Category Archives: Nonfiction

The majority of the book focuses on Norman alone. He is seventeen, and turning into quite the Hebrew scholar, yet he doesn’t feel a strong spiritual connection with his studies. His student is impossible—she wants nothing to do with this Bat Mitzvah stuff. Rather than fight her, Norman sits back passively and lets Bayla waste their time. He observes the goings-on at Bayla’s, contrasts their rich lifestyle with his family’s poverty, and feels shame. Still, he does very little. Continue reading →