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A review by lostinmylibrary
The Other F-Word by Natasha Friend
4.0
I really enjoyed this. It got me out of my reading slump, and it's a great concept.
I have to talk about the thing that bugged me: the "you don't look Jewish" line. I have gotten this in my life so many times. At this point, I usually respond with, "oh, so what does Jewish look like?" and wait as they try to come up with something that's not a horrible stereotype. But it isn't challenged in this book at all - the character this is directed at just says something along the lines of "oh, yeah, I'm adopted" (which he is), and the conversation moves on. I understand that his complex feelings about his identity are a big part of the book, and that he perhaps doesn't feel as attached to the label, but the idea that there is one way that Jewish people look needs to stop.
I have to talk about the thing that bugged me: the "you don't look Jewish" line. I have gotten this in my life so many times. At this point, I usually respond with, "oh, so what does Jewish look like?" and wait as they try to come up with something that's not a horrible stereotype. But it isn't challenged in this book at all - the character this is directed at just says something along the lines of "oh, yeah, I'm adopted" (which he is), and the conversation moves on. I understand that his complex feelings about his identity are a big part of the book, and that he perhaps doesn't feel as attached to the label, but the idea that there is one way that Jewish people look needs to stop.