Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust

Gr 8 Up—After attending a private Jewish day school since kindergarten, Vancouver teen Lauren Yanofsky convinces her parents to let her attend public high school. But because she refuses to participate in Jewish activities, they won't allow her to get her driver's license. Lauren considers that a small price to pay since she doesn't want to be Jewish anymore. Her father is a professor of Holocaust studies, and Lauren is "sick of the Holocaust being the defining element of being Jewish." She feels as if she knows too much about the destruction of European Jewry during World War II and has even toured Polish concentration camps. When she discovers a group of popular boys, including her crush, Jesse, wearing swastika armbands and playing a Nazi war game, Lauren has no idea how to handle the situation. Jesse tells her to relax, and her friend Brooke says, "they play all those war video games…and need to burn off some of their testosterone by pretending to shoot each other." Are the boys anti-Semitic? Should she tell her parents, report them to the school, or just forget about it? Brooke is hanging out more with the Smokers and pining after Jesse. Lauren feels utterly alone. Lieberman provides a realistic, satisfying ending that doesn't tie things up too neatly. Teen issues of changing friendships, first kisses, family friction, and drinking are combined with fully developed characters, spot-on contemporary dialogue, and a unique plot that will give readers of all backgrounds plenty to think about.—Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL