The Frozen Rabbi

The Frozen Rabbi (2010) by Steve Stern. In the late 19th century, a rabbi is meditating by a pond in Russia. He goes into a trance, his soul leaves his body, and a sudden blizzard buries him in snow and ice. The pond rises until it becomes a lake, completely submerging his body; then the lake freezes. Long story short, he is frozen in a block of ice until he is accidentally thawed out in 1999 in Memphis, Tennessee. Miraculously, he also comes back to life. Thus begins the story of the Frozen Rabbi, a story which bounces back and forth in time between the past and present, telling how the rabbi was preserved and ended up in America, and also how he adjusts to life in the 21st century. (He adjusts very well, and prospers.) It's all pretty silly, and not the least bit believable, but it's a pretty entertaining book to read. Grade: B+