"Cohen has succeeded in showing a fusion of Ozick s writing as sacred and comic. Defining humor broadly, Cohen persuasively argues that levity and liturgy are natural companions, enriching each other, especially in the creative imagination of Cynthia Ozick." Midstream

..". a thoughtful introduction to a monumental though underrated writer." SHOFAR

"This study is a welcome addition to the growing body of scholarly criticism of Ozick and focuses on her comedic style." Choice

"Cohen has written an important... book, one that celebrates Ozick s liturgical laughter, emphasizing on every occasion the connection between the comic and the sacred. It is a connection we should be reminded of often." Belles Lettres

"Cohen s readings of these stories reveal their many levels and meanings in a language as acute and perceptive as that of Ozick herself." St. Louis Post-Dispatch Magazine

"In presenting Ozick as a comedian of ideas, Sarah Blacher Cohen has raised the study of Ozick to a new level." Alan L. Berger

" Cohen] understands Ozick s hybrid conception of human nature, her realization that the secret source of humor is not joy but sorrow and that the ironic mode... is the best way of telling the truth." Daniel Walden"

When the Jews of Eastern Europe came to the United States in the 19th century, they brought with them their own special humor. Developed in response to the dissonant reality of their lives, their self-critical humor served as a source of salvation, enabling them to endure a painful history with a sense of power. In America, the marginal status of immigrant Jews prompted them to use humor a a defense, exaggerating or mocking their ethnicity as events dictated. Jewish Wry examines the development of Jewish humor in a series of essays on topics that range from Sholom Aleichem's humor to Jewish comediennes through to the humor of Philip Roth. This important book offers enjoyable reading as well as a significant and scholarly contribution to the field.

'Shared Stages' brings together ten of the best contemporary American plays that dramatise the explosive relationship of two tightly knit peoples - Blacks and Jews - in American society.