The Golem

by Barbara Rogasky, Trina Schart Hyman (Illustrator)

A rabbi brings to life a clay giant who helps him watch over the Jews of sixteenth-century Prague.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Jewish, Historical Fiction, Picture Books

96 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1996

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting stories with beautiful illustrations by one of my favorites--Trina Schart Hyman.

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a really dark book. I might not think so if this weren't shelved in the Juvenile Fiction section at my library. I know that as a kid such things as being framed for murder and attempted poisonings just slid right off me, but I don't know how I would have reacted to graphic descriptions (and occasional gentle illustrations) of child corpses with cut throats.

I think the subject matter is important, to be sure. Jews have been persecuted, and slandered in order to justify that persecution, for centuries. But even ignoring the Dark Stuff, the writing was... uneven. Some chapters were light and funny, some were grim and spooky, and a few times the author took an intimately friendly tone with the reader that she had not adopted before, which was off-putting. Now that I've read the whole thing, I think I understand why: tales about the Golem were told for probably three or four centuries before Ms. Rogasky decided to retell them, which means previous storytellers probably ranged quite a bit in tone and content. Clearly she chose to emulate many different types. It does not make for a smooth retelling, unfortunately.

Even her word choice was odd in places. She talks over and over about the Blood Libel: the pernicious lie that Jews sacrifice either a Gentile child or a "pure woman" for Passover. She can't say "virgin" but she can pen graphic descriptions of child murder? What? Am I missing a cultural cue here?


Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations are exquisite, as always. If you're going to read this, read it for the pictures.

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was dark. Possibly the darkest, grimmest “children’s book” I have ever read.
Trina Schart Hyman’s illustrations are heartstoppingly beautiful. Her Golem is as fearsome and tragic as Frankenstein’s monster—even more so, since he has a purpose and he always carries it out.

[Sarah Trcka · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5

[Carfig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations, which is why we bought it. Wonderfully rendered story telling as well.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

More comprehensive collection of stories. Good notes from author and illustrator.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this novel, a Jewish Rabbi, Rabbi Loew, is forced to confront the evil that descends upon a Jewish ghetto in 16th century Prague; the Blood Libel. To deal with the sufferings that arise from the unfair treatment of the Jews, Rabbi Loew creates a golem that he names Joseph. Joseph has the strength of 10 men, cannot be killed, and is innocent, only doing what he is commanded.
The story progresses and the Blood Libel against the Jews becomes worse and more horrific until the Rabbi uses Joseph to finally end it for good.
This novel addresses the untruthfulness of a common slander against the Jewish religion - that they murder innocent Christian children or pure Christian women and partake of their blood for their Passover feast. This libel is one of the tactics Hitler used during his Nazi Regime to justify why he was killing the Jews. The novel as a whole is a very easy read, but would most likely not be usable in a regular classroom due to it's strong religious polarization and strong topics. It also is written in a way that makes Christians of the 16th century the authors of all evil the Jews suffered.
I personally liked the book but found parts of it very disturbing and gruesome. As a future teacher, I would not read this book to my students and I more than likely would not recommend it to my students unless they specifically asked about the Blood Libel.

[Preston Shewell · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Golem is about a rabbi who is loosely based on a real person in the 1500s. In the story, he brings a clay person to life to protect the Jews of the area from oppression. The story combines elements of Jewish tradition and occultism. Written like a fable, the storytelling is simple, and it is a quick read.

I honestly didn't like this book much. It wasn't at all what I was expecting. To describe this book in one word, it's just plain weird. I have no idea what the intention of the author is because it makes everyone--Jew and Christian alike--look like extremist antagonists. I don't know how historically accurate that is, but either way, it's not a feel-good book by any stretch of the imagination. There is no intense violence or profanity, but some of the scenes and images are disturbing to say the least.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent retelling of the legend of the golem, beautifully illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (winner of the Caldecott medal for St. George & the Dragon). It's intended for upper elementary and middle school-aged readers. Rogasky expertly evokes the plight of 16th century Jews in Prague, helping the reader to understand the way that things like the blood libel affected daily life in the ghetto. Some versions of this story handle it as more of a straight-up horror story, but while Rogasky's golem is chilling, he and the rabbi who created him are sympathetic.

[Camille Stanford · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book based off of Jewish culture, and how a golem is created to help them in their struggles. A golem is a man made of clay that comes to "life" and will follow commands tirelessly, over the years the use of golem has changed over the years in fantasy stories, but in general they are made of clay and have the hebrew word for truth EMET inscribed somewhere on them. I enjoyed this story based off of the origin of the golem.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

i picked this up because i was playing in a game of Promethean: The Created and wanted some Frankenstein/Golem inspiration. purchased my copy at Uncle Fun's in Chicago for $3, brand new.

the story is a good retelling of the Jewish legend of the Golem, with some iconic illustrations throughout. a good read for kids, or anyone who appreciates the macabre.

[Marc · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is a childrens' book concerning the persecution of jewish people throughout history. i feel saddened to learn more about these things. this is also a strange book representing some unusual moralities in ways that i don't think are fully critically developed.

[Caitlin]

The Golem: A Version by Barbara Rogasky (1996)

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up over curiosity about the story of the Golem, which I'd only heard in passing before. It was okay. Kind of creepy sometimes, but it was all for the greater good in the end.

[Stuart Rosenberg Janssen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favored books as a child and remains so because of the quality of illustrations and the honesty of the story-telling.

[Mckinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several stories from the making of the golem to it's deeds to it's 'death'.