A Must read

Loved it, listened to it all in one day. I just had to know what happened after Unorthodox. Feel like I've learned so much aswell. Please release another book in the UK soon, as I know you won't publish anything in the US whilst Trump is in power.

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Very detailed story

unfortunately I didn't enjoy this as much as the first book. I didn't enjoy the narrators voice , the story wasn't really about what I had expected, it was interesting but it wasnt about how she adapted so much was just her travelling and other relationships she had but storyline didn't flow and was no real ending.

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obsession with self

Found it difficult to listen to this story due to current events in Gaza. It felt like walking in the shadow of the dead - both old and new. I wish I started it 6 month ago.

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An interesting read to find out what life went on to be for Deborah.

Unorthodox was for me a more powerful,emotional and raw account of what was basically dealing with religious trauma.

I enjoyed exodus but selfishly I wanted to relate to it more but I didn’t. Not to say I didn’t enjoy it. It was still comforting to hear her finding forms of peace in her journey.

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A self-discovery journey

This is the second book of the author that I have read. Looking forward to her next book.

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1 person found this helpful

Wonderful!

I listened to this memoir straight after listening to the first, Unorthodox, and it exceeded all expectations. The difference between the two stories reflects the huge journey Deborah has been on.. the somewhat cold perspective delivered in Unorthodox, written during a time of great upheaval, is here replaced with a much more emotional and reflective narrative, perhaps helped by the author now being the speaker also. Here we follow Deborah's struggles to find roots and meaning in a new world - a story uniquely her own, but from which most readers will find something to relate, and lots to learn. It is beautifully done, and I would urge everyone to give it a listen.

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4 people found this helpful

Go for the revised version

enjoyed as I was fascinated after reading book one.
I had seen there is a revised version of this. i will wait a year before watching

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Awesome

I’ve been with Deborah on two of her journeys, Unorthodox and now Exodus. I feel like she has become an acquaintance of sorts, someone who I enjoyed listening to and became enthralled by her story which clearly demonstrated tenacity, grit and perseverance. Sharing Deborah’s journey left me feeling as though I’ve been with her every step of the way. I too share Deborah’s background although not with chadism but with ultra orthodoxy. Perhaps that’s in good part because I too was made to feel an outsider, felt distinctly apart from the community I was living with and so can identify with much of what Deborah endured both in terms of treatment and experiences by those very same people. I too left the fold having been rejected and then in turn rejected those very same who rejected me. I went on to experience the same freedom and life of which Deborah speaks and so can therefore identify much with her journey.

Deborah’s story is all that more extraordinary because she literally started from the bottom and worked her way up, above and beyond all the obstacles which could so easily have prevented her success. Her books are well written and convey a sincerity and truthful honesty which draws the reader in. My only criticism would be that I would have liked, particularly in the follow-up book Exodus, there to have been more detail about her life and how she navigated it post orthodoxy.

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The first book was about her abuse, the second book is about her being an abuser

This is a book that gets a lot of unfair criticism, so I feel bad that I have some criticism of my own to add.

I’ll start with the good: the first 3/4s of the book is pretty decent. It’s interesting to have a coda to Unorthodox and see Deborah’s journey after she left her Hasidic community. She is a flawed person, and she’s bold enough to show that.

That said, the final 1/4 ruin the book and make me seriously regret ever reading it. Spoilers from here on out.

So, she starts role playing with German men that they’re Nazis and she’s being stopped and harassed by them. That is shocking, but some kinks are. I’m also of the opinion that as long as everything is safe, sane, and consensual people can do whatever they like. The problem is, these role plays don’t feel entirely consensual. While I don’t expect an ex-Hasidic Jew to know the finer points of consent and after care in BDSM (even knowing a pro dome from her uni days), she should have realised there was something she needed to look into after her first encounter.

This unfortunately escalated into the final relationship she talks about in the book in which she perpetrates some of the absolute worst emotional abuse I’ve ever heard recounted by an abuser. I kept waiting for her to have an epiphany that her behaviour is utterly reprehensible, but it never does. She’s abusive to her boyfriend, she’s abusive to his mum when they visit her in New York, and she just dumps him. The only comfort is knowing this guy is free from her.

If you liked Unorthodox, this is not remotely the same type of story. I highly recommend finding a different memoir

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1 person found this helpful

Nothing like the first book

As with many literary masterpieces, the sequel is a great disappointment. Confusing, hard to read and not half as engaging as Unorthodox. I wished I had better things to say.

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