Dreaming of Hitler: Passions and Provocations

In these idiosyncratic essays, Merkin (Enchantment) muses about sex, marriage, pregnancy, divorce, books, writers, celebrities, breast reduction, diets and other disparate topics. Some of her opinionated essays, such as fantasies about spanking during sex and an apology for upper-class women's shoplifting impulses, border on the trivial. Nevertheless, many of the pieces are trenchant. There is a thought-provoking assessment of Claire Booth's Leaving the Doll's House, an affectionate reminiscence of Diana Trilling and a perceptive description of Martin Scorsese's directorial methods on the set of The Age of Innocence. Merkin is at her best in a section titled ""In My Tribe,"" where she includes candid impressions of modern Israel, an attempt to discover the meaning of the biblical Song of Songs and thoughts on the Book of Ecclesiastes, which calls up childhood memories of Succot in her family's Orthodox household. The poignant title piece, revolving around her adolescent dream of meeting Hitler and trying to convince him that he really doesn't hate the Jews, is especially moving. The essays were originally published in the New Yorker, the New York Times Book Review and other journals. (June)