...Wonderfully uplifting and practical guide to the cultivation of universal virtues such as kindness, generosity, and self-discipline...[Pies] adapts the ancient wisdom of the Talmudic rabbis [and]...shows himself a master teacher in interpreting the written and lived lessons of the great spiritual and ethical figures of the Jewish tradition in meaningful ways for readers of any or no religious background or commitment. -- Cynthia M. A. Geppert, M.D., Ph.D., MPH, chief of consultation psychiatry and ethics, New Mexico Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Albuquerque, associate professor of ...Pies is a brilliant scholar, a splendid writer, and a deeply thoughtful man. In Becoming a Mensch, he evinces thoughtfulness in two senses of the word: remarkable intellectual depth and sincere concern about the needs and rights of others. By creating modern-day vignettes that illustrate a wide variety of ethical issues, and by drawing on scores of Talmudic and rabbinical sources, Dr. Pies teaches readers of all faiths (and of no faith) what it takes to be not merely a human being, but a humane being. -- Robert H. Deluty, Ph.D., associate dean of the Graduate School, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, author, Hearing the Grass Grow and Unfolding
