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Look at me. Do you see me? Do you see me in my olive-green uniform, beret, and shiny black boots? Do you see the assault rifle slung across my chest? Finally! I am the badass Israeli soldier at the side of the road, in sunglasses, forearms like bricks. And honestly -- have you ever seen anything quite like me?
Joel Chasnoff is twenty-four years old, an American, and the graduate of an Ivy League university. But when his career as a stand-up comic fails to get off the ground, Chasnoff decides it's time for a serious change of pace. Leaving behind his amenity-laden Brooklyn apartment for a plane ticket to Israel, Joel trades in the comforts of being a stereotypical American Jewish male for an Uzi, dog tags (with his name misspelled), and serious mental and physical abuse at the hands of the Israeli Army.
The 188th Crybaby Brigade is a hilarious and poignant account of Chasnoff's year in the Israel Defense Forces -- a year that he volunteered for, and that he'll never get back. As a member of the 188th Armored Brigade, a unit trained on the Merkava tanks that make up the backbone of Israeli ground forces, Chasnoff finds himself caught in a twilight zone-like world of mandatory snack breaks, battalion sing-alongs, and eighteen-year-old Israeli mama's boys who feign injuries to get out of guard duty and claim diarrhea to avoid kitchen work. More time is spent arguing over how to roll a sleeve cuff than studying the mechanics of the Merkava tanks. The platoon sergeants are barely older than the soldiers and are younger than Chasnoff himself. By the time he's sent to Lebanon for a tour of duty against Hezbollah, Chasnoff knows everything about why snot dries out in the desert, yet has never been trained in firing the MAG. And all this while his relationship with his tough-as-nails Israeli girlfriend (herself a former drill sergeant) crumbles before his very eyes.
The lone American in a platoon of eighteen-year-old Israelis, Chasnoff takes readers into the barracks; over, under, and through political fences; and face-to-face with the absurd reality of life in the Israeli Army. It is a brash and gritty depiction of combat, rife with ego clashes, breakdowns in morale, training mishaps that almost cost lives, and the barely containable sexual urges of a group of teenagers. What's more, it's an on-the-ground account of life in one of the most em-battled armies on earth -- an occupying force in a hostile land, surrounded by enemy governments and terrorists, reviled by much of the world. With equal parts irreverence and vulnerability, irony and intimacy, Chasnoff narrates a new kind of coming-of-age story -- one that teaches us, moves us, and makes us laugh.
- Sales Rank: #743665 in Books
- Published on: 2010-02-09
- Released on: 2010-02-09
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.00" h x 1.00" w x 6.00" l, 1.00 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 288 pages
- ISBN13: 9781416549321
- Condition: Used - Good
- Notes: 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Review
“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 Jerusalem Post
“An unusual story, humorous but not without heartbreak, told well by an intelligent and funny person.”—The Forward
“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
“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
“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
"In The 188th Crybaby Brigade, former Israeli soldier Joel Chasnoff [describes] his service as a passionate defender of Israel in an army that seems to be collapsing into tactical mediocrity and a widespread indifference to duty... A pleasure to read... that make[s] war a personal journey through a hazy political landscape." —Washington Post
"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." -- A. J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically
"In this illuminating work Joel Chasnoff does for the IDF what Mailer did for the Pacific campaign and O'Brien for the war in Vietnam. This is a chilling book." -- Anthony Swofford, New York Times bestselling author of Jarhead
"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 and Chasing Harry Winston
"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 The Book of Dahlia
"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 and American Parent
About the Author
Joel Chasnoff is a stand-up comedian and writer with stage and screen credits in eight countries. His writing has been featured in The Idiot’s Guide to Jokes and The Big Book of Jewish Humor: 25th Anniversary Edition. On tour, he was the warm-up act for Jon Stewart and Lewis Black of The Daily Show.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Chasnoff moved to Israel and volunteered for a combat unit of the Israeli Army. As a member of the 188th Armored Brigade, Chasnoff was voted Outstanding Soldier of the Company and deployed to Lebanon for a tour of duty against Hezbollah. The 188th Crybaby Brigade is Chasnoff’s humorous memoir about his year in the Israeli military.
