Book Review: "The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen" by Isaac Blum

This debut novel is insightful, emotional, and very relevant.

Judah “Hoodie” Rosen is an Orthodox Jewish teenager. He knows he’s supposed to be focused on his studies but there’s always something to distract him—quite often it’s the mischief he and his friends cause in class.

But even though life seems carefree, it’s actually quite stressful. Their Orthodox community has moved into the suburban town of Tregaron and they intend to build a large apartment complex so more of them can settle there. However, the town has other ideas—they don’t want to get overrun by Jews, and thwart and harass the community at every turn.

And then Hoodie meets Anna-Marie Diaz-O’Leary, the daughter of Tregaron’s mayor, who is leading the charge to “protect” the town. He falls head over heels, as she’s completely different from anyone he’s ever met, and the fact that he’s not even supposed to talk to her only adds to her appeal.

As antisemitic violence increases in Tregaron, Hoodie is viewed as a traitor by his family and friends, and is ostracized. But when the violence takes a tragic turn, Hoodie has to decide between his family and his faith and the girl who won his heart.

Hoodie is such a terrific narrator, sensitive yet oblivious, funny, and flawed. This is an incredibly relevant story—whether it’s Orthodox Jews, immigrants in general, people of other races and ethnicities—there are many communities committed to doing whatever it takes to keep these “outsiders” out. This was definitely a memorable read!!

Book Review: "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

I’ve been meaning to read this for a few years; now that I devoured it in one night, I don’t know what took me so long. I loved this book and it totally captured my heart!!

Dimple Shah is ready to break away from her traditional parents, who seem to want nothing more than for her to marry an IIH (Ideal Indian Husband) and give them grandchildren. But seeing as she just graduated high school, she’s definitely not ready for that—if she ever will be. She doesn't believe that her value can only be determined by her looks or the type of man she marries; she knows she is intelligent and wants to make a real contribution to society.

Even though her parents let her go to Stanford she knows they’re just hoping she meets the right boy. All her mother is worried about is if she'll remember to wear makeup to class and fix her hair appropriately. But then her parents let her go to a summer web coding workshop, so perhaps they get her just a little, right?

Rishi Patel has the soul and talent of an artist, but as the oldest son, he knows he must do what is practical and pursue a career which will allow him to provide for a family and care for his parents someday. Even though some think them old-fashioned, he is actually enamored of many of the traditions of his culture and doesn't care if it seems weird to follow them.

When Rishi finds out his future wife will be attending a summer workshop, he decides to attend too so he can woo her. He has no idea what he's in for!

You can probably guess where things will go from here. Suffice it to say that When Dimple Met Rishi is a heartfelt, fun, romantic, and thought-provoking look at our obligations to our family and to our cultural traditions. It’s also a terrifically enjoyable, utterly engaging rom-com with memorable characters.

This book really hit the spot for me and I devoured it in a matter of hours. Could I pretty much chart what I thought would happen? Sure, but there were a few surprises, too. These characters had flaws and were so real and appealing, and Sandhya Menon makes you root for them.

Some people have really torn this book apart, particularly Rishi's character, because of his desire to adhere to the old-fashioned traditions. The truth is, there are some teenagers who do feel that way, so I felt that Menon's depiction was actually more realistic than going with the assumption that every teenager rebels against tradition.

When Dimple Met Rishi left me with a smile on my face and maybe a tear or two in my eyes. I’ll definitely be reading Menon’s follow-up now!!

Book Review: "Unmarriageable" by Soniah Kamal

There's that classic line from the song "Beauty and the Beast" which goes, "Tale as old as time..." It signifies a story that's been heard so many times throughout the ages, although it may take on slightly (or drastically) different forms each time you hear it.

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is definitely one of those tales as old as time. Not only have there been countless adaptations of this classic on television and in movies, both in the U.S. and abroad, but it has also been used as the basis of everything from Bridget Jones's Diary to Bollywood (Bride and Prejudice) to science fiction (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), and everything in between.

Soniah Kamal's Unmarriageable is another take on Austen's novel, this time set in modern-day Pakistan. The once-wealthy Binat family has seen its fortunes dwindle as the result of rumors and vicious jealousy. Even worse than losing the creature comforts they had come to enjoy is the damage their financial fall from grace will do to the marriage prospects for the Binats' five daughters.

While this is dismaying for many of the Binat women, 30-year-old Alysba Binat could care less. She'd be fine with never marrying, if only her mother would stop hassling her. Working as an English literature teacher at a British school in her town, Alys tries to teach her students to think independently, to want more than marriage and a family, which is what they are all raised to desire. This often gets Alys into trouble with the school's principal, who wants her to focus on the actual lessons and not trying to change the girls' aspirations.

"Yet it always upset her that young brilliant minds, instead of exploring the universe, were busy chiseling themselves to fit into the molds of Mrs. and Mom. It wasn't that she was averse to Mrs. Mom, only that none of the girls seemed to have ever considered traveling the world by themselves, let alone been encouraged to do so, or to shatter a glass ceiling, or laugh like a mad-woman in public without a care for how it looked."

When the Binats are invited to their town's biggest wedding, attended by the who's who of Pakistan and elsewhere, Mrs. Binat hopes that Alys and her older sister, Jena, will catch the eye of eligible men, and hopefully reel them in. On the first night of the festivities, Jena meets Fahad Bingla, a successful entrepreneur, and he takes a shine to her. Bingla's best friend, Valentine Darsee, also meets the Binat family and is less than impressed with them, especially Alys. Darsee tells Bingla that she is neither smart nor good-looking enough for him, which Alys overhears.

If you've read or seen any version of Pride and Prejudice before, you know what comes next, as Alys and Darsee find themselves in a battle of wills, as the Binat family tries to make sure their daughters find suitable husbands. Mrs. Binat in particular isn't interested in what Alys herself wants; she needs to think of her family for once. But will she marry for money? For love? Or will she be the rare lucky one who can find both?

Unmarriageable is a sweet, fun romp, and Kamal retains enough of the core of Austen's book while adding twists of her own. I found that it worked better for me when I stopped trying to figure out how the characters' names corresponded to the original ones (and, for that matter, stopped comparing everything to the original). She did a great job creating vivid imagery that helped me picture the different settings, the fashions, and the way the love stories unfolded.

I thought the pacing of the book was a little slow, but beyond that, it was a fun, interesting read. I liked Kamal's concept, but I honestly hope it's not a growing trend. I'm one of those curmudgeons who like the classics to stay classic, and don't see the need to update them for the modern world.