Hoodie Rosen, a Yeshiva student, meets Anne-Marie one day, which leads to the beginning of a friendship. However, she is not Jewish and additionally turns out to be the daughter of the mayor of Tregaron, who tries everything to chase the Jews out of the city. The relationship with Anne-Marie forms a lot of problems for Hoodie. His family repels him, the Jews of his community are outraged, and at school his comrades shun him. Isaac Blum tells a powerful story about friendship, exclusion and hatred of Jews. We learn a lot about Orthodox Judaism and also see how rude people can be to each other when a member of the community steps out of line. The protagonist, Hoddie Rosen, is full of sarcasm and wit, which I enjoyed a lot. Although his peers often react to his words in annoyance or shock, they are actually incredibly funny and absurd. I had a lot of fun reading this powerful, entertaining, provocative and important novel. Accompanied by interesting discussions about Judaism, it is great for teens and adults of all ages.

4,5✨