cover image Not to Worry: Jewish Wisdom and Folklore

Not to Worry: Jewish Wisdom and Folklore

Michele Klein. Jewish Publication Society of America, $35 (300pp) ISBN 978-0-8276-0753-8

""Jewish worry,"" particularly of the Jewish-mother variety, has been the butt of jokes for years. But worry is a serious issue, says Michele Klein in Not to Worry: Jewish Wisdom and Folklore. Klein, a self-described ""secular Jew"" and National Jewish Book Award winner (A Time to Be Born), wrote this book when her children were serving in the Israel Defense Forces. It covers all kinds of worrying, from minor fretting to ominous dread, and explores how Jews have historically coped with anxiety though prayer, meditation, laughter, music and even magic. Throughout, Klein is interested in what she calls ""positive psychology""-what the experience of worry can teach us, and how it can propel us ""toward meaningful, productive and fulfilling lives.""