...this was more than I ever wanted to know about Novardok but also just such an interesting collection of essays. In particular, the way he writes about controversies and his extremely relentless need to not let people make strong ideological claims is incredibly compelling even if I don't always feel like I know how to write that way myself.
I think the essays on the talmudic sages were my favorites, followed closely by the disagreements in the Old Yishuv and, of course, the strawberries.