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se_wigget's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Page 38: A Doctor Who reference!
I thought of Emma by Jane Austen... several pages before a character mentions the book. Funny they don’t take into consideration that Emma was terrible at matchmaking.
Wow, this book is intense. And it deals with grief.
I thought of Emma by Jane Austen... several pages before a character mentions the book. Funny they don’t take into consideration that Emma was terrible at matchmaking.
Wow, this book is intense. And it deals with grief.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Car accident, and Acephobia/Arophobia
singerscientist's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
jenna_gilb's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol
kayladaila's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Antisemitism, Car accident, and Alcohol
Minor: Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, and War
delz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Once More with Chutzpah is told from the POV of Tally, an eighteen year old Jewish girl going into her senior year of high school. She and her twin, Max are going to Israel over the winter break. This will be their first time, but it seems to be very important to Tally that they go. She believes this trip is just what Max needs since he was in a car wreck six months earlier where the drunk driver was killed. Tally is an unreliable narrator though because she doesn’t just lie to the people around her, she also lies to herself. This story invites the reader in with likable characters that you want to get to know and whether you’ve been to Israel or not you can relate to being a teenager, emotions being heightened, traveling and meeting new people. The bonus is the descriptions of Israel and these types of temple/birthright trips are like a travel guide.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Grief
Moderate: Death and Alcohol
Minor: Antisemitism and Car accident
bekkabergamot's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Before I go into my review, I am just going to take on a few of the largest complaints against this book.
1) This book is not about a Birthright trip; the main character goes on an exchange trip arranged through her synagogue.
2) Jewish people are indigenous to Israel. I am not going to argue to argue over politics, government, violence, etc. This point is specifically to articulate that Jewish people have known a diaspora and that Israel is the return to the holy land and home for us.
Haley Neil explores what Israel means to her interfaith Jewish-Catholic American MC: “My great-grandparents escaped the Holocaust by moving here. Most of their family members who stayed in Poland did not survive. Without this land, my family probably wouldn’t be alive.
Israel is the only place in the world with a Jewish majority. Some believe this is important to give a voice in the global and political sphere to a whole group of people who have historically been persecuted. For some, it comes down to safety.
But the truth is, many people don’t have such kind feelings toward Israel. And I get it.
Last year, I took a current events class for my history requirement. We had a whole unit on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I tried to imagine Safta and her family, where they were, what their lives looked like, as I read about the historical fights. When we got to modern day, though, it seemed so divorced from anything I heard my family talking about. I mean, as an American, it’s not like I’m unfamiliar with a government making policies that are completely opposed to everything I believe in. Palestinians struggle to find basic necessities, health care, and job opportunities. I find many of the recent Israeli government policies toward them horrifying, and I imagine many Israelis feel the same way.”
Important note: this section of the book goes on to look at the horrible reality that Palestinians are facing. I chose to end the quote there as the whole section is long. I wanted to include the long quote that I did because I think one of the important functions of <i>Once More with Chutzpah</i> is how it explores what Israel means to the interfaith American MC. It’s interesting that Haley chose to have an interfaith MC for this book, but I think that it sheds light on some old prejudices that still run deep in the Jewish community: concepts of one not feeling Jewish enough. At one point in the book, the MC reflects upon the fact that her father’s side had family members murdered for being Jewish during the Holocaust but she still doesn’t feel Jewish “enough.” This feeling of insecurity over one’s Jewish identity is a symptom of the diaspora, I believe. While there are so many beautiful Jewish traditions from around the world, we are scattered across the globe and no where outside of Israel are we a majority. I think this creates a feeling of inferiority that I know I have experienced.
<i>Once More with Chutzpah</i> is a story about coming to terms with loss, sexuality, growing up, and self-acceptance. At the core of the story, Tally and her twin brother are reeling from a traumatic accident. Their visit to Israel exposes intergenerational traumas and offers some healing to occur for Tally. This book fluctuates between light hearted banter, young romance, and silly teenage high jinks with serious reflections on religion, government policies, and ultimately death. I recommend this book to those interested in exploring a Jewish American perspective on Israel – please note: it’s just one perspective, but I do think that it is a fairly popular viewpoint on the issue, not to say that there aren’t other viewpoints. This book does not condone anything. But this book does showcase why Israel matters not only to the Jewish people who live in it but around the globe. If you do not want to read a book set in Israel, I implore you to read a different book about the Jewish diaspora.
1) This book is not about a Birthright trip; the main character goes on an exchange trip arranged through her synagogue.
2) Jewish people are indigenous to Israel. I am not going to argue to argue over politics, government, violence, etc. This point is specifically to articulate that Jewish people have known a diaspora and that Israel is the return to the holy land and home for us.
Haley Neil explores what Israel means to her interfaith Jewish-Catholic American MC: “My great-grandparents escaped the Holocaust by moving here. Most of their family members who stayed in Poland did not survive. Without this land, my family probably wouldn’t be alive.
Israel is the only place in the world with a Jewish majority. Some believe this is important to give a voice in the global and political sphere to a whole group of people who have historically been persecuted. For some, it comes down to safety.
But the truth is, many people don’t have such kind feelings toward Israel. And I get it.