A portion of all proceeds from sales of The 188th Crybaby Brigade is donated to Chasnoff’s charitable foundation, Project Elijah.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
THE RUSSIAN
The Russian is poking my balls.
It’s awkward.
I’ve been trapped in this dank examination room since nine o’clock. In five minutes it’ll be nine-thirty, and I feel like a dope, what with my boxer shorts at my ankles and my dick in my hand so the Russian can get a good view.
“Hmm,” he says.
It’s Tuesday morning, the eighth of July, and I’m at the Israel Defense Forces Induction Center outside Tel Aviv. I arrived in Israel three weeks ago. Today is my first pre-army checkup.
The Russian says something in Hebrew, but I can’t understand him through his thick Russian accent.
“Huh?” I say.
He switches to broken English. “You pee-nus ? hurt you?”
“Lo!” I say in Hebrew, and shake my head. “Penis tov! My penis is
fine.”
The Russian scoots forward on his knees. He’s about sixty years old and bald. Even though he’s a doctor, he’s dressed like a plumber—plaid short-sleeve shirt, dirty jeans. I imagine that back in Russia he was a brain surgeon. Now he checks gonads for the Israeli Army.
“Up,” he says.
I lift my penis until it’s flat against my stomach.
He squeezes my testicles gently as if trying to pick the perfect peach. His forehead is inches from my belly. I’m a hiccup away from a dishonorable discharge.
“Cough,” he says.
“Huh-hem.”
He pulls his enormous Clark Kent eyeglasses off the crown of his head, presses them onto his nose, and jots a note on his clipboard, while I, in the meantime, try to think about anything in the world besides how much I hate holding myself while a nearsighted, balding Russian takes notes.
I try to name every team in the National League.
Cubs. Phillies. Mets.
My visit to the Induction Center began at eight this morning, when I showed up at the front gate without so much as an appointment. “I can’t let you in without draft orders,” said the soldier guarding the entrance. He was a chubby kid, with blond hair, sunglasses, and an Uzi. He stood in a white booth next to a chain-link fence. A hundred yards behind him were the three redbrick buildings that made up the Induction Center com-
plex.
I explained in Hebrew that because I’d immigrated to Israel less than a month ago, I hadn’t yet received my draft orders. “But here,” I said, pulling out my brand-new national ID card. “I’m Israeli.”
The soldier scrutinized my ID card. Then he looked at me, then back at the card, and then back to me. “Where’re you from?” he asked suspiciously.
“The United States,” I said.
“America,” he purred. “Where?”
“Chicago.”
“Chicago Bulls!” he cried. “Michael Jordan!”
“I’ve driven past his house,” I said.
He handed me my ID. “Straight ahead. Inside the middle building.”
The Russian grabs the edge of his desk and hoists himself to his feet. “Bend over,” he orders. He must see the look of horror that flashes across my face, because he quickly adds, “You can put on your pants first.”
Thank God.
I bend over and touch my toes. The Russian taps my spine. “Your back’s crooked,” he says.
“It is?” I shout through my legs, trying to sound surprised.
“You ever have back pain?” he asks.
The way I see it, I have two options. Option One: tell the truth, that is, confess to the Russian doctor that I was diagnosed with mild scoliosis when I was nine and that, three months ago, during a pickup basketball game at the JCC, I collapsed to the gymnasium floor with back pain so severe it took the paramedics thirty minutes just to roll me onto the stretcher. I would then have no choice but to inform the Russian that my personal physician in the States, Dr. Zielinski, had advised me not to enlist in the Israeli Army—not that Zielinski had thought the IDF would take me. “I can’t speak for Israel,” he’d said, “but a back as messed up as yours would never be allowed in the Marine Corps.”
The problem with Option One is that if the Russian finds out about my back, he will assign me to a noncombat desk job. But I don’t want a desk job. I didn’t immigrate to Israel to type memos or change tires. I’m here because since I was seventeen years old, I’ve dreamed of jumping out of planes, charging up mountains, and hiking the desert with a pack on my back as a combat soldier in the Israeli Army. For this reason, I choose Op-
tion Two:
Lie.
