A while back, my office received a large shipment of books courtesy of The Jewish Book Council, and of the entire batch, I was most excited to get my hands on the gem that is The Genius of Jewish Celebrities: What Their Handwriting Reveals by Dr. Robert Yaronne.

Luckily for me, the book is exactly what it boasts: an in-depth handwriting analysis of famous Jews. Goldie Hawn's illegible signature means she "feels the need to hide her true identity" and Ben Stiller's backwards 'n' stroke "suggests a capacity for self-deprecation." To his credit, Yaronne manages to move past the superficial and devotes a whole section of the book to philosophers and another to scientists. The Ba'al Shem Tov's Hebrew 'L' indicates he was able to keep thoughts to himself, where Isaac Bashevis Singer's open 'B' reveals that he had a talkative and open personality. Need more examples? Here is the page devoted to Diva-with-a-capital-D Bette Midler:

Sure, it might sound silly, but it is delightful. Dr. Yaronne's observations are spot on, nearly to the point of being unbelievable. He is clearly an intuitive and talented analyst. The book itself is vibrant and engaging, and (most importantly) quite fun to read.

After flipping through Genius, I knew exactly what I had to do: get the good doctor to analyze 3 samples, given to him anonymously, that I had gotten from notable Jewish innovators. I sent a request to Yaronne's representative in earnest, and was delighted when he agreed to go along with my little experiment.

So how did the Doctor's analysis measure up to reality? Let's see:

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