Lawrence Epstein is a man on a mission. A Jew by birth, he is passionate about getting converts to the religion he loves, and convincing other Jews to accept and welcome those converts. He knows his subject; he writes concisely and well. The only problems is that this is really two different books aimed at two separate and almost mutually exclusive audiences. The first half of the book is written for people who are considering converting to Judaism. It asks all of the basic questions one has, and gives good answers. And he is honest. When appropriate, he only gives a general answer, and defers the specifics to the rabbi who would be overseeing the conversion.

Then halfway through the book he shifts gears completely, and is writing a book aimed at the American Jews, giving his arguments in favor of encouraging and welcoming and even seeking converts. Actively seeking converts is quite against the grain of the American Jewish establishment, so he's fighting an uphill battle. But I wonder - given the title of the book, how many people who are already Jewish would have any reason to pick it up to read. And as one curious about conversion, I found the second half of the book almost irrelevant to my questions.

Five stars for the first half. Three or fewer for the second half. ( )