Never Mind The Goldbergs

by Matthue Roth

The greatest Hollywood punk rock Orthodox Jewgirl story EVER TOLD!

Don't think for a second that you know Hava or her place in the world. Yes, she's an Orthodox Jew. But that doesn't mean she can't rock out. And yes, she has opinions about everything around her. But her opinions about herself can be twice as harsh.
Now Hava's just been asked to be the token Jew on a TV show about a Jewish family, trading one insular community for another. As in Tanuja Desai Hidier's BORN CONFUSED, there is soon a collision of both cultures and desires -- with one headstrong heroine caught in the middle.

Genres: Young Adult, Jewish, Fiction, Judaica, Judaism

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Matthue's book My First Kafka was called "eerie and imaginative" by The New Yorker) and "creepy cute" by Wired. He's also written a bunch of other books, most recently Rules of My Best Friend's Body. He's also written for Sesame Street, and by day he writes games for Google. He lives in Brooklyn with his family, and he keeps a secret diary at www.matthue.com.

Reviews

[Bonnie G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to give this more than 3-stars, but just can't. The urge to up the stars comes from my happiness that this book exists. A book coming from the perspective of a 21st Century Modern Orthodox Jewish teen is something I have not seen before, and had not realized I was missing. I liked Hava a great deal, and thought the book was at its best when in focused on her inner thoughts and her relationships with her best friends Ian and Moish. But there was a lot here that did not work, and some of it was so clunky and immature it kind of ruined the rest. The unacknowledged creepiness of Hava's relationship with Charles, the weirdly contrived live action sex tape scene (why on Earth would Charles have done that, and did he get the show crew to set it up?), the absurd and cloying "osser" baby (this was not a book that needed a Greek chorus of any kind, let alone a baby.) The whole ending with the producers was absurd and just bad, and played into the Elders of Zion myth that behind the curtain there are a bunch of Jews controlling everything. I was baffled by the eventual centrality of Hava's fractured relationship with her mother which was not even mentioned for the first half of the book, and not ever properly set up (unless you count a sudden exposition on how bad the relationship is as a set up.) I went and read some of Roth's later online stuff and its better. This is a man in need of a workshop, but there is a lot of raw talent and as a secular Jew who has chosen to join an orthodox community Roth brings an interesting perspective. I hope he writes more.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Long Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

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.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked this book at first, but as I read more and more it began to feel like nothing more than an outlet for the author to show off his knowledge of music no one's ever heard of. You're cool, we get it.

[Shayna R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about teenage angst, confusion, religious questioning, true friends, changes from being in the public eye, and more. Great book for older teens.

[Mel Raschke · Rating 2 out of 5]

An orthodox Jew in complicated times.

[Kelley]

Dredging the archives of my old YA blog--from back in the day when I was a YA para-librarian. Awesome!


She’s punk rock, she’s an Orthodox Jew, and she’s the star of the newest TV sitcom: Never Mind the Goldbergs! Meet Hava. A sassy Manhattanite who’s discovered in an avant-garde play and swept into Hollywood in order to authenticate the new sitcom about a Jewish family. Will she be able to withstand the pressures of Hollywood?
As someone who grew up Catholic and never met a Jewish person until I went to college, let alone an Orthodox, this book was a continual learning experience. And who better to learn from than a sassy punk rocker, right? This book has all the scandalous elements of a traditional coming-of-age novel, but with the twist of keeping Orthodox Judaism within the outrageousness of Hollywood. It’s Matthue Roth’s first novel, and there are some plot discrepancies and a fair share of clichés, but all in all, I still enjoyed it. After doing a little internet research, I learned that Matthue Roth is a cis-boy poet who slams with the great Michelle Tea and the other queer/trans poets of SF, CA. In fact, a couple months after I read the book, I picked up my friend Simon Strikeback’s zine Bound to Struggle: Where Kink and Radical Politics Meet, and lo and behold, one of the submission’s was Matthue Roth’s poem Palestine. Small world, right? Check it out at http://www.matthue.com

[Talia]

I think I would have eaten this book up in high school. As an Orthodox Jew who attended a religious high school, I found myself in a similar situation as Hava - bored with the social scene, left-of-center and rather vocal about it, and ready for adventure. But reading this a few years after graduating gives me more perspective, and Hava doesn't come off as particularly likeable. While I identify with her questions and mistakes, her excessive drinking, clubbing, and swearing don't endear her to me.

