IST 605: Learn Yiddish Language

This book details how Yiddish came to be through the influences of various other languages and cultures. It is an important read for anyone who wants to better understand Yiddish and the living conditions of Jews in Eastern Europe. You will learn just how connected language and culture are.
Karlen. (2009). The story of yiddish: How a mish-mosh of languages saved the jews. HarperCollins.

This book by Aaron Lansky, the founder of the Yiddish Book Center, tells the story of how he was able to save Yiddish works and keep the endangered language alive. So many Yiddish books were destroyed and the culture and language nearly erased. This book will inspire you to keep going in your journey to learn Yiddish.
Lansky, A. (2005). Outwitting history: The amazing adventures of a man who rescued a million Yiddish books. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.

This novel follows a Chasidic college student who has a secret she's been keeping from her ultra-religious family ever since she got a laptop for school. Raizl, the main character, comes from a Yiddish speaking household and the author includes many Yiddish words in italics. Even beginner Yiddish learners should be able to identify these words, and new words can be understood using context clues.
Berliner, F. (2022). Shmutz: A novel. Atria Books.

This novel follows a policeman in Sitka, Alaska, which (in this alternate timeline) became the new homeland of the Jews instead of Israel. The author uses Yiddish words to create his own slang to fit with the plot. Chabon also includes a glossary at the end of the book, so beginners and advanced Yiddish learners alike can learn some new words and phrases.
Chabon, M. (2007). The Yiddish Policemen’s Union. Harper Perennial.