Title: All Who Go Do Not Return
Author: Shulem Deen
First published March 24, 2015
310 pages, Paperback
ISBN: 9781555977054 (ISBN10: 1555977057)
Rating: 4.28
Overview
Winner of the 2015 National Jewish Book Award, All Who Go Do Not Return is a poignant and revealing memoir of a man’s experience with his Hasidic community. Shulem Deen was taught to avoid questions as a member of the Skverers, a highly secluded Hasidic sect.
After marrying at eighteen, he began to explore the outside world and turned to the Internet and libraries for answers to his questions. As his curiosity grew, so did his doubts about his religious beliefs.
With his faith unraveling, Deen was terrified of being ostracized from the only world he knew. His memoir tells of his struggle to hold on to his family despite his loss of faith and his life of deception.
A powerful and illuminating look at the world of the Hasidic community, All Who Go Do Not Return is a moving exploration of faith, family, and identity.
About the Author
Shulem Deen, a former member of one of the most secluded Hasidic sects in the U.S, shares his personal story in his memoir, “All Who Go Do Not Return.” He is also known as the “Hasidic Rebel” blogger and founder of Unpious, an online journal that gives a platform for voices on the Hasidic fringe. Shulem’s work has been published in various outlets, including Salon, The Brooklyn Rail, Tablet Magazine, and The Jewish Daily Forward.
He is currently a board member at Footsteps, an organization based in New York City that provides assistance and support to those who have left the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Shulem resides in Brooklyn, New York, and you can visit his website for more information.
Editoral Review
All Who Go Do Not Return by Shulem Deen is a powerful memoir that tells the story of Deen’s journey from being an ultra-Orthodox Jew to leaving the community and embracing the secular world. Published in 2015, the book is a deeply personal and honest account of one man’s struggle to reconcile his faith with his desire for freedom and self-expression.
Shulem Deen is a writer and activist who was raised in a Hasidic community in New York. He started blogging in 2003, and his writing about his experiences within the ultra-Orthodox world gained a wide following.
All Who Go Do Not Return is his first book, and it has been widely praised for its frankness and insight.
The book is a memoir, but it is also a work of cultural criticism and a meditation on the meaning of faith and belonging. Deen writes with clarity and precision, and his prose is both lyrical and direct.
He tells his story in a way that is both intimate and universal, and he invites the reader to share in his journey of self-discovery.
The plot of All Who Go Do Not Return is centered on Deen’s decision to leave the ultra-Orthodox community and his subsequent struggles to find his place in the secular world. The book is full of vividly drawn characters, from Deen’s family and friends in the Hasidic community to the new people he meets when he leaves.
The conflicts in the book are both internal and external, as Deen grapples with questions of identity, faith, and morality.
One of the strengths of All Who Go Do Not Return is Deen’s ability to convey the complexity of his experience without resorting to easy answers or simplistic judgments. He writes with empathy and understanding, even for the people who hurt and rejected him.
He also offers a nuanced critique of the ultra-Orthodox world, pointing out both its strengths and its limitations.
The book is beautifully written, with a keen eye for detail and a deep appreciation for language. Deen is a masterful storyteller, and he uses his skills to create a narrative that is both compelling and honest.
The pacing of the book is excellent, and the structure is well thought out.
Overall, All Who Go Do Not Return is an outstanding book that deserves to be read and discussed. It is a valuable contribution to the literature on faith, identity, and community, and it speaks to the experiences of many people who have struggled to find their place in the world.
This book is highly recommended for anyone who is interested in the intersection of religion and culture, and for anyone who wants to understand more about the human experience.
