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The Faithful
The Faithful is The Chosen for a new generation, with Potok’s 1940’s Brooklyn giving way to Rachel Reuben’s gritty 1990’s Crown Heights. Five compelling coming-of-age characters live out this edgy, push-pull story that juxtaposes ultra-orthodox Judaism with the modern, secular world. The Faithful is a page-turning, semi-autobiographical story that explores the boundaries of love, sexual identity, gender, faith, racism and violence.
Lark, the wise-cracking teenage rebel, is thrust into this world, kicking and screaming, when her pot-smoking, former-hippie Dad becomes a "born-again" Jew and moves the family to Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Rachel, who has her private doubts about the ultra-orthodox life she was born into, dreams of escape and finds an unlikely friend in Lark. Jamal, known as “Rainman” is an African American neighborhood hotshot in whom Lark finds a dangerous, sexy distraction. Yakov, the grandson of Crown Heights’ revered Rebbe, and his likely successor, struggles with the conflict between his obligations to his God, and his lust, body and soul, for childhood friend, Daniel, who pushes beyond the parameters of the community to find a way to live honestly. When riots rip through Crown Heights, we witness more than just the unraveling of a neighborhood, as the lives of each of these vivid characters are changed forever.
Lark, the wise-cracking teenage rebel, is thrust into this world, kicking and screaming, when her pot-smoking, former-hippie Dad becomes a "born-again" Jew and moves the family to Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Rachel, who has her private doubts about the ultra-orthodox life she was born into, dreams of escape and finds an unlikely friend in Lark. Jamal, known as “Rainman” is an African American neighborhood hotshot in whom Lark finds a dangerous, sexy distraction. Yakov, the grandson of Crown Heights’ revered Rebbe, and his likely successor, struggles with the conflict between his obligations to his God, and his lust, body and soul, for childhood friend, Daniel, who pushes beyond the parameters of the community to find a way to live honestly. When riots rip through Crown Heights, we witness more than just the unraveling of a neighborhood, as the lives of each of these vivid characters are changed forever.
495 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 29, 2017
6 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 28, 2023
It’s going to be hard to give an impartial review as the author is the mother to one of my favorite people in the world but even without that nepotism element, I really enjoyed this book. It challenged me and taught me a lot about a world I really know nothing about and I’m really looking forward to discussing it!
April 6, 2023
I really really enjoyed this. Great look into a number of different communities and understanding the different angles of what being a minority in a community means. Cannot wait to discuss more with the author!
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September 18, 2022Review to come.
April 16, 2023
Incredible coming of age story that happens to be written by my best friend’s mom! Highly recommend
April 24, 2023
Love the book and love the author!!!
April 17, 2023
What an amazing novel! I connected to each character throughout their coming-of-age struggles in an ultra-orthodox Jewish community. Highly recommend this immersive reading experience!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews