Oy vay! This American Life!

If you have never listened to This American Life on NPR - well maybe you should start. I can't say I listen with super-regularity but I listen often in the car on the weekend when I am driving around. I love the show - it is a collection of audio "essays" each week, narrated and commented on by Ira Glass. Still not sold? You can give some of the credit for David Sedaris becoming big to TAL - he is a regular on the show... This is no Prarie Home Companion - this is the good stuff.

While driving to Dunkies today I heard the last 15 of the show - which was about being remembered. I don't "do" death and rarely enjoy talking about it or even hearing about it. But this piece caused me to wait 10 more minutes in the Dunkie's lot before getting my coffee.

It was a short story from a guy who spent most of his early life in yeshivas (think schools for religious Jews as a general definition - there is also a college by the name in where else - Manhattan ;-) I won't give away the story but it is about a young man who fulfills an ancient Jewish tradition of sitting shiv'ah as a shomer - listen to the story it will explain what that is... It is actually very dry and often quite humourous - especially if you are Jewish or have grown up , like me, among many Jews and living in a Jewish neighborhood (both my parent's home and our relatives homes just happened to be in Jewish neighborhood - the latter being in Hasidic Brooklyn between Bay Ridge and Borough Park!)

I now want to read the guy's new book of short stories - he was almost like a Jewish Sedaris - check it out, you just might like it. To listen to this week's TAL - check the weblink above or check back during the week to listent to the show archive!