaning. 
Trenchantly observant, entertaining as hell, a mix of Shalom Auslander and The Odd Couple, Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde is a thought-provoking coming-of-age story for the twenty-first century.

From the publisher

The ultimate fish-out-of-water tale . . .

A child who never quite fit in, Rebecca Dana worshipped at the altar of Truman Capote and Nora Ephron, dreaming of one day ditching Pittsburgh and moving to New York, her Jerusalem. After graduating from college, she made her way to the city to begin her destiny. For a time, life turned out exactly as she d planned: glamorous parties; beautiful people; the perfect job, apartment, and man. But when it all came crashing down, she found herself catapulted into another world. She moves into Brooklyn s enormous Lubavitch community, and lives with Cosmo, a thirty-year-old Russian rabbi who practices jujitsu on the side.

While Cosmo, disenchanted with Orthodoxy, flirts with leaving the community, Rebecca faces the fact that her religion the books, magazines, TV shows, and movies that made New York seem like salvation has also failed her. As she shuttles between the world of religious extremism and the world of secular excess, Rebecca goes on a search for meaning.

Trenchantly observant, entertaining as hell, a mix of Shalom Auslander and "The Odd Couple," "Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde" is a thought-provoking coming-of-age story for the twenty-first century.

"

Details

  • Title Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story
  • Author Dana, Rebecca
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 274
  • Language EN
  • Publisher Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, New York
  • Date 2013-01-24
  • ISBN 9780399158773

Media reviews

“For a generation of women who grew up watching Sex and the City, Manhattan is the Promised Land—or as Rebecca Dana puts it in her hilarious, self-deprecating new memoir, it's 'my Jerusalem—the shining city off in the distance, the only place to go'. . . .  [An] insightful tale of two fish out of water.” —O Magazine
 
“Charming … a true original. A-” —Entertainment Weekly
 
“Startling and delightful.” —Vanity Fair
 
"[A] charming, frequently hilarious memoir." —The New York Observer
 
“Thoughtful, archly funny.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Funny, wily, audacious, and captivating.” —Booklist
 
“Fascinating and engrossing, reading Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde is like looking into the windows of compelling people you want to both meet and love. By the end of the book you will do just that.” —Jenny Lawson, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Let’s Pretend This Never Happened
 
“Rebecca Dana meets the jujitsu rabbi in the same place fairy tale meets reality, which is the same place all of us meet our lives: nowhere near where we expected. Let me be clear: I’ve never met the author, and I had neither the time nor the inclination to blurb this book, but I started reading her odd, engrossing, tragicomic coming-of-adulthood tale and couldn't stop.” —Deborah Copaken Kogan, author of The Red Book and Shutterbabe
 
“I’m kvelling!! Rebecca Dana's brilliant memoir touchingly and daringly juxtaposes the mysterious world of Orthodox Jewry with the even more mysterious world of fashion. I was amused and ver clempt, all at the same time.” —Simon Doonan, author of Gay Men Don’t Get Fat
 
“Rebecca Dana’s story is a lot like New York City—bustling and busy, packed with Jews and jobs, faith and friendship, accident and ambition. With Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde, Dana joins the ranks of women who have come to New York, forged identities on their own alongside improbable allies, and lived to tell the tale with wit and grace.” —Rebecca Traister, author of Big Girls Don’t Cry
 
“Rebecca Dana’s funny, juicy memoir of her Brooklyn year with a most original housemate goes down like a terrific New York cocktail—with some sweetness, a snappy twist of sublime, and plenty of heart.” —Julie Metz, New York Times–bestselling author of Perfection
 
“This is the beautifully told story of every smart young woman’s start in the big city, where dreams first come true and then they rain like hell all over you. Rebecca Dana is wise yet self-effacing, hysterical but dark. This book is the perfect photograph of the last agonies of being young.” —Choire Sicha, The Awl
 
“A fantastic read. Will make you want to take your life by the horns.” —Morgan Spurlock
 
“Suffused with shimmering prose and a kick-ass spirit, Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde is a brave and brilliant New York coming-of-age odyssey. With an eye for the damning detail and an ear for the heart-soaring quote, Rebecca Dana has delivered a devilishly funny true story brimming with pathos, oddball characters, and beautiful revelations. I haven't enjoyed a memoir this much in years.” —Don Van Natta Jr., New York Times–bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner
 

About the author

Rebecca Dana is a writer and journalist in New York. She is a former senior correspondent for "Newsweek "and "The Daily Beast," where she wrote the weekly Social Diaries magazine column and reported on fashion, culture and entertainment. She has been a featured commentator on such shows as the "Today "show, "The Joy Behar Show," "Inside Edition," "Access Hollyw"ood, and NPR s On the Media and Fair Game with Faith Salie. She has made numerous appearances on MSNBC and CNN.

