Yiddish with George and Laura (Hardcover)

by Ellis Weiner (Author), Barbara Davilman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In this inspired follow-up to the bestselling Yiddish with Dick and Jane, Yiddish--the mother tongue of irony--invades the ultimate bastion of American WASP culture: Kennebunkport, home of the Bush clan. What do George and Laura Bush have in common with Dick and Jane? Well, both hail from prototypical WASP families. And, perhaps more to the point, both exhibit a natural resistance to moral complexity (i.e., reality). That's the premise of this hilarious new primer-style book in which George, Laura, and the entire Bush family communicate with uncharacteristic expressiveness, conveying shades of feeling and nuances of meaning that plain old English can't deliver--by peppering their conversation with Yiddishisms. See George's mother. Her name is Bar. She wears alot of pearls and is a farbisseneh. "You are late, George," Bar says. "Of course I am late," George says. "I am the President of the United States. I am a big macher." Like all good primers, YIDDISH WITH GEORGE AND LAURA tells a simple story--and, in the end, important life lessons are imparted.

About the Author
Ellis Weiner has been an editor of National Lampoon, a columnist for Spy, and a contributor to many magazines, including The New Yorker and the New York Times Magazine. Barbara Davilman writes for television. They live in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (October 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031601446X
• ISBN-13: 978-0316014465
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #325,836 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you have a sense of humor!, October 12, 2006

By	armchairinterviews.com (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

The authors of Yiddish with Dick and Jane have written another equally humorous book, Yiddish with George and Laura.

This parody of the presidential family is a laugh a minute from the
first page. "See George. He is our president. He lives in a fancy white house and is a big shmegegge."

For the reader who is not familiar with the Yiddish term shmegegge, they get to look at the glossary in the back of the book. The glossary is the funniest part of the book. Weiner and Davilman define shmegegge as; A buffoon, an idiot, a fool.

"That Joe Lieberman--he's such a shmegegge even the Democrats
won't vote for him." The book follows George, Laura, Jenna and
Barbara to Kennebunk Port, Maine where the Bush family summer
home is located. They are visiting for George's parents' birthday
celebration. When they arrive, they are greeted by Barbara, George
Sr. and all of George's three brothers.

Each page of the story interjects Yiddish as well as current events.
The reader will be amazed by how current this book can be. For
example, the definition of goen is genius. "That Cheney--what a
goen. Severs all his ties with Halliburton and can still make a bundle
from them."

This book is a great gift for anyone with a sense of humor.

Armchair Interviews says: What a "schtick" these authors have!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My sides hurt from laughing, November 14, 2006

By	Dr R M. Siegfried (Garden City, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm old enough to remember the "Dick and Jane" reading primers and I know just enough Yiddish to understand its usage in the book without going back and forth to the glossary in the back. While I agree that George Bush IS a shmegegge (dope), finding it used this way in a book was just "laughing out loud" funny.

My son and I sat down and read it. He shares most of my political views and enjoyed much of it and it also gave me the opportunity to teach him some of the bits and pieces of Yiddish that I know. I have come to regret not learning more of it in my youth when my father could have taught me.

The one flaw is that words are not translated in the text; you have to keep going to the glossary in the back. That wasn't a problem for me, there weren't too many phrases that I didn't know, but it could keep you from enjoying a book that is otherwise a great read.
If you're in the mood to learn a little Yiddish, and you're a Democrat, this book is for you.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars not worth the money, January 11, 2007

By	duchessgoofy (Chicago) - See all my reviews

slightly humorous but definitely not worth buying -- scan it at a bookstore before purchase