Booknote: Haikus for Jews

David M. Bader, Haikus for Jews: For You, a Little Wisdom. New York: Harmony Books, 1999.  ISBN: 0-609-60502-X.

Genre: poetry

Subgenre: Haikus, Jewish, humor

Format: small hardback

Source: The discards shelf at Hutchins Library, and it is headed back there to pass it on.

This is a cute collection of Jewish-themed haikus, or chai-kus, "so called because of their high chutzpah content." Jews and Gentiles alike can enjoy these good kosher haikus. The book has a short foreword by the author and then we get to the haikus, almost 90 or so. The humor is light and simple, with a bit of Jewish wisdom and wit. The book is a short and quick read that may make you smile. In the end, I liked it. 

3 out of 5 stars. 

Here are a couple of haikus from the book as a sample: 

"Hidden connection--

starvation in Africa,

food left on my plate" (54). 

 

"Heimlich. Is that a

Jewish name? I wonder as

a diner turns blue" (100).