THE TROUBLE WITH GOOD IDEAS

A Jewish tween creates a golem to care for her ailing great-grandfather.

Leah Nevins’ Conservative Jewish family recently moved to be closer to her 93-year-old Zaide. Having left behind friends from the Jewish school she attended and transitioned into sixth grade in public school, Leah is convinced that her large nose makes her stand out among her overwhelmingly non-Jewish peers and is a barrier to acceptance. She cherishes the Saturday afternoons she spends with her older cousins at Zaide’s house, but that tradition is threatened when Zaide starts exhibiting symptoms of dementia and her parents discuss moving him to an assisted living facility. Shaken by this idea, Leah devises an unlikely plan inspired by Zaide’s stories of the golem, a creature created to protect the Jews of Eastern Europe. She manages to create a golem in her own image—albeit with a tiny button nose—to protect Zaide. Before long, the golem develops an attitude, showing up at Leah’s school to win over the popular crowd and making demands. Meanwhile, Leah’s own efforts to fit in force her to confront painful anti-Semitic microaggressions from her classmates. This fast-paced story provides a window into the cultural and religious traditions of one modern Jewish family. However, character development of the supporting cast and the golem is limited, resulting in their actions feeling flat and heavy-handed.

A representation of a modern Jewish family with a folkloric twist.