Based on the author’s personal experiences, Shtum follows the story of Jewish father, Ben Jewell, is struggling to cope with the care of his ten-year-old son Jonah. Jonah is on the spectrum and non-verbal. Stress of his care and navigating the British social services system, which will decide Jonah’s placement for future education causes a breakdown in his marriage, Ben and Jonah move in with Ben’s father, Georg. Georg is a survivor of the Shoah and rather colorful character. While the relationship between father and son is at times contentious the two need to put their differences aside in order to advocate for Jonah’s future.
Lester’s debut novel is truly a must-read. It’s darkly funny. At times, emotional. I am not a parent but this gave me a new appreciation for the challenges parents of children on the spectrum face on a daily basis.
The first-person narrative is very well-written. Lester demonstrates a wide range of emotions as the protagonist works through a very difficult situation. I found myself getting incredibly angry with Ben’s wife and her handling of this situation. Having never been in her situation, I don’t have a right to judge but her choices disturbed me. I also enjoyed Ben’s father, Georg. He adds an interesting perspective to the story.
In short, I laughed, I cried. This story is incredibly moving! Don’t miss this one.
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According to the CDC 1% of the world’s population, or about seventy-five million people has an autism spectrum disorder. In honor of Autism Awareness Month, I’ve compiled a list of books featuring Jewish writers and Jewish characters featuring people and characters impacted by autism. This is the fourth installment in my monthly series, celebrating the…
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By Rosemary Roenfanz The history books are largely silent on the contributions of women. Generations of them who have made incredible contributions while receiving little to no recognition. That is until now. Roenfanz has created a well-researched collection of mini biographies, celebrating the contributions and accomplishments of women throughout history. Many of them largely ignored…
By Chaya Rochel Zimmerman Meir Rosen is looking forward to a gap year experience, studying in a yeshiva, in Israel. But he finds himself experiencing some unusual symptoms leading to a surprising diagnosis. Meir faces uncertainty in seeking to recover his mental health while navigating his relationship with his family and cultural expectation of his…
By Rachel Barenbaum Atomic Anna is the story of three incredible women spanning three generations. The first is Anna Berkova, a nuclear scientist, working the Soviet Union in 1986 when Chernobyl melts down. It is at this moment she accidentally discovers her ability to time jump and is reunited with her estranged daughter, Molly. Molly…
Welcome to my January Wrap-Up! I managed to cross twenty-five titles off my reading list and am already one third of the way to my reading goal for the year. I’ve had the opportunity to review three wonderful books this month and have included links to my weekly reading lists as well. Join the conversation.…
Welcome to my February Wrap-Up! I managed to cross another twenty-five titles off my reading list and am already two-thirds of the way to my reading goal for the year. I’ve had the opportunity to review five wonderful books this month and have included links to my weekly reading lists as well. Join the conversation.…
Welcome to my March Wrap-Up! I am two books away from the finish line on my 2022 reading goal. I’ve had the opportunity to review nine wonderful books this month and have included links to my weekly reading lists as well. You’ll also find my March Short Story and my reading list celebrating Women’s History…
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As a thank you for registering for our email list, you’ll receive free printable reading journal templates and a bonus 100 book reading list! Members of the email list also receive an exclusive discount code for my Etsy store: MapleStreetStudioHRS.