Last year, I took a current events class for my history requirement. We had a whole unit on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I tried to imagine Safta and her family, where they were, what their lives looked like, as I read about the historical fights. When we got to modern day, though, it seemed so divorced from anything I heard my family talking about. I mean, as an American, it’s not like I’m unfamiliar with a government making policies that are completely opposed to everything I believe in. Palestinians struggle to find basic necessities, health care, and job opportunities. I find many of the recent Israeli government policies toward them horrifying, and I imagine many Israelis feel the same way.”
Important note: this section of the book goes on to look at the horrible reality that Palestinians are facing. I chose to end the quote there as the whole section is long. I wanted to include the long quote that I did because I think one of the important functions of <i>Once More with Chutzpah</i> is how it explores what Israel means to the interfaith American MC. It’s interesting that Haley chose to have an interfaith MC for this book, but I think that it sheds light on some old prejudices that still run deep in the Jewish community: concepts of one not feeling Jewish enough. At one point in the book, the MC reflects upon the fact that her father’s side had family members murdered for being Jewish during the Holocaust but she still doesn’t feel Jewish “enough.” This feeling of insecurity over one’s Jewish identity is a symptom of the diaspora, I believe. While there are so many beautiful Jewish traditions from around the world, we are scattered across the globe and no where outside of Israel are we a majority. I think this creates a feeling of inferiority that I know I have experienced.
<i>Once More with Chutzpah</i> is a story about coming to terms with loss, sexuality, growing up, and self-acceptance. At the core of the story, Tally and her twin brother are reeling from a traumatic accident. Their visit to Israel exposes intergenerational traumas and offers some healing to occur for Tally. This book fluctuates between light hearted banter, young romance, and silly teenage high jinks with serious reflections on religion, government policies, and ultimately death. I recommend this book to those interested in exploring a Jewish American perspective on Israel – please note: it’s just one perspective, but I do think that it is a fairly popular viewpoint on the issue, not to say that there aren’t other viewpoints. This book does not condone anything. But this book does showcase why Israel matters not only to the Jewish people who live in it but around the globe. If you do not want to read a book set in Israel, I implore you to read a different book about the Jewish diaspora.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Antisemitism, Grief, and Car accident
anniefwrites's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What a wonderful debut! As a non-Jewish person, I thought this was such a fun and informative perspective. Tally embodies a lot of under-represented identities in YA and hopefully will pave the way for many more. I’m not Israeli, Palestinian, or Jewish (and don’t consider myself well informed about the conflict), but from an outside perspective I thought Haley handled the nuances of the conflict well throughout while acknowledging that there are lots of other perspectives besides American Jewish ones, especially Palestinian ones, to listen to. A really enjoyable, well-rounded read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Car accident
Minor: Antisemitism, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
nyertryingtoreadeverything's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I think this is an incredibly important book to the Jewish American book canon. Although Jews may have more representation then other minority groups, much of the representation historically has not been ones that represent our lives and many of the books about Jews are related to the Holocaust. While these are all important I think it is also incredibly important that we read and support books that represent the current Jewish experience.
Tally is someone that I recognize - imperfect, from an interfaith family, wanting to fit in and not sure how. For better or worse her trip is one that I recognize and have been on. It is entertaining and has a story that opened my eyes. I think that grief is a topic that is very taboo to talk about particularly with children, seeing it explored was so lovely. I also appreciated how this book explored asexuality - a lot of young adult Jewish activities have sexual overtones (hello to all the matchmaking in the book!) and seeing another approach to it was really nice! I think this book will be the start of some wonderful conversations in the Jewish community.
Tally is someone that I recognize - imperfect, from an interfaith family, wanting to fit in and not sure how. For better or worse her trip is one that I recognize and have been on. It is entertaining and has a story that opened my eyes. I think that grief is a topic that is very taboo to talk about particularly with children, seeing it explored was so lovely. I also appreciated how this book explored asexuality - a lot of young adult Jewish activities have sexual overtones (hello to all the matchmaking in the book!) and seeing another approach to it was really nice! I think this book will be the start of some wonderful conversations in the Jewish community.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
courtnoodles's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The best book I have read so far in 2022.
Rtc.
"Feeling 22 in 2022": A Taylor Swift Book Challenge - A comfort book
Rtc.
"Feeling 22 in 2022": A Taylor Swift Book Challenge - A comfort book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Antisemitism and Acephobia/Arophobia
stacyroth's review
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Twins Tally and Max are headed off on an exchange trip to Israel during winter break during their senior year. Tally hopes it will help distract Max from the recent car crash that injured him and killed the drunk driver and get him back on track for their college plans. Over the course of the trip, though, Tally finds she can’t coerce Max into acting the way she thinks he should, and she has problems of her own to deal with. Tally must confront her anxiety, her sexual identity, and her place within the Jewish community.
I think a lot of people will be able to relate to Tally and her attempts to act like everything is fine, burying her problems under the surface; I know I did! This #OwnVoices book gives Jewish teenagers a chance to see themselves reflected in fiction. It was a cute story but may be better geared toward the actual YA age range than adults who read YA. I enjoyed watching Tally grow closer to the other people on the trip.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Antisemitism, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia