Description: "Stepchildren of the Shtetl considers marginal peoples in East European Jewish society and culture--the disabled, mentally ill, and indigent--and how stereotypes and self-perceptions of Jewish marginality have in turn shaped modern Jewish culture, society, and politics"--
Review Quotes: "In this pioneering book, Natan M. Meir illuminates the lives of those on the margins of an already marginalized people--the Jews of Eastern Europe. Drawing on a remarkable range of sources, he revolutionizes our understanding of the shtetl by shedding light on the beggars, orphans, and others who dwelled in its shadows."--Nathaniel Deutsch, author of Inventing America's 'Worst' Family: Eugenics, Islam, and the Fall and Rise of the Tribe of Ishmael