Knocking on Heaven's Door: American Religion in the Age of Counterculture

History

Oppenheimer, Mark

Americas

Yale University Press

Introducing us to America's first gay ministers and first female priests, hippie Jews and folk-singing Catholics, Oppenheimer demonstrates that this was an era of extraordinary religious vitality. Drawing on a rich range of archival material as well as interviews with many of the protagonists, Knocking on Heaven's Door offers a wry and iconoclastic reappraisal of the ways in which the upheavals of the sixties changed America's relationship with God.

World

A witty and provocative reappraisal of the impact of the cultural upheavals of the sixties on American religious life What happened to American religion during the cultural revolution of the 1960s and early 1970s? The era has long been associated with the ascendancy of Eastern religions and fringe cults. But in this provocative book, Mark Oppenheimer demonstrates that contrary to conventional wisdom, most Americans did not turn on, tune in, and drop out of mainstream religious groups during the Age of Aquarius. Instead, many Americans brought the counterculture with them to their churches and temples, changing the face of American religion.Introducing us to America’s first gay ministers and first female priests, to hippie Jews and folk-singing Catholics, Oppenheimer demonstrates that this was an era of extraordinary religious vitality. Drawing on a rich range of archival material as well as interviews with many of the protagonists, Knocking on Heaven’s Door offersa wry and iconoclastic reappraisal of the ways in which the upheavals of the sixties changed America’s relationship with God.

A striking look at the Jewish rite-and at American Jews in all their diversity Since its emergence here a century ago, the bar or bat mitzvah has become a distinctively American rite of passage, so much so that, in certain suburbs today, gentile families throw parties for their thirteen-year-olds, lest they feel left out. How did this come about? To answer that question, Mark Oppenheimer set out across America to attend the most distinctive b'nai mitzvah he could find, and Thirteen and a Day is the story of what he found- an altogether fresh look at American Jews today. Beginning with the image of a party of gaudy excess, Oppenheimer then goes farther afield in the great tradition of literary journalists from Joseph Mitchell to Ian Frazier and Susan Orlean. The two dozen Jews of Fayetteville, Arkansas, he finds, open their synagogue to eccentrics from all over the Ozarks. Those of Lake Charles, Louisiana, pass the hat to cover the expenses of their potluck dinner. And in Anchorage, Alaska, a Hasidic boy's bar mitzvah in a snowed-in hotel becomes a striking image of how far the Jewish diaspora has spread. In these people's company, privy to their soul-searching about their religious heritage, Oppenheimer finds that the day is full of wonder and significance. Part travelogue, part spiritual voyage, Thirteen and a Day is a lyrical, entertaining, even revelatory look at American Jews and one of the most original books of literary journalism to appear in some years.

