I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway. 
 I myself am not religious, in any sense of the word. Of considerable interest to me however, is the cultural significance of modern religion and the power it has. 
 Am I a Jew? tells the tale of the author's quest to find his own meaning in his life. The chronicles of his travels are depicted as he experiences what spirituality means to others along with his own reflections. I found Theodore Ross's odyssey to be quite entertaining yet and the same time rather empathic. 
 Someone who knows nothing of Judaism will have no problem in understanding and stands to gain substantial knowledge. I personally found the reading to be laden with interesting facts such as the requirement for one to belong to a Synagogue for 4 years before you can have your Bar Mitzvah there. 
 Some points I found particularity intriguing; the book presents the historical aspects of modern day Crypto-Judiasm in New Mexico. It describes how the people searched for these hidden clusters by asking people "if their grandparents ever light candles in the basement" and other similar questions. The story of the author's own, late and rather impulsive, Bar Mitzvah in the home of an Orthodox rabbi who hosted sabbatical youth retreats is a particularly humorous tale of camaraderie and bonding. Through reading you can even catch sight of new age Judaism from groups Ross describes as "Jewish hipsters". 
 "If Judaism disappears it will be because it has stopped being meaningful for it's target audience," was a strong point that I found to resonate along side my own beliefs, was the aspect that religion can only remain useful when it is still relevant and means something in the lives of those who practice it. As long as people still find importance, and as long as there is a place in people's lives to be filled, religion will never die. 
 I had only a small idea of what to expect when I received the book, but I'm certainly glad I was able to absorb a small glimpse into Theodore Ross's journey and the culture he searched through.