The Donigers of Great Neck: A Mythologized Memoir

by Wendy Doniger

Overview

“Many memories, many myths”—this is how Wendy Doniger begins the story of her parents’ origins in Europe and sharply bifurcated life in America. Recalling their contrasting attitudes toward Judaism and religion in general—and acknowledging the mythologized narratives that keep bubbling up in those recollections—Doniger tells the story of their childhoods, their unusual marriage, their life in the post–World War II Jewish enclave of Great Neck, New York, and her own complex relationship with each of them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781512603521
Publisher:	Brandeis University Press
Publication date:	03/15/2019
Series:	The Mandel Lectures in the Humanities at Brandeis University
Edition description:	1
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

WENDY DONIGER is the Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions; also in the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations, the Committee on Social Thought, and the College. Her research and teaching interests revolve around two basic areas, Hinduism and mythology. She has published over forty books, most recently, The Hindus: An Alternative History.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Timeline xi

Prelude Many Memories, Many Myths 1

1 My Parents' Childhoods in Europe (and America) 7

2 Who Lester Was 22

3 Who Rita Was 38

4 Who They Were to One Another 67

5 Who They Were to Me 98

Postlude Rita's Comic and Tragic Legacy 137

Appendixes

1 Genealogy 153

2 Rita's Notes 159

3 Rita's Cheesecake 163

Notes 167

Illustrations follow page 76

Editorial Reviews

Whether factual or mythological, it's a story, driven by passion, tension and an engaging voice, that ultimately renders the Donigers vivid on the page.

The New York Times Book Review - Roy Hoffman

If it’s true that opposites attract, then Lester and Rita Doniger’s marriage should have been a match made in heaven. It is hard to imagine two married people with more divergent backgrounds, values and personalities than Wendy Doniger’s parents. Wendy chronicles their lives and their influence on her in this fascinating memoir.

Washington Jewish Week

Whether factual or mythological, it’s a story, driven by passion, tension, and an engaging voice, that ultimately renders the Donigers vivid on the page.

New York Times