Thirteen and a Day: The Bar and Bat Mitzvah Across America

Religion & Spirituality

Judaism

Farrar. Straus and Giroux

Product Description 
A piercing portrait of the struggles and triumphs of one of America's renowned Jewish neighborhoods in the wake of unspeakable tragedy that highlights the hopes, fears, and tensions all Americans must confront on the road to healing.\nSquirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, is one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in the country, known for its tight-knit community and the profusion of multigenerational families. On October 27, 2018, a gunman killed eleven Jews who were worshipping at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill--the most deadly anti-Semitic attack in American history.\nMany neighborhoods would be understandably subsumed by despair and recrimination after such an event, but not this one. Mark Oppenheimer poignantly shifts the focus away from the criminal and his crime, and instead presents the historic, spirited community at the center of this heartbreak. He speaks with residents and nonresidents, Jews and gentiles, survivors and witnesses, teenagers and seniors, activists and historians.\nTogether, these stories provide a kaleidoscopic and nuanced account of collective grief, love, support, and revival. But Oppenheimer also details the difficult dialogue and messy confrontations that Squirrel Hill had to face in the process of healing, and that are a necessary part of true growth and understanding in any community. He has reverently captured the vibrancy and caring that still characterize Squirrel Hill, and it is this phenomenal resilience that can provide inspiration to any place burdened with discrimination and hate. 
 Review 
“Propulsive . . . A poignant, deeply researched account of the Pittsburgh Jewish neighborhood in the aftermath of tragedy. Oppenheimer sets the scene with details even those familiar with the story might forget. . . . He does a lovely job of bringing the essence of this charming, walkable place to life. . . . How “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” became the site of the most deadly antisemitic attack on American soil and what happened afterward unfold with the precision of the best suspense stories. . . . Oppenheimer is sympathetic to the ways Jewish culture stands at the crossroads of proud resistance and self-protective withdrawal, bold activism and self-effacement. The people he highlights are treated with a knowing, affectionate wink, a landsman’s recognition.” 
—Irina Reyn, The New York Times\n“[Oppenheimer’s] compelling exploration of [the Tree of Life synagogue shooting’s] impact on the community is by turns searing and compassionate. It is an emotionally draining terrain, flecked with occasional, unexpected pockets of consolation. But in placing this hate crime against our country’s patchwork canvas of faith, politics and violence, Oppenheimer provides a powerful meditation on the changing meaning of community and belonging in an age of disconnection and isolation.” 
—Diane Cole, The Washington Post\n“[A] rare narrative about how a community tiptoes through the wake of a hate crime.” 
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune\n“This book focuses panoramically on the tragedy and those it touched. . . . Years from now, when people want to know what happened in Pittsburgh, this is the book to which they will probably turn.” 
—Jonathan Sarna, Jewish Review of Books“One of the things Oppenheimer’s book illustrates so effectively is just how far out the concentric circles of pain can ripple. . . . [ 
Squirrel Hill] is a welcome reminder that ‘baseless love’ can help keep a community together, as well as serve as a salve for the pain of individuals. Its lessons are not likely to prevent the next racial terror attack, but they contain some of the antibodies that could help a community to withstand an assault.” 
—David B. Green, Haaretz“ 
Squirrel Hill . . . is a rich and important effort to write that day into history by showing us in vivid detail what the Jewish community endured and survived. . . . [Oppenheimer] brings the urgency and accuracy of superior journalism to his w

Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood

KNOPF

HAVE YOU EVER MET A CHILD WHO TALKED LIKE AN ADULT? Who knew big words and knew how to use them? Was he a charmer or an insufferable smart aleck—or maybe both? Mark Oppenheimer was just such a boy, his talent for language a curse as much as a blessing. Unlike math or music prodigies, he had no way to showcase his unique skill, except to speak like a miniature adult—a trick some found impressive but others found irritating. Frustrated and isolated, Oppenheimer used his powers for ill—he became a wisenheimer—pushing his peers and teachers away, acting out with prank phone calls, and worse. But when he got to high school, Oppenheimer discovered an outlet for his loquaciousness: the debate team. 
This smart, funny memoir not only reveals a strange, compelling subculture, it offers a broader discussion of the splendor and power (including the healing power) of language and of the social and developmental hazards of being a gifted child. Oppenheimer’s journey from loneliness to fulfillment affords a fascinating inside look at the extraordinary subculture of world-class high-school debate and at the power of language to change one’s life.

Wisenheimer: A Childhood Subject to Debate

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

Free Press

HAVE YOU EVER MET A CHILD WHO TALKED LIKE AN ADULT? Who knew big words and knew how to use them? Was he a charmer or an insufferable smart aleck—or maybe both? Mark Oppenheimer was just such a boy, his talent for language a curse as much as a blessing. Unlike math or music prodigies, he had no way to showcase his unique skill, except to speak like a miniature adult—a trick some found impressive but others found irritating. Frustrated and isolated, Oppenheimer used his powers for ill—he became a wisenheimer—pushing his peers and teachers away, acting out with prank phone calls, and worse. But when he got to high school, Oppenheimer discovered an outlet for his loquaciousness: the debate team. This smart, funny memoir not only reveals a strange, compelling subculture, it offers a broader discussion of the splendor and power (including the healing power) of language and of the social and developmental hazards of being a gifted child. Oppenheimer’s journey from loneliness to fulfillment affords a fascinating inside look at the extraordinary subculture of world-class high-school debate and at the power of language to change one’s life.

