It's a Whole Spiel

IT'S A WHOLE SPIEL is edited by Katherine Locke and contains a collection of stories about Jewish teens.  I was excited to see a preview because we are working especially hard this year on representing more diverse voices in our collection. It’s important to note that I did not read all of the stories, but the ones I read seemed to be geared to a younger high school or maybe late middle school audience. I think that is partly because of the rather naïve stance from some characters and because many of the selections deal with belonging and fitting in, a critical issue for less mature teens. IT'S A WHOLE SPIEL does address questions concerning both gender and religious identity and it contains stories by David Levithan, Adi Alsaid, and Nova Ren Suma, along with other YA authors who will be familiar names to students. 

In addition to getting ideas from this short story collection, I would suggest looking at some of the titles which were profiled in a recent (August 2019) VOYA article by Adela Peskorz called “Past and Present Intertwined.” There, she explored Jewish themes and characters from titles like In the Neighborhood of True, Spinning Silver, We Regret to Inform You, and Anne Frank’s Diary: the graphic adaptation.

Witness by Ariel Burger

WITNESS by Ariel Burger is subtitled “Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom” and is filled with wisdom that is highly relevant today.  One example is this quote from Wiesel: "When you face evil, don't let it grow, fight it right away… Be watchful…. What happens to me will eventually happen to you ….  Anyone who is suffering, anyone who is threatened becomes your responsibility.... I do not know how to end hatred, I truly wish I did – but recognizing our shared humanity is a good beginning." Others are the sections where Wiesel discusses the importance of listening and the power of words: “I used words to try to change facts, to create new realities.” Or about the value of literature and history: “if we want to understand what is happening today, we must look to the past.”

WITNESS is a truly moving and inspirational text and encourages all of us to reflect on how to lead a moral life. The author has known Wiesel for decades, first when Burger was a teenage student, and later as Wiesel’s teaching assistant and mentee. Burger has filled WITNESS with quotes from classroom discussions at Boston University and from other communication with Wiesel. In addition to reading and contemplating the book itself, you may wish to register for Facing History’s online discussion with Ariel Burger about this book or for other webinars in the series.

Memento Park by Mark Sarvas

MEMENTO PARK by Mark Sarvas provides some well-written historical fiction, a mystery and a study of inter-generational relationships. At the center of the story is a painting, Budapest Street Scene by Kalman, created in Hungary prior to WWII.  The main character, Matt Santos, is surprised one day to learn that he now owns this valuable painting that was presumably looted from his Jewish ancestors during the war.

His immigrant father, however, encourages Matt to steer clear of the painting, perhaps reflecting on the painful memories it represents. Matt is puzzled by his father’s attitude and reluctance to discuss the painting (or much of anything, really). In a misguided attempt to reconcile with his father, Matt decides to leave his steady girlfriend, Tracy, and his southern California acting lifestyle in order to travel to Hungary with Rachel, a devout attorney helping him to prove ownership.  The situation darkens for Matt – on the personal front, with professional obligations, and on a spiritual basis as he begins to explore his own beliefs about Judaism.

I very much liked the references to Hungary, but I found the story slowed about a third of the way through. Matt’s inner perspective is key to the story and offers important insight as he muses about his own relationships and about the painting’s troubled history. MEMENTO PARK received starred reviews from Library Journal (“deft handling of aspects of identity in matters of love, family, religion, and loss”) and Publishers Weekly.

For a much lighter mystery (it is Spring Break after all), readers could try PLUM TEA CRAZY by New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs. This “cozy” delivers on its name with plenty of references to a variety of teas and some crazy events - like death by crossbow for banker Carson Lanier.  Set in charming Charleston, this mystery revolves around the sleuthing efforts of tea shop proprietor Theodosia Browning and her tea expert, Drayton Conneley plus their chef, Haley Parker.  Try a sample on amazon to see if the latest in this long running mystery series is to your taste.