Read the Reviews
One of the funniest books you’ll ever read about the sometimes absurd alternative reality of the IDF…. What drives the book – which is named after the nickname Chasnoff’s commander gave to the unit – is Chasnoff’s uncanny ability to nail the various idiosyncratic elements of the Israeli psyche as mirrored in the 18-year-old boys he’s thrown his lot in with for a year.The 188th Crybaby Brigade is an unusual story, humorous but not without heartbreak, told well by an intelligent and funny person. Chasnoff is great at capturing dialogue. Throughout, he strikes a terrific balance between humor and self-effacement.
The Jerusalem Post
A mostly humorous, frequently tender and sometimes infuriating book, it is perhaps most notable for the dubious light it casts on a revered institution, Israel’s military… Some of the book’s best moments are not high drama but flat-out comedy.
The Jewish Week
Laugh-out-loud funny…. [Chasnoff] has some serious and even shocking things to say about Israel and its relationship with American Jews, and I promise you that you will not think about your own Jewishness in quite the same way after you finish his smart, funny and provocative book.
Los Angeles Jewish Journal
An unusual story, humorous but not without heartbreak, told well by an intelligent and funny person.
The Forward
Part Stripes, part Camp Ramah, comedian Joel Chasnoff presents a new kind of coming-of-age story in his memoir and first book, The 188th Crybaby Brigade…. Chasnoff’s comedic timing and honest heart shine throughout the narrative as we follow his journey from supposed zero to Israeli hero.
Jewish Book World
Through the humor, the tone dips deep into tenets of Judaism, Middle East politics, discrimination, racism and more. Ultimately, the author offers a poignant account of attitudes and policies that are bound to fail the region. And sadly, it’s funny as hell.
Colorado Springs Independent
The laughs begin right on the first page. The humor, admittedly, turns darker and darker the longer he’s in the army, so that by the time he leaves, it’s black.
The Chicago Jewish Star
Chasnoff isn’t a writer who just happens to be Jewish. Indeed, his entire book examines his own Jewish experience, a very positive and loving one.
Chicago JUF News
A great tale, a Jewish Jarhead. It’s a book about war, peace, marriage, the Middle East, titty-twisters, and Spam. A funny, thoughtful and poignant story. It didn’t make me want to join the Israeli Army, but it made me very glad Joel did, so he could bring us back such a funny, thoughtful, and poignant story.
A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically
This comic coming-of-age memoir is as touching as it is tough, as insightful as it is funny. The 188th Crybaby Brigade is an unsentimental but moving portrait of a soldier’s heart and mind.
Lauren Weisberger, New York Times bestselling author of The Devil Wears Prada
In this illuminating work Joel Chasnoff does for the IDF what Mailer did for the Pacific Campaign and O’Brien for eh war in Vietnam. This is a chilling book.
Anthony Swofford, New York Times bestselling author of Jarhead
Joel Chasnoff’s fascinating account of his time in the Israel Defense Forces is a rare window into the real Israel. If you really want to understand the Jewish state and its army, put away the propaganda and read this unusually funny and honest book.
Sam Apple, author of Schlepping Through the Alps
Joel Chasnoff writes like Woody Allen channeling Leon Uris, with altogether charming results. As hilarious, unsparing, and surprisingly tender a memoir as they come.
Elisa Albert, author of Book of Dahlia
When Chasnoff describes the landscapes in the Negev Desert and in Lebanon, the prose approaches the poetic. His physical examinations at the hands of very different authority figures that bookend the main narrative are horrifyingly hilarious.
Kirkus Reviews
