Young Adult Literature without Apology
Amy's assessment of contemporary young adult literature, organized by author and title, censored by noone.
Realistic | Romance | Science Fiction | Historical Fiction | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery
Roth, Matthue (2005). Never Mind the Goldbergs. NY: Scholastic/Push. ISBN: 0439691885. 368 pages.
Hava is a seventeen-year-old Orthodox Jew, growing up in contemporary New York and trying to find her place within the conflicting cultures of punk and Orthodox. After appearing in an experimental Broadway play, Hava is "discovered" by Hollywood, who want her to come out to Los Angeles and star in a comedy television series about an Orthodox family. As the only person in the cast who is, in actuality, Orthodox, Hava serves as unofficial fact-checker and emerges as somewhat of a reluctant star with an attitude. This novel is conceptually intriguing; however, Roth backs off when it comes to really delving into the conflicts that emerge when trying to live an Orthodox life outside of the community. While I can see what he's doing--trying to downplay Orthodoxy to make it seem "normal" and status quo in light of the admittedly self-obsessed and odd Hollywood behavior in the background and affect a real contrast--as a non-Jew, I was left on the outside of a lot of jokes (and probably missed a lot of important points).Conceptually intriguing, the premise of this book alone could sell the story. A good introduction might involve a comparison of the Orthodox way of life to the distinctly more secular concerns of modern Americans and could involve a reading from one of the smaller segments of the divided chapters.
