Reviews by Austen Matthews
Title: It's a Whole Spiel: Love, Latkes, and Other Jewish Stories, edited by Katherine
Locke and Laura Silverman, foreword by Mayim Bialik, 978-0525646167- Knopf
Books for Young Readers, New York, NY, 2019, $17.99, 320pp.
Genre: Teen & Young Adult Jewish Fiction
Characters: A vast collection of various characters within fourteen different short
stories, all with at least one Jewish character. Each main character is vastly different,
giving the reader insight into the minds of Jews who are orthodox, LGBTQ, disabled,
and insecure about not feeling adequate as a Jew.
Plot: This collection of short stories carries fourteen stories, each written by a
different author, that detail the lives of various Jewish characters in their daily life.
From an orthodox Jew navigating college for the first time, trying to fit in while not
“outing herself as the weird, Jewish girl”, to being queer in a religious heavy culture,
this book gives voices to the diverse people within Jewish culture. From birthright
trips to celebrate Hanukkah, this story gives readers a view into cultural fear of being
“not enough,'' adding to the depth of Judaism and Jewish ethnicity. This collection
includes plenty of pop culture references, teaching readers about famous Jews they
may not have known were Jewish while also making the characters even more
relatable, no matter what race or religion the reader may be. Each main character
has their own struggle with coming of age, finding the one or simply finding
themselves through their own identity of Jew, while attempting to find what else
makes them who they are. Each plot is vastly different, further emphasizing how
diverse people are, Jews included.
Touchy Areas: Religion, themes of sex (not explicit), LGBTQ characters and
relationships, alcohol
Related Titles: in the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplon Carlton, You Asked for
Perfect by Laura Silverman
Movies: “Love, Simon” (2018), “The Meyerowitz Stories” Netflix Series (2018),
“Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Amazon Prime Series (2017)
Music: “Pretty Face” Public (2015), “Twin Size Mattress” The Front Bottoms (2013),
“I Found” Amber Run (2014)
Poem: “Honorary Jew“ by John Repp
Classic Work: Call It Sleep by Henry Roth
Art: "Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep," painted by Camille Pissarro in 1886, was
plundered by the Nazis and currently resides in the University of Oklahoma's Fred
Jones Jr. Museum of Art.
Evaluation: This collection of short stories is phenomenal, offering multiple insights
into contemporary Jewish experiences while demonstrating how diverse the culture
is. It is an easy read that has themes that would be interesting to teens, young
adults, and even adults, teaching them about a culture they may not understand or
offering insight into the various experiences Jews have that may differ from their
own. I would recommend this book for 7th grade and up and I rate the book a 10/10.
Title: It's a Whole Spiel: Love, Latkes, and Other Jewish Stories, edited by Katherine
Locke and Laura Silverman, foreword by Mayim Bialik, 978-0525646167- Knopf
Books for Young Readers, New York, NY, 2019, $17.99, 320pp.
Genre: Teen & Young Adult Jewish Fiction
Characters: A vast collection of various characters within fourteen different short
stories, all with at least one Jewish character. Each main character is vastly different,
giving the reader insight into the minds of Jews who are orthodox, LGBTQ, disabled,
and insecure about not feeling adequate as a Jew.
Plot: This collection of short stories carries fourteen stories, each written by a
different author, that detail the lives of various Jewish characters in their daily life.
From an orthodox Jew navigating college for the first time, trying to fit in while not
“outing herself as the weird, Jewish girl”, to being queer in a religious heavy culture,
this book gives voices to the diverse people within Jewish culture. From birthright
trips to celebrate Hanukkah, this story gives readers a view into cultural fear of being
“not enough,'' adding to the depth of Judaism and Jewish ethnicity. This collection
includes plenty of pop culture references, teaching readers about famous Jews they
may not have known were Jewish while also making the characters even more
relatable, no matter what race or religion the reader may be. Each main character
has their own struggle with coming of age, finding the one or simply finding
themselves through their own identity of Jew, while attempting to find what else
makes them who they are. Each plot is vastly different, further emphasizing how
diverse people are, Jews included.
Touchy Areas: Religion, themes of sex (not explicit), LGBTQ characters and
relationships, alcohol
Related Titles: in the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplon Carlton, You Asked for
Perfect by Laura Silverman
Movies: “Love, Simon” (2018), “The Meyerowitz Stories” Netflix Series (2018),
“Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Amazon Prime Series (2017)
Music: “Pretty Face” Public (2015), “Twin Size Mattress” The Front Bottoms (2013),
“I Found” Amber Run (2014)
Poem: “Honorary Jew“ by John Repp
Classic Work: Call It Sleep by Henry Roth
Art: "Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep," painted by Camille Pissarro in 1886, was
plundered by the Nazis and currently resides in the University of Oklahoma's Fred
Jones Jr. Museum of Art.
Evaluation: This collection of short stories is phenomenal, offering multiple insights
into contemporary Jewish experiences while demonstrating how diverse the culture
is. It is an easy read that has themes that would be interesting to teens, young
adults, and even adults, teaching them about a culture they may not understand or
offering insight into the various experiences Jews have that may differ from their
own. I would recommend this book for 7th grade and up and I rate the book a 10/10.
