My Estonia: Passport Forgery, Meat Jelly Eaters, and Other Stories Paperback – November 20, 2009

This book is so much fun to read - I went through almost 300 pages in two days, couldn't put it down before it was all done. I could relate to a lot in this book because I, too, am from Estonia and have a husband that was born in the States and so many things in this book seemed sooooo familiar. He is RIGHT ON and does a great job in putting the very essence of Estonia on the paper.However, the only critique I have is that the political commentary was sort of "deus ex machina" in the sense that it didn't blend well with the rest of the book and wasn't interesting - I'm a Democrat myself but I'm more than over-saturated with writers bashing Bush and the war in Iraq and how anti-Semitic everybody is. The comment about how Estonians were as cruel to Jews as German Nazis was offensive - it is simply untrue. There were literally less than 20 Estonians that were hired by SS and were cruel to Jews, and this is not enough to make these vast negative generalizations. For an average Estonian, anti-Semitism is about as relevant as sült is to an average American.Still, since the political commentary was not too long, the book receives 5 stars from me.

It was an OK book that offered an outsider, but not really an original, view of Estonia and Estonians. For an Estonian-American like me it has a nostalgic value of the familiar left behind. However, the writing style (short, choppy sentences) and author's tone (that of a wise westener observing those funny Estonians) annoyed me at times.

As an Estonian-American, I occasionally read and very much enjoy Justin Petrone's blog "Itching for Eestimaa". (I also loved "Minu Ameerika" written by Justin's Estonian wife, Epp.) So I had pretty high hopes for this new book, and once again, Justin didn't disappoint.This is one of those delicious books that can really appeal to many different tastes, regardless of whether you have some sort of personal connection with Estonia or can't even locate it on the map: it's a quick read, hilarious, witty and insightful. Justin's style is wonderfully expressive - it made me feel like I was right there and knew the people he's talking about, I could almost smell the smells and taste the foods he describes. And best of all - it made me laugh out loud and really care about its subjects. (One complaint though: I would have loved to make the reading enjoyment last for several days but found myself simply unable to put the book down and hence missed out on some crucial beauty sleep :-P Sequel, please!!!

I quite enjoyed this book and ordered the sequel as well. It was very interesting to read foreigners perspective about Estonia and Estonians. Author describes his journey with honesty and humor making the book a delightful read. I am looking forward to reading the sequel and other books from "my" series.

I bought this for my wife and she loved it. Our son's girl friend is Estonian and my wife thought the book would give her insight into the Estonian mindset.

very well writen with a lot of humor

This is a badly written and self-indulgent book that reads like a teenager's diary and is of little interest outside of the authors family and friends.I agree with a previous reviewer's criticism that the childlike writing style and authors tone of a savvy American observing those silly Estonians and their funny little ways was annoying with sentences, paragraphs and whole pages going no-where.I notice that the author has published this himself because no publisher would of gone anywhere near this rubbish. If he thinks that he can write books then he is seriously deluded.My edition was also full of typo's too.

Good stuff

This is a badly written and self-indulgent book that reads like a teenager's diary and is of little interest outside of the authors family and friends.I agree with a previous reviewer's criticism that the childlike writing style and authors condesnding tone of a savvy American observing those silly Estonians and their funny little ways was patronising and annoying with sentences, paragraphs and whole pages going no-where.I notice that the author has published this himself because no publisher would of gone anywhere near this rubbish. If he thinks that he can write books then he is seriously deluded.My edition was also full of typo's too.

I bought this book as my daughter is doing an Erasmus semester at Tallin University: we travelled around the country in August 2011 before she started and this book gave a feel of the place, although as tourists staying in hotels it doesn't reflect the author's experience. The book is whimsical, a little romantic and sometimes the author is a tad patronising, however it is diverting and the book has become a sufficient success in Estonia for a second book to have appeared. I recommend this book without awarding 5 stars!

My Mum loves reading and Estonia. She hated this book.

Entertaining, detailed and accurate!

Ce livre raconte la vie des Estoniens il y a plus de 10 ans (avant son entrée dans la CE), même si le ton est humoristique les histoires sont véridiques, les traces du passé soviétique et les repressions subies y sont.