具体描述
How do you help your child choose between mandatory baseball practice and Hebrew school? How can you plan a birthday party (not to mention bar or bat mitzvah party!) for your child without sacrificing your values, sanity, and pocketbook? How can you keep peace on the homework homefront? And how do you deal with Santa envy–let alone the entire month of December?
As any modern Jewish parent knows, balancing family traditions and the realities of contemporary culture can be incredibly challenging.
Answering questions both old and new, Jewish and secular, internationally syndicated parenting columnist and award-winning Jewish educator and mother of four, Sharon Duke Estroff illuminates the ways that Jewish tradition can be used to form a lasting, emotional safety net for modern families. Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah? is an instant classic.
“A warm book full of tangible advice that will fashion children into committed Jews and menschen ; in short, into people who will be a blessing in their own lives and in the lives of all those whom they meet.”
–Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of You Shall Be Holy and The Book of Jewish Values
“Brimming with humor and strategy, love, and secret parent handshakes.”
–Melissa Faye Greene, author of The Temple Bombing, Praying for Sheetrock, and There's No Me Without You
“Sharon Duke Estroff has the uncanny ability to give solid, useful, and practical information on how toraise children while making you laugh out loud at the same time.”
–Stephen Nowicki Jr., Ph.D., ABPP, coauthor of Helping the Child Who Doesn't Fit In and Teaching Your Child the Language of Social Success
“I'm not Jewish, but I love this book. I laughed through it all while still appreciating the serious lessons it teaches. Every mom (and dad) with kids will find themselves nodding and smiling to themselves as they discover each other on every page.”
–Bonnie R. Strickland, Ph.D., ABPP, former president of the American Psychological Association
“This book belongs in the library of every parent and grandparent.”
– Atlanta Jewish Times
"Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah is a valuable must-buy for all Jewish parents, and not just for Hanukkah. Not only does Estroff give practical child rearing advice but her joyful approach to Judaism is a healthy antidote to religious skeptics."
-Hadassah Magazine
"Estroff’s witty, sympathetic tone and her attention to ethical matters make her a refreshing authority.”
- Jewish Living Magazine
"Sharon Duke Estroff’s Can I have a Cell Phone for Hanukah ? is a wise, witty, and insightful guide for parents — both Jews and non-Jews — who are faced with navigating their way through the shoals of contemporary American life."
- Deborah Lipstadt PhD, History on Trial: My Day in Court with David Irving
"One of the best parenting books I've read this year."
-Five Minutes for Mom Blog
"Sharon Duke Estroff has come to the rescue of parents raising children in today's 'overachieving, anxiety- filled culture,' with her concise, insightful and often hilarious guide Can I have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah? The Essential Scoop on Raising Modern Jewish Kids."
- Jewish Independent
"From play dates, homework and extracurricular activities, to bar/bat mitzvah,tzedakah and Jewish holidays, with humor and insight Estroff offers suggestions for coping with the day-today challenges of Jewish parenting...an easy read packed with a lot of good,practical advice."
- Chicago Jewish Star
"With Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah? a mother will have help navigating her way through the child rearing years and beyond. With humor and in a contemporary modern mind, the book offers wonderfully creative ways to take your children from one subject to another."
- Shalom Newspaper
"Insightful and humorous, Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah? covers many of the parenting issues us mommy bloggers banter about every day, such as choosing a kindergarten to teaching your children the value of a dollar. Estroff writes in a fun and catchy rhythm that makes her down-to-earth advice a joy to read, including text peppered with Jewish references that add flavor and voice."
-Mommy Blog Spot
"Peppered with humor, Estroff's book addresses dilemmas that begin as early as the preschool years and evolve throughout elementary school, junior high school and high school. She discusses academic competitiveness, cutthroat soccer games and surviving homework. She guides parents who struggle with the idea that they must provide the most entertaining play dates, most exciting birthday parties and the most lavish b'nai mitzvah receptions."
- Jewish News of Greater Phoenix
"Any parent feeling overwhelmed will find Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah? filled with interesting, easy-to-read advice. Estroff has a sense of humor, noting when she’s made parenting mistakes and discussing the lessons she learned the hard way. Parenting in the 21st century may not be easy, but Estroff helps make the task a little less difficult."
- The Reporter
"Sharon has filled 'Can I have a Cell Phone' with lots of practical advice for Jewish parents, including how to deal with Santa-envy, how to survive the homework struggle, how to plan a birthday party without breaking your budget and how to help shy kids make friends. Also, there are chapters on grade-school play date protocol and parenting in the Net generation."
-Jewish Literary Review
"Ms. Estroff, mother of four, Jewish educational consultant, and author of a nationally syndicated parenting advice column, writes with wit, candor, and authority. She brings issues and wisdom from her personal parenting experiences, those of the families at her day school, and those from her readers together in gentle, measured, moderate, and reasonable, contemporary guide to raising children."
-Juggling Frogs Jewish Parenting Blog
作者简介
目录信息
读后感
用户评价
从文学技法的角度来看，这本书的叙事结构设计得非常巧妙，它采用了环形结构的可能性，或者至少是高度依赖于某种周期性事件来驱动情节发展的。 这种对“周期”的强调，似乎在暗示，有些核心的关于价值观、关于爱与界限的讨论，是会随着时间推移而不断重复的，只是载体在变化。 我注意到，作者在描述节日氛围时，大量运用了感官描写，不只是视觉，还有听觉和触觉。 比如，对家里旧地毯的质感，对老旧收音机里播放的特定音乐的音色，都进行了细致的刻画。 这种对环境细节的执着，成功地构建了一个坚固的、具有文化锚点的世界观。 读者很容易被这种强烈的“场所感”所吸引，因为它提供了一个安全而熟悉的基础，从而更能接受故事中可能出现的对传统的挑战或对新事物的接纳。 这种对环境的细致打磨，使得即便故事的核心议题是现代的，其基调依然是沉稳且充满历史纵深的。 这种平衡感的拿捏，是很多试图讲述当代议题的小说所欠缺的，他们往往过于聚焦于“新”，而忽略了根基。
非常喜欢作者在语言运用上的那种诗意与口语化的完美融合。 某些段落的句子结构拉得很长，充满了排比和递进，读起来有一种庄严的美感，仿佛在进行某种神圣的宣言；但紧接着，又会跳入非常简洁、充满生活气息的对话片段，那种语气词和口头禅的运用，真实到让人觉得就是邻居家的对话被搬了过来。 这种文体的交替使用，极大地增强了故事的节奏感和阅读的愉悦性。 它像一首交响乐，有缓慢而深沉的主旋律，也有轻快跳跃的变奏。 这种张弛有度的语言风格，成功地支撑了一个可能略显沉重的主题，使其始终保持着一种轻盈和可读性。 此外，书中对于“等待”这一状态的描绘，也达到了极高的水准。 等待，在节日主题的故事中是必然存在的，但作者赋予了“等待”以重量和颜色，让等待本身成为一种积极的体验，而不是一种消极的煎熬。 这种对日常情感的升华处理，让整部作品脱离了一般儿童读物的范畴，具有了更广泛的文学价值和情感穿透力。
这本书在处理关于“物质与精神价值”的探讨时，展现出一种令人惊喜的成熟度。 它没有落入简单的“科技是坏的/传统是好的”的二元对立陷阱。 相反，它似乎在探问一个更深层的问题：在表达爱与关怀时，工具的重要性究竟有多大？ 父母一方的反对或谨慎，看起来像是对特定物品的抵触，但深挖下去，那其实是对“沟通方式”的焦虑——他们担心这个新工具会取代他们与孩子之间原本那种更直接、更需要投入精力的互动模式。 这种对代际焦虑的精准捕捉，让成年读者深有共鸣，而对青少年读者来说，则提供了一个反思自己行为方式的契机。 故事并没有急于给出答案，而是将选择权和对后果的理解，巧妙地抛回给了读者。 这种叙事上的克制，避免了说教，反而让主题获得了更持久的回味空间。 你合上书本后，脑海中浮现的，不是一个明确的结论，而是一系列关于“如何才能更好地爱彼此”的疑问。
我特别欣赏作者在角色塑造上的那种不动声色的细腻。 主角（我姑且这么称呼她）的内心戏份，简直就是对“渴望”这个抽象概念最完美的具象化表达。 她的每一次眼神游移，每一次小心翼翼的试探，都充满了那种青春期特有的敏感和对外界评价的在意。 这种内心的挣扎，远比直接的争吵来得更有力量。 比如说，她观察父母的表情时，那种精确到微表情的捕捉，让人不得不佩服作者对儿童心理的深刻洞察。 这不是一个简单的“想要玩具”的故事，更像是一部关于“如何与世界协商自我需求”的成长寓言。 角色之间的对话也处理得极其自然，那种带着南方（或者说，有着特定文化背景的）家庭特有的那种绕弯子说话的方式，既保留了礼貌，又暗藏着各自的立场。 那些看似漫不经心的家庭闲聊，实则暗流涌动，每一句都有潜在的指向性。 这种多层次的交流，使得故事的厚度大大增加，你读的不仅仅是情节，更是人与人之间复杂的情感连结和沟通的艺术。 这种不把话说透，让读者自己去体会的叙事手法，非常高级，也更贴近真实的生活。
这本书的封面设计着实抓人眼球，那种带着点小小的、充满期待的犹如图画般的插画风格，一下子就将我带回了童年时节，那种对节日，尤其是像光明节这样充满奇迹和希望的节日里，对某个“大件”的渴望。 我记得自己小时候也曾有过类似的心愿清单，虽然不一定是手机，但那种想要在特殊日子里得到一份“不一样”礼物的憧憬是共通的。 作者在开篇的处理上，非常巧妙地营造了一种既家庭化又充满日常张力的氛围。 你能够清晰地感受到家庭成员之间的互动，那种微妙的、关于“值不值得”和“能不能够到”的讨论，虽然没有直接点出书名里的那个核心议题，但那种潜藏在家庭讨论中的价值观冲突和代际差异，已经呼之欲出了。 特别是对节庆准备过程的细致描摹，从灯台的擦拭到特定食物的准备，那种浓郁的文化气息和生活质感，让人仿佛身临其境，闻到了空气中弥漫的油炸食品的香气。 这种扎实的背景铺陈，为后续可能出现的任何情节冲突都打下了坚实的基础，让人好奇，在这样充满传统和爱的环境中，一个现代科技产品将如何被引入或被审视。 总的来说，开篇的叙事节奏拿捏得恰到好处，既不拖沓，又能充分地调动读者的情绪和好奇心，为接下来的故事发展奠定了非常温暖且略带悬念的基调。
