The Choosing

"Filled with wisdom, humor, and the kind of contentment that only comes when an author has found his or her rightful place in the world, The Choosing is one of those books that leaves you feeling odly serene."

~Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review

"How does the daughter of a Sicilian Catholic mother and a German Lutheran father, a lesbian parent of two children, and a convert to Judaism, become a rabbi? Andrea Myers tells you how in this utterly delightful account of her odyssey from Queens and Long Island, through four years at Brandeis, visits to Germany and Oxford and studying in Jerusalem, to her current home in New York. This account of the trials and tribulations of a gutsy young woman with a perceptive eye, a gift for story-telling, and a determination to do whatever has to be done to overcome whatever stands in her way of achieving her dream of becoming a devoted teacher of Judaism. The episodes in this tale structured around the festivals of the Jewish year and incorporating vignettes of her family's growing acceptance of what their daughter has done with her life, are simply a joy to read. More she stands as a paradigm of how a modern young American woman shapes her life experience."

~Rabbi Neil Gillman, Emeritus Professor of Jewish Philosophy, Jewish Theological Seminary of America

"My favorite Jewish lesbian used to be me until I read The Choosing. Rabbi Myers's journey from Baptism to rabbinical school is a must read."

~Judy Gold, comedian/actress

"Rabbi Myers' memoir is joyful, but hers is a hard-won joy, and her brand of Judaism is embracing of all."

~New York Jewish Week

"On a number of levels The Choosing was a fascinating read. The personal studies, interwoven with the search for religious conversion, make the balance of the piece hard to put down. Rabbi Myers' double journey dovetails beautifully to a very poignant, succinct final statement for the reader to reach."

~Edge Publications