Named one of Library Journal’s Best Religion &amp; Spirituality Books of 2019 An Unorthodox Guide to Everything Jewish Deeply knowing, highly entertaining, and just a little bit irreverent, this unputdownable encyclopedia of all things Jewish and Jew-ish covers culture, religion, history, habits, language, and more. Readers will refresh their knowledge of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, the artistry of Barbra Streisand, the significance of the Oslo Accords, the meaning of words like balaboosta,balagan, bashert, and bageling. Understand all the major and minor holidays. Learn how the Jews invented Hollywood. Remind themselves why they need to read Hannah Arendt, watch Seinfeld, listen to Leonard Cohen. Even discover the secret of happiness (see “Latkes”). Includes hundreds of photos, charts, infographics, and illustrations. It’s a lot.

The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: From Abraham to Zabar’s and Everything in Between

Leibovitz, Liel

Tablet

Butnick, Stephanie

Artisan

A striking look at the Jewish rite—and at American Jews in all their diversity. Thirteen years ago, Mark Oppenheimer set off throughout the United States to see how the bar and bat mitzvah were practiced in different regions, by different boys and girls, from different streams of Judaism. That book, “Thirteen and a Day,” is now being republished on its thirteenth birthday—its bar mitzvah—as “The Bar Mitzvah Crasher.”Since its emergence here a century ago, the bar or bat mitzvah has become a distinctively American rite of passage, so much so that, in certain suburbs today, gentile families throw parties for their thirteen-year-olds, lest they feel left out. How did this come about? To answer that question, Mark Oppenheimer set out across America to attend the most distinctive b'nai mitzvah he could find. “The Bar Mitzvah Crasher” is the story of what he found—an altogether fresh look at American Jews today. Beginning with the image of a party of gaudy excess, Oppenheimer then goes farther afield in the great tradition of literary journalists from Joseph Mitchell to Ian Frazier and Susan Orlean. The two dozen Jews of Fayetteville, Arkansas, he finds, open their synagogue to eccentrics from all over the Ozarks. Those of Lake Charles, Louisiana, pass the hat to cover the expenses of their potluck dinner. And in Anchorage, Alaska, a Hasidic boy’s bar mitzvah in a snowed-in hotel becomes a striking image of how far the Jewish diaspora has spread. In these people’s company, privy to their soul-searching about their religious heritage, Oppenheimer finds that the day is full of wonder and significance. Part travelogue, part spiritual voyage, “The Bar Mitzvah Crasher” is a lyrical, entertaining, even revelatory look at American Jews and one of the most original books of literary journalism to appear in some years.

The Bar Mitzvah Crasher: Road-tripping Through Jewish America

Independently published

Conversations about the Meaning of Life (Conversations about Philosophy)

Politics & Social Sciences

METZ, Thaddeus

Benatar,David

Werbeloff, Jason

Philosophy

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Oppenheimer, Mark. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Oppenheimer, Mark

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Oppenheimer, Mark. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Knocking on Heaven's Door: American Religion in the Age of Counterculture

Knocking on Heaven's Door: American Religion in the Age of Counterculture

Knocking on Heaven's Door: American Religion in the Age of Counterculture

Thirteen and a Day: The Bar and Bat Mitzvah Across America

Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood

Wisenheimer: A Childhood Subject to Debate

Wisenheimer: A Childhood Subject to Debate

The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: From Abraham to Zabar’s and Everything in Between

The Bar Mitzvah Crasher: Road-tripping Through Jewish America

Conversations about the Meaning of Life (Conversations about Philosophy)