Additionally, the book's narrative remained strictly passive - I wonder how editors overlooked all of those "was"es. The plot, unfocused and dragging, made this book a chore to finish. The characters seemed more like caricatures and didn't feel real at all.

The premise did draw me in initially, but the execution of this story disappointed me. I'm still waiting for an authentic, funny, relatable, and interesting Orthodox Jewish character to appear in YA literature.

[Lani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I totally fell for this book despite all of its conceits. It focuses on two cultures I know next to nothing about - Orthodox Jews and Hollywood starlets- and I enjoyed every page.

Hava is a lovable character in all her teenage glory. She's manipulating her identity based on where she is, who she's with, and what she's doing, all while trying to stay true to herself and her beliefs.

The plot isn't exactly believable, but it keeps the story going and allows Hava to grow and learn about herself and her relationships with others. I learned some things about Orthodox tradition that I didn't know before, and I think this is a unique way to expose readers to a culture they're unfamiliar with.

I can't say it's a great book, but it was a fun book.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have little tolerance for hipster YA books about characters who are so painfully cool that they couldn't possibly exist in the real world, and this one started out looking like it was going to be exactly that, but then took a turn for the interesting and kept me sucked in the whole way through. The book is about a teenage Orthodox Jew who, through a series of coincidences, ends up getting a summer job as the only actual Jew on the set of a Hollywood sitcom about an Orthodox family. It turns out to be a very good coming-of-age tale that I thought dealt very nicely with the issue of caring deeply about your religion while trying to figure out yourself and the rest of the world.

[C.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I'm not a fan of fiction (I tend to only read poetry) THIS IS AN AMAZING BOOK! Every kid of every faith, background, whatever, should read it!

GET THOSE KIDS CRAZY NOW PLEASE!
CAConrad
http://CAConrad.blogspot.com

[Andrew Kunze · Rating 2 out of 5]

Andrew Kunze Response #14

This book is unique. It is a YA novel that portrays one of the many paths that a teen could be. I believe the main character, Hava, to be the typical rebellious and stubborn teenager that many tend to create stereotypes about. Hava is an Orthodox Jew that is set on keeping her beliefs regardless of her rock n' roll picture. She is chosen to be a large part in a new sitcom that is about a family that are Jewish as well. She meets famous actors/actresses and feels as if she does not belong. I believe Hava to be the teen that is stuck on trying to find herself and she is high on the spectrum as lost teens. She challenges her religion, but strongly believes in staying traditional with Kosher food and her prayers.
I did not enjoy this book too much. I wanted to like Hava, I really did but the story line goes all over the place. I kept losing track of what was taking place and Hava repeats herself too often regarding her religious choices. I feel the story should focus more on the show since the show would portray her character more than the book is doing in my opinion. Not a fan at all.

[ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot to like in this book and I related a lot to Hava's high school desire to be "other" and feeling as "other". Some of the plot, however, was a bit hard to buy into. Mainly that there would be a network produced sit-com about Orthodox Jews with a cast of non-Jews (with Hava being the token). Hollywood, especially in the comedy arena is hardly Jew-free (and I say that not in the "Jews run the media way" -- I mean, has this guy ever watched Seinfeld or Full House or the Nanny or anything with Howie Mandel in it?). They may not be Orthodox or Modern Orthodox (something I did learn about in the book!) but they are still all pretty Jewish. I think I would have bought into this more if Hava had had to mix more with Secular, Conservative or Reform.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hava Aaronson is seventeen and feels like she’s never fit in: “I guess I was just born different,” she says on page 1, which sort of made me roll my eyes and wonder if I was really in the mood for a YA novel after all—and maybe I wasn’t—but I kept reading. The California setting and the tone of some of the descriptive passages about Hollywood are very Francesca Lia Block, not that that's necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes I didn’t quite buy Hava’s character/voice, but even so, this book was often pleasing, in that breathless-YA way, and Hava’s a smart, introspective narrator who’s pretty appealing.

[Susan H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous, Matthue. Another world opens up when you open the pages. Your dialogue is amazing. The main character is perfect: loveable, fierce, naive-and-worldly in a way that resonated with me personally (hello, my teenage years! I thought I was so smart). The plot is entertaining, as well as slightly surreal (well, LA is surreal, and you capture that brilliantly), and the characters are fleshed-out and real. YAY. I totally admit that I read all writing by friends and acquaintances with super-dooper low expectations, and was so delighted to be thus surprised.

