The Punk Rock Queen of the Jews: A Memoir, a Review by Susan

posted in: 5 star read, Susan | 0

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THE PUNK ROCK QUEEN OF THE JEWS
Rossi

330 pages
She Writes Press
April 23, 2024

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Every once in a while, I enjoy a good memoir. I define a good memoir as one that makes me desperately want to sit down and have a cup of coffee with the writer.

This was that kind of memoir. Rossi was so interesting, so familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Having grown up in a very Jewish neighborhood and having spent some time with religious Jews and living close to Crown Heights, the Chasidim are familiar to me, though I certainly learned more about their way of life from Rossi who was shipped off there by her parents because they could not handle her because she rebelled by being into punk rock music (that is the unfamiliar part, since it is not my kind of music) and by being gay.

Rossi’s sassy voice throughout as well as her growing up to accept some things about Judaism and making them her own but keeping true to herself made this a very compelling read for anyone, especially those who have struggled with family issues and religion. This is an easy read, however, it is like a choose-your-own-adventure:  this can be fast and easy read or it can be taken on many different levels, or anything in between.  I learned more about Orthodox Judaism and about punk rock (not my genre of choice but it didn’t matter). This definitely makes me want to find more out about Rossi’s life. I am now following her on Instagram.

Thanks to NetGalley and Books Forward for allowing me to read and review this fascinating memoir.

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