cover image Goy Crazy

Goy Crazy

Melissa Schorr, . . Hyperion, $15.99 (344pp) ISBN 978-0-7868-3852-3

Debut novelist Schorr expresses the lighter side of teen rebellion through her spunky, discontented heroine, a sophomore at Riverdale High in the Bronx. As Rachel Lowenstein reflects on her boring, relatively sin-free existence during the High Holidays, she decides that "racking up some serious pointage on the Sin-O-Meter" will make life more interesting. Her main goal is to snag a "blond Adonis," namely, Luke Christiansen, who attends a Catholic school. Hooking up with Luke does prove to be exciting but causes her a good amount of stress as well. Especially when the two bump into her parents' friends at a Lower East Side deli and when Luke pressures her to get a tattoo (an action that might prevent her from being buried in a Jewish cemetery, according to Rachel's girlfriend). Predictably, Rachel's feelings of guilt (coupled with the fact that Luke is a bad kisser) cause her to rethink her attraction to a "goy" and set her sights on a nice Jewish boy (childhood friend Howard Goldstein).This humorous depiction of first love offers a witty first-person narrative and situations to which all readers can relate, but the lessons Rachel learns from her experience with Luke lack depth. While she gains insight into herself, in general, the "goys" here (Luke, his friends and an ex-boyfriend of Rachel's cousin) are cast in a dim, somewhat unflattering light. Perhaps all the better to make a case for Howard. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)