New Book Review: Have You No Shame? And Other Regrettable Stories

Have You No Shame? And Other Regrettable Stories by Rachel Shukert

Have You No Shame? is a hilarious, shockingly honest look at a Jewish girl’s life as she grows up in Omaha, Nebraska—not exactly a place filled with Jews, or anything remotely resembling shock value, for that matter. More comfortable in her own little world than in reality and always feeling like an outcast, as a child Rachel worries about which non-Jewish friends will hide her in the next Holocaust and dreams of an imaginary boyfriend, Chris McPresbyterian. Her teenage years find her free from the confines of a Jewish school; she joins a youth group at the insistence of her mother, but at times ends up indulging in less-than-holy activities as a result. As an adult, Rachel takes her wild imagination to New York City trying to make her mark on the world, though along the way, life is not always for the better. Morbid yet witty, a collection of coming-of-age autobiographical stories that will have readers falling on the floor laughing, and is even complete with cross-shaped footnotes with explanations for non-Jewish readers and N-shaped foonotes for non-Midwesterners. Recommended, but not for the faint of heart!