Aviva vs. the Dybbuk by Mari Lowe

 

Time and again I am returning to midgrade novels because the age of such novels - 8 to 12 years - is formative for this kind of readership. It is the age when children are learning their ways through life, being faced with the adult world while still remaining anchored in the fantastic worls of the childhood.

For the Jewish - Orthodox segment, it is not easy to find such novels with girls characters. Devora Doresh mysteries are one of a kind - hopefully soon would be able to write an extensive review of the story - but I am still on the look for more characters relevant for the nowadays young Jewish Orthodox girls, their concerns and interests.

Last week, I had the chance to read Aviva vs. the Dybbuk, the debut novel by Mari Lowe. Actually, it was a delightful chance as the book is well written and paced, with an unfolding story touching upon an impressive amount of topics: parental loss, friendship, depression and other mental health issues, antisemitism, the power of community. It is a long list of topics, but it does reflect the random subjects anyone living in a Jewish community in the diaspora may face it. In addition to the specific Jewish layer, many of the topics are relevant for the gender/age categories of the book.

Aviva is a sixth grade girl, curious and with a fuzzy hair. Her mother, once a teacher, is now, after the ´accident´ - the event during which her father lost his life, that is explained to us only at the end of the story - is a mikvah attendant, rarely leaving the house. She is observing her mother at work, with a dybbuk as her only companion.

Either you are midgrade or not, it´s hard to put this book down. Aviva is in the middle of different situations - either as a main character or as a storyteller. The turns are impredictable, but the author uses the occurrences to add more details about the characters who are therefore evolving at the same time with the story. You feel that every single element comes along together in a perfect puzzle, at the end of a process both eventful and insightful.

Aviva vs. the Dybbuk has relatable characters and a well built story. It is recommended to any curious girl from a modern Orthodox background that loves to read and discover her world through characters speaking her language.

Rating: 5 stars

Letters from Cuba

 

An emotional midgrade novel written by anthropologist Ruth Behar, Letters from Cuba shares less known stories about how European Jews ended up in the Carribean island to save their lives from the Nazi-occupied Europe. Inspired by her own family story Behar created a reliable story which appeals to young adults interested in history and in different cultures and traditions. 

Esther, 12 years old, embarked on an adventurous journey from her village in Poland, joining her father in Cuba where he was working hard to save money for bringing his family out of Europe. During her journey and upon arrival, she wrote letters in her native Yiddish to her sister Malka, sharing the details of her new life and their efforts to reunite with their loved ones. 

Through Esther´s pure eyes, it is not only a new world opening, but also the word she just left comes up clearer, especially taking into account the everyday persecution and discrimination Jews were the victims thereof. ´Cubans have been so friendly to me that I almost forgot about how some people hate Jews´. There is an antisemitic villain but the Anti-Nazi Society of Agramonte, her non-Jewish friends created to prevent the island from following into Germany´s path is working hard to counter his actions.

Esther, a brave bearer of a name associated in Jewish history with stubborn defense of Jews against the oppressors who want them dead, is a genuine voice who although fully aware of her heritage, she is happy to share her traditions she is proud of with her non-Jewish neighbours while learning on the go about other cultures. 

Besides teaching young readers about a particular tragic episode of Jewish history, Letters from Cuba offers a curious perspective on world which should continue far beyond one´s teenage years.

For me, it was a first complex encounter with the world of Askenazi Jews refugiated in Cuba. It have shape and made sense of a realm I knew only from cold historical accounts. The image of Yiddish speaking stores and schools in Havana or of the Jewish peddlers selling their products all over the country is unique and rarely present in novels.

Although Jewish presence in Cuba started at the end of the 15th century, during the 1930s the number increased also due to the prohibitive immigration policies in the US. Many ships with Jews who escaped the Nazi regime were turned off from the shores of the ´goldene Medina´ and thus Jews spread all over the Latin America and the Carribean. After the 1959 communist revolution, many of them left, mostly for US and Israel, with around 1,500 known Jews still living on the island. I would be happy one day to have the chance to visit those synagogues and walk the streets of Havana looking for Jewish traces.

Rating: 4 stars