Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers: An Intimate Journey among Hasidic Girls [Paperback]

Stephanie Levine (Author), Carol Gilligan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 6, 2004

From the ardently religious young woman who longs for the life of a male scholar to the young rebel who visits a strip club, smokes pot, and agonizes over her loss of faith to the proud Lubavitcher with a desire for a high-powered career, Stephanie Wellen Levine provides a rare glimpse into the inner worlds and daily lives of these Hasidic girls.

Lubavitcher Hasidim are famous for their efforts to inspire secular Jews to become more observant and for their messianic fervor. Strict followers of Orthodox Judaism, they maintain sharp gender-role distinctions.

Levine spent a year living in the Lubavitch community of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, participating in the rhythms of Hasidic girlhood. Drawing on many intimate hours among Hasidim and over 30 in-depth interviews, Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers offers rich portraits of individual Hasidic young women and how they deal with the conflicts between the regimented society in which they live and the pull of mainstream American life.

This superbly crafted book offers intimate stories from Hasidic teenagers' lives, providing an intriguing twist to a universal theme: the struggle to grow up and define who we are within the context of culture, family, and life-driving beliefs.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This absorbing ethnography acts as one subculture's corrective to Reviving Ophelia, in that it offers a refreshing portrait of adolescent girls who are far from insecure. In this refreshing portrayal of girls who are far from insecure, Levine presents a contrasting path to that of mainstream adolescent girls. While a graduate student in American studies at Harvard, Levine spent a year living as a "participant observer" in the Lubavitcher community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, entering with the following assumption: "The possibility that these girls' lives could be anything other than the Platonic essence of feminine subjugation seemed as unlikely as a suckling pig on a Shabbos table." What she found instead is that Lubavitch culture nurtures most girls' inner and outer voices. Though they are not immune from adolescent concerns about fashion, weight, looks and cliques, the Lubavitch emphasis on each person's godly mission to bring the Messiah deepens their spiritual outlook; the single-sex environment in which they mature helps develop vibrant, expressive personalities. Those who clash with Orthodox strictures, however, experience intense and painful struggles. From interviews with 32 girls ages 13 to 23, Levine found "downright juicy" material and culled seven portraits of girls (disguised in name and background) in their "idiosyncratic splendor." The essays are sometimes repetitive within the context of the entire book, as if Levine wrote each to stand on its own, but her bright, lively narrative compensates. Levine invites readers to share the "pure delight" of knowing these girls, and challenges us to draw on Hasidism as an unexpected source in helping our own girls develop into secure, confident adults.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"In an age that is at times overly concerned with girls' self-destruction, here is a welcome sign of girls' strength and healthy development. Levine teaches an important and seldom taught lesson: we may find resilience where we least expect it. Her unprecedented insight into this hidden culture is an important addition to the growing body of work on girls."

-Rachel Simmons,author of Odd Girl Out

"Lively tales of girls who long for the lives of male scholars, and rebels who visit strip clubs, smoke pot, and dream of high-powered careers."

-Books to Watch out For,

"Stephanie Levine's book is full of surprises."

-Midstream,

"In an era seemingly plagued with sex, anorexia and depression among our nation's girls, a page from Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers is a refreshing peek into the possibilities for growth, strength and self."

-The Jewish New Weekly of Northern California,

"At all times, Levine's genuine respect for the community shines through. The book is eminently readable and undoubtedly fascinating."

-Jewish Chronicle,

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: NYU Press (August 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814751970
• ISBN-13: 978-0814751978
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #551,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Movements > Orthodox

More About the Author

Stephanie Wellen Levine's first book, MYSTICS, MAVERICKS, AND MERRYMAKERS: AN INTIMATE JOURNEY AMONG HASIDIC GIRLS, has attracted considerable attention. It received a starred review in Publishers Weekly, followed by enthusiastic reviews and feature articles in a wide range of publications throughout the United States, Israel, and the UK. Stephanie has spoken about her book on several television and radio programs, including CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 and the Leonard Lopate Show. She has also done many public lectures at universities, synagogues, churches, community centers, libraries, and other venues. Stephanie loves talking about her book and welcomes queries about future engagements. MYSTICS, MAVERICKS, AND MERRYMAKERS has won the 2004 Moment Book Award, sponsored by Moment Magazine, and was selected for the Hadassah Book Club reading list.

Stephanie holds an A.B. from Brown University and a Ph.D. from Harvard's American studies program. She teaches at Tufts University and lives in Cambridge, MA.

Since her first book came out, Stephanie has very much enjoyed speaking with people who have read it. She would like to thank all of you for your interest in her work. Of course, she hopes you'll read her future books as well and will keep you posted on any new developments.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written, riveting book, October 17, 2004

By 

Mike Adams - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers: An Intimate Journey among Hasidic Girls (Hardcover)

I loved "Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers." Levine portrays a wide range of Chassidic teenage girls with depth and respect. Rebels, mystics, popular girls, and geeks all come to life on these pages. I had so much fun getting the inside scoop on the Lubavitch community and the girls' various thoughts and adventures.

"Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers" entertains like the best novels, but the fact that it's nonfiction gives it even more power because we're reading the truth (Levine does explain that some aspects were fictionalized in order to maintain the girls' privacy). The pages abound with perceptive characterization, rich description, and a wonderful sense of place.

My favorite part of this book involves wonderful chapters that describe individual Chassidic girls. Also, I was amazed how much I learned about Orthodox Jewish observance and Chassidic thought from reading this book. Dietary laws, prayer, holidays, dress codes, sexual relations, Chassidic philosophy, and so much else comes up.

What really surprised me was how much insight this book gives into the lives of teenage girls, and people in general, outside the Chassidic world. In the introduction, and more thoroughly in the conclusion, Levine discusses how surprisingly well-adjusted many of these Lubavitch young women are, and she offers thoughtful, sensitive suggestions about what this community can teach the rest of us. But she never lets us forget that the community is terribly hard for the girls who can't or won't fit in, like those who stop believing, or who lack the desire to become Chassidic wives and mothers.

What impressed me most is this: "Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers" describes a small pocket of the world in a way that makes it seem universal. Even though I am a non-Chassidic man who barely remembers his teenage years, I related to the girls' struggles and process of growth. Anyone can learn from this community, and anyone can relate to the diverse and fascinating people described in this book.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible read!, December 11, 2003

By 

Nancy Wahler (Wilmington, Delaware, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers: An Intimate Journey among Hasidic Girls (Hardcover)

MYSTICS, MAVERICKS, AND MERRYMAKERS is an incredible read. Who would have thought that Hasidic girls would be so diverse, or that one writer could capture each one of these teenagers' spirits with such depth? I'm still thinking about the young women: the charismatic but hard to control kid with passionate faith, the brilliant nonconformist who flirts with suicide, the intense nerd who is so religious her peers have trouble understanding her, and so many others. This book is a masterpiece of creative empathy-it's incredible how well the author communes with each girl's hopes and struggles.
Levine's writing is exquisite. I still have lovely phrases of hers etched in my mind. I can't remember when I last read a book that taught me so much in such beautiful language. The conclusion's ideas about how readers could learn from the Hasidic community as they try to negotiate their own lives are fascinating-this book really has wide relevance beyond Hasidic borders. Levine's analysis at the end of what it all means will blow you away.
Levine is a wonderful storyteller; I got engrossed in these girls' lives. It was incredible to see how different they were from most Americans, with their strict laws and intriguing rituals, and yet how well I could relate to their struggles, thoughts, and triumphs.
When I say this book is fabulous, I mean it as a sincere and honest critic. I can't recommend Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers highly enough.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful writing and great insight, April 17, 2004

By 

F. Orion Pozo "Orion Pozo" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers: An Intimate Journey among Hasidic Girls (Hardcover)

I read this book as a non-Jew who was interested in Hasidism. This particular book attracted me because I am the parent of two teen-age daughters. Having close contact with the problems my daughters face in the modern world I felt would help me understand the issues of Hasidic young women. Although the book is not designed to give a rigorous introduction to Hasidism, I am quite delighted by Stephanie Levine's work and the chance it has given me to have a glimpse into the spiritual and mundane issues of modern Lubavitch Hasidism.

Far from being a broad review of young Hasidic women, Levine focuses on the Lubaticher sect of Hasidism and its community in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York. She spent over a year living with and interviewing the students, teachers, and parents associated with the Bais Rivka Lubavitch high school, a girls-only school.

Hasidic girls have very little contact with males outside their immediate families. Their religious beliefs allow them only the slightest contacts with the world outside their community. Popular videos and music are not allowed and dietary restrictions only allow eating in the most kosher of restaurants. The "mavericks" part of the title has to do with the rebellious response that the young women sometimes bring to these severe restraints.

The "mystics" aspect of the title has to do with the deeply spiritual aspects of Hasidism where every thought and action of an individual's life has cosmic implications as the community does all it can to bring about the coming of the messiah. The last chaper of this book, "Into The Future," begins with a wonderfully clear and concise description of Lubavitch mystical beliefs.

The irrepressible joy and exhuberance of the young women, that the spiritual practice of Hasidism seems to promote, leads to the author's use of the term "merrymakers" to describe the subjects of this book.

Levine starts off the book with a general introduction to the Crown Heights Lubavitch community and the background to her study. She talks about the Bais Rivka school and its students.

Then in a series of seven chapters she takes in depth looks at seven of the young women she was able to get the closest to in her year of research. We meet their families and see their day to day life. We hear them describe their current life and aspirations. As the most important duty of a Lubavitch woman is to marry and have children, their mate selection and preparations for married life are part of these chapters.

The last chapter contains a look at the future for both the young women and the Hasidic movement. This is a wonderful book for anyone like me who is interested in Hasidism or the lives of young women in the modern world. Levine is a wonderful writer and she treats her subjects with fondness and respect. Yet she is honest and direct. So this study has both objectivity and admiration, a delightful combination in such a work.