Never Mind the Goldbergs

Yeah, Hava Aaronson is an Orthodox Jew. Yes, she attends a pretty gritty Jewish private school, and her life seems pretty complicated at times. No, you shouldn't assume anything about her for even one second. Hava, a seventeen-year-old Orthodox Jew living in New York, is going to spend the summer in Hollywood filming for a television series about the "comedic life" of an Orthodox family. Little does she know that she is the only Jewish person in the cast of this show--about a Jewish family. In his debut novel, Matthue Roth portrays the thoughts of a teenage Jewgirl in stunning fashion, giving the readers great dialogue as well as utterly believable internal monologue. Hava is a character whose haywire thoughts and coming-of-age realizations are completely understandable and make the novel even more cool and fun. Complementing the hilarious narrative are the stream of characters Hava is forced to interact with and the situations she manages to get herself into. Roth portrays Hollywood life through the eyes of a devout Jewish girl raised in New York in an almost satirical fashion, yet it is dead on and only makes everything even funnier and keeps the pages turning quickly. Along the way, readers learn more than they probably ever knew about the Jewish religion and culture. Roth is able to tell a great story and at the same time push through some food for thought to his readers about the overlooked religion, as well as comparison from secular and orthodox lifestyles. Hilarious characters, embarrassing and awkward adventures, Shabbos at Blue Hebrew House in Berkeley, the filming process of a three month long movie [no jokes here, three months long], and the introduction of a new kind of voice from a different kind of heroine in this crowded world, is just a taste of the fun you'll have while reading NEVER MIND THE GOLDBERGS. Reviewed by: Long Nguyen

Never Mind the Goldbergs by Matthue Roth is an engrossing novel about a girl named Hava. Hailing from New York, Hava is a high school student that is both an Orthodox Jew and, in her own words, a little punk rock. She also happens to be an actress, though not completely by choice. Though the first chapter starts on the last day of school, the second chapter gives the reader some background: After being randomly discovered outside of a store, she's cast in an Off-Broadway play. Not thinking much of herself as an actress, she easily returns to her normal routine of friends, family and school after the play ends. On the last day of the school year, she is called into the principal's office. She thinks she is going to be scolded for acting out earlier that day. Instead, she is shocked by huge news: a new television comedy about a family wants her to play the older sister - and she starts on Monday. Immediately, her summer plans are out the window. She relocates to Los Angeles and has a total culture shock. The West Coast world is very different from her hometown, where everyone knew everyone. Hava discovers that living on her own isn't all that it is cracked up to be, and neither is the entertainment industry. Never Mind the Goldbergs is far meatier than it first appears. Hava is a fabulous protagonist. Her attempts to find a balance between her religion and her work feel real, with her actions never making her a saint, but never making her into a bad girl either. She tries to make good choices for herself. She never does something just to stand out and get attention, nor does she try to fit in and conform. She simply is who she is. She is a flawed, realistic character, and that's what makes it work. I definitely recommend this book.

What a neat look into an unfamiliar world that somehow seems all too familiar--Hava's coming of age is incitefully and funnily brought to life by Roth. Don't miss out on sharing this slice of Hava's life.

A jaunty romp through the murky identity chollent that constitutes most people's inner monologue and Hava's relationship with the outside world. Quirky fun marked by occasional understated insight.

Both an excellent coming of age story and a facinating look at the struggles of a young Orthodox Jew in a secular world. This book is funny, poignant and a lot of fun to read. While aimed at the "young adult" audience, I'm in my 40's, not Jewish, and had trouble putting it down.