Author Robin Chotzinoff: “Holy Unexpected”

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11min 13sec

In a busy world of work, marriage and kids, of music and a life sometimes lived pretty close to the edge, Robin Chotzinoff moves to the foothills of Denver. There, she finds something she didn't know she was looking for. After asking lots of questions, she embraces Judaism. Initially, some family members are dismayed. Eventually, everyone's on board as she, in her 40s, prepares for the bat mitzvah ceremony that girls traditionally go through at 12. All of this is at the heart of Chotzinoff's recent memoir, called, Holy Unexpected: My New Life as a Jew. That's h-o-l-y. Chotzinoff used to write for the Denver weekly newspaper Westword.She's the author of two other books and now lives in Austin, Texas. She spoke with Dan Meyers in October, when the book was first published. The conversation is part of our look back at some of the authors we've interviewed in 2006.