[David]

This was such fun to read like an awesome after school special with wholesome messages of being true to yourself and your G-d but never conforming.

I appreciated the complicated and sincere relationships Hava, a rebellious Orthodox Jewish grrl, develops within various factions of society, Hollywood actors, funky punky kids, and her homogeneous frum highschool classmates. The characters were easy to relate with and some I wish were my friends too. There were references to Talmud, Sleater-Kinney, davening, and the Cure, if that rings a bell check out the book!

[Julian · Rating 3 out of 5]

By the author of Yom Kippur A-Go-Go, which I loved, this is a YA novel about a punk rock Orthodox Jewish girl who spends a summer filming a TV show in Los Angeles in which she's the only actual Orthodox Jew on a show about an Orthodox family. It was OK, but not as compelling as the memoir at all. The plot and characterization weirdnesses actually made the characters seem a little more realistic, but I had the suspicion that nearly everyone was based on someone in the author's life, but watered down to fit into the novel.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one has stuck with me over the last few days, I do think I like it even more now! And I think it should be filed under books for religious teens lol. (That's a joke, I do think it was a VERY interesting study into religious Jews vs religious Christians in that age group, but I can't imagine more different target audiences.) Hava's a lot of fun.

Original Review:
Not bad at all, about a 3.5 star. Could have been a little shorter or tighter, but overall, nice early novel, fun character, should appeal to bright teenage girls.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another random book picked up from the library, though not as successful as the last one. Roth's heroine, Hava, is an interesting combination of disparate things; an Orthodox Jewish teenage punk sitcom actor. In some ways Hava is a believable teenager; she's self-conscious, selfish, contradictory, impulsive and trying to figure out her own identity. However, that makes for rather annoying, dis-connected reading as her thoughts (and Roth's writing style) wander aimlessly.

[Kellylynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started out liking the book. I also started out liking the main character Hava. But as the story went on I just felt out of sync with everything. She started to feel try hard in a punk way. And she tried to always push her Orthodoxness internally but wouldn't fight for herself. There was a lot of potential, but it just lacked in the end.

That and I really did not like how the story ended, nothing seemed to wrap up at all.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this, and wished that the series now on ABC called “The Goldbergs,” was more like the tv show of the same name in this novel. The one on tv now is set in the suburban 1980’s, for which I suppose some people feel nostalgia. The tv series in the book is an Orthodox family. They cast an Orthodox punk teen named Hava, who has done one play in New York. What we learn about Hava and her world in this novel is fun, funny and sweet.

[Mayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good from the beginning because I thought that the author was able to deliver a character that stood out and wasn't like the rest of the people in her environment, but as I kept reading, nothing seemed to be happening at all, so it was kind of boring and that's why it gets a 3-star rating. Others should try it though; maybe they're more patient. :)

[Ashley dillon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book confused me a lil. Im not jewish at all, and i know nothing about being jewish either. So all the jewish words and phrases n stuff, made no sense to me at all. I thought the story line wwent a lil slow tho. Idk it took me over a week to finish this book. it wasnt bad, but it def wasnt my favorite.

[Charles Ellenbogen]

This one was, without a doubt, one of the worst books I've ever read. Self-indulgent and stupid. Middle school garbage. How does this get published? Tries for everything and achieves none of it. The main character is just a moron. The plot is unbelievable. The whole thing is just pretentious. A crime against trees.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I. Love. This. Freaking. Book.

This is one of the richest, most beautifully crafted teen girl character I've read in forever. And I love that this story is not really a love story at all.

After Losers, I was so excited to start reading this. And then after I read it - I just want to devour the rest of Matthue Roth's books.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A too cool look at what it's like to be a contemporary teenage Orthodox Jew making it in the big bad world. Funny- and gives a sympathetic view of the Orthodox- they're certainly not all the same, or all of one view.

[P. Es]

should have a shelf option "read bits and pieces of"..

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep reading it to see how it ends. But the plot just goes on and on without really seeming to go anywhere. Definitely not a fav.

[catechism · Rating 2 out of 5]

...

[Batyah · Rating 1 out of 5]

worst book ever.

[fried( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) chicken · Rating 2 out of 5]

what is the point of this book its boring as hell