Number Our Days (Touchstone Book)

Here Dr. Myerhoff records the stories of a culture that seems to give people the strength to face enormous daily problems -- poverty, neglect, loneliness, poor health, inadequate housing and physical danger. The tale is a poignant one, funny and often wise, with implications for all of us about the importance of ritual, the agonies of aging, and the indomitable human spirit.

Anyways I harbor no bad feelings against her. No, the real fault lies with my ... professor, who along with legions of his ... colleagues across the nation, torture countless students with overblown and hyperverbose books and lectures. Take my advice. AVOID THESE CLASSES AT ALL COSTS!


Stilted and Plodding   April 20, 2003
 0 out of 16 found this review helpful

I love to read, but I doubt that this is the kind of book I would have ever read on my own free will. For each little point the author inexplicably feels compelled to ramble for 5 pages. Existing existentials? Symbolic cultural polarities? What the heck is that supposed to mean? Get to the point dude. The text should have been at most, a third its actual length...Indeed the setting is glum, Schmuel is OK but most of the others are portrayed as relentlessly vicious and petty. Not the kind of people you would want to hang around with or get to know for that matter. But none of this matters if the book is at least, overall, interesting and achieves its goals. I am sorry to say that it neither manages to be the former (except for rare instances)or accomplish the latter. Unless its goal is to leave the reader with a vaguely depressing emptiness. What a shame. I have heard that the Prof. Myerhoff, may she RIP, was a dedicated and talented teacher, who while unable to write well in all her books at least had her heart in the right place. Perhaps I would find her other works more enjoyable and would have seen greater titles had she not passed away so quickly.

Anyways I harbor no bad feelings against her. No, the real fault lies with my idiot professor, who along with legions of his moronic colleagues across the nation, torture countless students with overblown and hyperverbose books and lectures. Take my advice. AVOID THESE CLASSES AT ALL COSTS!


Excellent book to read.   June 11, 2002
 0 out of 5 found this review helpful

I was required to read this book for an Anthropology class I took at Temple University and this was a great book. The Professor even went as far as locating the video through our video library for the class to view and it was interesting as well. This book was great! I would recommend it for reading even if you don't have to read it for a class!

Loved It!


wonderful   September 27, 2000
 5 out of 7 found this review helpful

I read this book a while ago and reread it every few years. It is wonderful and moving, unsparing but kind. I often buy it for friends.