“My back’s perfect,” I say.
“Hmm,” says the Russian.
He massages the glands in my neck. He studies the soles of my feet like they’re a map of the sunken treasure. He sticks an icy stethoscope into my chest and orders me to breathe.
“Ah-huh.”
“Sit.”
I sit. He sits across from me at his desk. “Tell me about your family,” the Russian says. “Any medical history I should know about?”
I shake my head.
“Your mother?”
My mother has multiple sclerosis, walks with a cane, and at times is confined to a wheelchair. “Nope.”
“Father?”
My dad’s back is worse than mine—so bad that he’s had surgery on it twice. “Nothing comes to mind.”
“Siblings?”
One of my younger brothers has Crohn’s disease. The other had croup, two hernias, and an undescended testicle. “Not that I can think of.”
The Russian scribbles on my chart. “You’re going combat,” he says.
I pump my fist and smile. My scoliosis has been overlooked! My feet are arched! My balls are worthy of a medal!
I skip to the door. “Chasnoff!” the Russian barks.
I freeze.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” he says.
Too late.
© 2010 Joel Chasnoff
Most helpful customer reviews
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful.
a gritty tale of desert sand and abrasive Jewish law
By Sallie C.
In a memoir that will make you sweat bullets and cry over spilt mikvah bath water, Joel Chasnoff takes the reader on a journey from his Chicago Jewish day school to armored tank school in the desert of Israel.
His good intention to serve in the Israeli army as a kind of nod to his heritage, told in tandem with his love affair and attempt to marry his Israeli girlfriend tells an ironic story that supports the truth in the statement, "no good deed goes unpunished."
Hilarious and at times unbelievable tales of his band of unlikely brothers in the army make for a very detailed and personal account of the inner workings of a defense system that succeeds in spite of itself. As his stint in basic training drags endlessly on, relieved only by occasional weekend furloughs into Jerusalem, Joel begins to doubt not only his faithfulness to the Israeli army and his girlfriend, but also his faith in his faith. Told with an uncommon honesty, an unfailing sense of wry humor and peppered with dilemmas that would stump the most thoughtful of Jewish scholars, his story is at once thoughtful and memorable.
After overcoming his reservations toward the slapdash training he receives as a soldier expected to defend the State of Israel and successfully completing his year of service, he is confronted with an enemy he never expected to encounter- a rabbinic counsel in Jerusalem that declares war on his Jewish identity when he and his fiance apply for a marriage license. Suddenly, Joel is in a battle with himself and the spiritual foundation on which he has lived his life. Eventually, Chicago and Jerusalem, Ireland and Israel converge in his mind and heart to resolve his poignant dilemma.
This is a book worth reading and talking about.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
Amazing Read - Couldn't Put It Down
By Jason L
This is one of the best books I've read in a while. I was inspired to pick up a copy after seeing Joel Chasnoff perform at Limmud NY - he was hilarious and what he said about the book was hilarious too. I was right.
This book gives the reader a real insight into the Armored Division of the IDF, a real "behind-the-scenes" story that is at the same time both hilarious and horrifying. On top of being a great read, this book touches upon the differences in Israeli society and how difficult it is for an American Jew to try to integrate into that society.
I highly recommend this book! I can't remember the last time I read for hours straight and finished a book in one sitting. The most entertaining read I've had in a while.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
188th CRYBABY BRIGADE - GREAT READ
By E. Goldman
Th 188th Crybaby Brigade is an interesting memoir of what really happens when you follow your dreams. It is essentially a post modern coming of age story and Joel Chasnoff tells it peppered with loads of humor and heart wrenching emotion - all of which anyone can relate to anywhere in time and space. For those familiar with life in Israel on any level, not just the army, this book will make you chuckle and nod in agreement. Equally, anyone who hasn't will be taken for a ride,entertained with snippets that could be ripped from anyone's life. Chasnoff marries comedy and narrative very well in this engaging book. An excellent read!
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