Schlepping Through the Alps: My Search for Austria's Jewish Past with Its Last Wandering Shepherd

Sam Apple, author of Schlepping Through The Alps: My Search For Austria's Jewish Past With Its Last Wandering Shepherd, first encounters Yiddish folk-singer Hans Breuer at a concert and slide show in New York. Breuer, as Apple points out, is not just your ordinary run-of-the mill Yiddish folk-singer, rather he is truly a wandering Jew and as he reveals in his book, "If you ever happen to be hiking the Alps and you see a man singing Yiddish songs as he watches a dog chasing a sheep in a raincoat, no need for concern." Apple, who grew up in Houston and now makes his home in Brooklyn, was quite intrigued by this forty-five year old Austrian shepherd. The result was a one thousand word article that eventually has being turned into a witty yet insightful book, wherein much of Apple's research was accumulated while traveling in Austria as an apprentice to Breuer. During their first encounter in New York, Breuer mentioned to Apple that he wanted to bring Yiddish to the uninitiated in the Austrian Alps. When asked if he wanted these individuals to remember their Yiddish neighbors, his reply was: "I want to make them confront for the first time in their lives this culture that their uncles and fathers destroyed." With this in mind Apple decided to voyage to Austria and find out for himself what it was like to be a shepherd in the twenty-first century and to make sense of Han's Jewish identity or as he states, what it really meant for him to sing in Yiddish. He also wanted to learn about sheep, Yiddish music and anti-Semitism. Apple's engaging narrative is what Yiddish speaking readers would probably classify as a good "meinsa," something akin to an old wife's tale only this story is actually true. Apple beckons us to follow his meandering through the Alps following a herd of sheep, a shepherd, his mistress and young lamb herders, while picking up along the way various shepherding tips from his mentor and learning about Austria's past and present political landscape. During the course of his apprentice with Breuer, Apple learns about Austria's post-war anti-Nazi legislation that led to the sentencing to death of several Nazis and the conviction and incarceration of thousands of low-ranking Nazis. However, a few years after the enactment of this legislation, a general amnesty came into effect and all but a handful of the worst offenders were free to live happily every after. In fact, the government's constant line about complaints about Austria's behavior during the Holocaust was that if you have one take it to Germany. Quite telling of Breuer's psyche is that he associates the Austrian countryside with fascism and anti-Semitism. When he encounters people along his shepherding path, he believes that they are all staring at him with cold eyes, aware that he is not one of them. Apple notes that Breuer enjoys being a living part of a dying tradition, where Yiddish and shepherding are relics of another time- nonetheless he takes great pride in both.

I don't understand how people can fall over themselves to sing praises of Jonathan Safran Foer and his ilk when Sam Apple clearly trumps the ever-living hell out of the supposed new Jewish literary elite. Shelpping Through The Alps draws vivid pictures, raises intense emotions, explores history and modernity, is refreshingly honest and non-pretentious, and best of all, is side-splittingly funny. I generally hate novels, but I couldn't put this one down. It's an inviting read and I invite you to read it and compare to the works of every other Jewish novelist adorning Nextbook, Guilt & Pleasure, et al. Could you honestly say you'd rather see another Everything Is Illuminated than a new book from Sam Apple? I doubt it.

This is a fascinating and unusual book. It defies definition -- it's a travel journal, character profile and history lesson all rolled into one. It's comedic and sad -- at times intimate, often funny, and always very human. The author manages to examine the political landscape of Austria on a very personal (and sheep filled) level. In spite of its serious subject matter, the book's pace is swift and entertaining -- and the author's wit and chronic neuroses are irresistible! My only wish was that the book would come complete with a cd collection of Hans the wandering shepherd's greatest Yiddish hits. Regardless, it's unlike anything I've read before, and I would highly recommend it.

I started reading this at the bookstore and then decided I had to buy it. The writing is incredibly engaging and smooth, which makes it all the more interesting that it's describing this guy's fraught relationship with the western world's shared past and his own family's history. It's one of the few books, too, featuring a neurotic Jewish protagonist whose tics I actually find believable and whose sometimes self-obsessed meanderings are worth following through every twist and turn (and I am decidedly not neurotic and non-Jewish!). I highly recommend sampling this unique new voice - especially if you have an interest in Europe, family memoir or, strangely enough, genetics.

I bought this book last night and could not put it down. what an amazing story! i was laughing and crying at the same time. sam is able to approach the subject of anti-semitism and prejudice with a fresh,surprising approach of wit and humor while not minimalizing the intensity of this topic. the tale, set in Austria, has Sam and the Shepherd as an unlikely team exploring the age old question of prejudice while each of them are searching for their own personal truths. sam's "woody alan" attempt at "travel dating" and the shepherd's unorthodox relationship with his wife & girlfriend are interwoven throughout this story and give this heavy subject a modern edge that keeps the reader wanting more. very informative and poignant yet a fun and easy read.