Before joining "The Daily Beast," Dana was a staff writer for "The Wall Street Journal "and "The New York Observer." She has also been published in: "Rolling Stone Magazine," "Vanity Fair Italia," "Slate," "Men s Vogue," "The Washington Post," "The New Orleans Times-Picayune," "Men s Journal," and "The New York "Times. She attended Yale, where she was the editor in chief of the Yale Daily News. She lives in Manhattan with her husband."

Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story

by Dana, Rebecca

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Like New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780399158773 / 0399158774
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mansfield, Massachusetts, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$5.06
NZ$5.95 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Adult HC/TR. Used - Like New. Great shape- pages are unmarked and sharp.Has a remainder mark. Hardcover Used - Like New Ships fast! 20131st
Item Price
NZ$5.06
NZ$5.95 shipping to USA
Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story

by Dana, Rebecca

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used - Very Good
Edition
1st Edition
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780399158773 / 0399158774
Quantity Available
1
Seller
San Antonio, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$8.47
NZ$5.96 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Adult HC/TR, 2013. Book. Very Good. Hardcover. 1st Edition. Ex-library copy. Dealer stamp on front endpaper. fiction.
Item Price
NZ$8.47
NZ$5.96 shipping to USA
Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story

by Dana, Rebecca

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780399158773 / 0399158774
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Frederick, Maryland, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$9.17
NZ$6.80 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Adult HC/TR. Used - Good. Good condition. Very Good dust jacket. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
Item Price
NZ$9.17
NZ$6.80 shipping to USA
Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story

by Dana, Rebecca

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780399158773 / 0399158774
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Frederick, Maryland, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$9.17
NZ$6.80 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Adult HC/TR. Used - Very Good. Very Good condition. Like New dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner’s name, short gifter’s inscription or light stamp.
Item Price
NZ$9.17
NZ$6.80 shipping to USA
Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story

Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story

by Dana, Rebecca

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780399158773 / 0399158774
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$10.56
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Adult Hc/Tr, 2013. Hardcover. Good. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$10.56
FREE shipping to USA
Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story

by Rebecca Dana

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780399158773 / 0399158774
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$13.73
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, 2013-01-24. Hardcover. Good.
Item Price
NZ$13.73
FREE shipping to USA
Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde : A True Story
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde : A True Story

by Dana, Rebecca

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780399158773 / 0399158774
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$14.96
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
NZ$14.96
FREE shipping to USA
Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story

by Dana, Rebecca

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Fine in fine dust jacket.
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780399158773 / 0399158774
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Derwood, Maryland, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$17.62
NZ$8.50 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Adult Hc/Tr. 2013. Hard cover. Fine in fine dust jacket.. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 288 p. Audience: General/trade. . No previous owner's name. Clean, tight pages. No bent corners. .
Item Price
NZ$17.62
NZ$8.50 shipping to USA
Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde: A True Story

by Dana, Rebecca

  • New
Condition
New
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780399158773 / 0399158774
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Rockford, Illinois, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$21.08
NZ$6.80 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
New. The item is Brand New!
Item Price
NZ$21.08
NZ$6.80 shipping to USA
Jujitsu rabbi and the godless blonde; a true story
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Jujitsu rabbi and the godless blonde; a true story

by Dana, Rebecca

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used
Edition
First printing (First edition)
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780399158773 / 0399158774
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Schenectady, New York, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$24.71
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
New York, Amy Einhorn Books, [, 2013. First printing (First edition). Hardcover. Very good condition in very good dust jacket. ]. 274p.
Item Price
NZ$24.71
FREE shipping to USA