Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers: An Intimate Journey among Hasidic Girls - Tapa dura

"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 "Levine vividly portrays these girls, their hopes and their struggles, as well as her own feelings towards Orthodoxy and the Lubavitch way of life." -JOFA Book Corner "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 "[Levine's] empathy is palpable in each one of the profiles. Levine has a natural, artful style and writes with a lively and keen vision." -Moment magazine "A fascinating read for anyone interested in youth culture." -Youth Today "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 "Eminently readable." - Jewish Journal Book Review "Levine treats all her subjects with respect. At the core, this is a popularly written academic study." -KLIATT "Levine steps back and lets the girls speak for themselves; their voices, layered with determination, yearning, confusion and wonder, emerge clearly." - Na'amat Woman Book Reviews "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." -Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Stephanie Levine's book is full of surprises." -Midstream "At all times, Levine's genuine respect for the community shines through. The book is eminently readable and undoubtedly fascinating." -Jewish Chronicle "Levine takes readers into an unfamiliar world of girls who were raised in the Lubavitcher sect of Hasidim in Crown Heights, Brooklyn...One intriguing paradox she explores is how these girls created distinct personalities while living in a very closed society." -Choice "Her findings are fascinating." -Jewish Telegraph "Levine's portraits provide a cross-section of the very human faces of these ultra-religious girls." -New Jersey Times "Levine does a splendid job of presenting how the girls cope, and paints vivid pictures of Shabbat around their family tables." -The Jerusalem Post Literary Quarterly "Stephanie Wellen Levine has written an intriguing and joyous account of the lives of young adult Hasidic women." -Jewish Book World "A vivid portrayal of the Lubavitcher community." - Library Journal "Stephanie Wellen Levine's suggestions are obviously heartfelt and perhaps sensible...at turns charming and scandalous." -The Jerusalem Report "Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers presents a comprehensive snapshot of women's experience in Crown Heights ... Levine's personal response to the Lubavitcher way of life weaves itself into each chapter and is one of the book's most engaging aspects."-Eric Caplan,CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly

A lively look at young Jewish women who are typically typecast as pious and reserved but have just as much imagination and similar desires as other young American women.