Entertaining and charming, albeit disjointed at times. While there were certainly standouts within the collection, I did not feel that I'd gained anything from having read the stories in this format, rather than reading individual stories elsewhere. Admittedly, I am likely losing some cultural nuance; as a gentile, and therefore neither the authors nor the target audience of this collection, I'm neither the intended audience nor the demographic to best appreciate this work. That being said, it was thoroughly enjoyable, and I feel I've gained understanding of a culture that I'm not a part of. I also appreciate the numerous #ownvoices represented in this collection, and I think more diverse books are always a good thing to have. 3.5/5 stars; would recommend.

First off let's get one thing clear, I'm not Jewish haha, but what I will say is that I had a very open mind about "It's a Whole Spiel" while reading it, and I'm glad I did.

The anthology features YA who are in the midst of self discovery being Jewish dealing with everyday life and everything surrounding them. The short stories very interesting and full of entertainment.

Rating 3.5

I was beyond excited to hear the world was getting a YA collection about what it's like to grow up Jewish. From explorations of identity to first loves, this anthology -- featuring short stories from Jewish young adult authors -- runs the gamut from comedy, to romance, religion and secularism, and even the slightly paranormal, representing a wide range of Jewish experiences. Jewish diversity in literature FTW!

IT'S A WHOLE SPIEL is edited by Katherine Locke and contains a collection of stories about Jewish teens. I was excited to see a preview because we are working especially hard this year on representing more diverse voices in our collection. It's important to note that I did not read all of the stories, but the ones I read seemed to be geared to a younger high school or maybe late middle school audience. I think that is partly because of the rather naïve stance from some characters and because many of the selections deal with belonging and fitting in, a critical issue for less mature teens. IT'S A WHOLE SPIEL does address questions concerning both gender and religious identity and it contains stories by David Levithan, Adi Alsaid, and Nova Ren Suma, along with other YA authors who will be familiar names to students.

In addition to getting ideas from this short story collection, I would suggest looking at some of the titles which were profiled in a recent (August 2019) VOYA article by Adela Peskorz called "Past and Present Intertwined." There, she explored Jewish themes and characters from titles like In the Neighborhood of True, Spinning Silver, We Regret to Inform You, and Anne Frank's Diary: the graphic adaptation.

This was an overall low-scoring anthology for me; after the rating each of the shorts individually, my average rating for the anthology was 2.75 stars.. Some of the writing just didn't click with me, and others had stories I just wasn't wow-ed by. I was also disappointed by the samey-ness of the stories and thought the collection could have used some more geographic and racial diversity. However, I'm goy and therefore not the target demographic for this anthology-- I hope the representation found here is relatable to Jewish teens!

My favorite short story of the collection was "Jewbacca" by Lance Rubin. It was really sweet, with good characterization. I thought this story handled the theme of not feeling "Jewish enough" the best out of the several stories in the anthology that included it. Other highlights included "Neilah" by Hannah Moskowitz, "Indoor Kids" by Alex London, and "Be Brave and All" by Laura Silverman.

I don't feel entirely right reviewing this one, since I'm not an #ownvoices reader, but I did really enjoy each story! Rachel Lynn Solomon is what attracted me in the first place, but the rest of the authors were all wonderful in their own right and I'd happily read anything else they write.

A stupendous collection of stories curated by one of my favorite authors.

Having noted that Katherine Locke (The Girl With the Red Balloon) was putting this collection of Jewish related short stories together, I was immediately intrigued. Not only because I knew that she'd select good stories, but because I wanted to read good stories that were inclusive, including Judaism. I can't think of many including Jewish characters, aside from Rachel Lynn Solomon's You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone (pick that up, btw). This collection, though? A-mazing.

From the roster of authors, including Dahlia Adler, Adi Alsaid, Laura Silverman, and more, to the stories themselves, I mean, there's a whole wide world within the pages of this collection. Falling in love at summer camp; attending college & figuring out who you are & how your religion fits in when people don't get it; awkward family dinners...I could go on, but suffice it to say, there is a whole gamut of experiences and emotions to be felt here and the authors pull you in. Into their worlds, the lives of their characters: their experience with being Jewish, their experience with what makes them different, how these things all tie together.

The selection of stories was largely enjoyed by me, though there were a few where the writing was a bit of a stumbling block before the next entry, causing me to enjoy the overall collection a smidge less. I would still highly recommend It's a Whole Spiel because the feelings I got (friendship, family, the moments between friends and introspection, etc.) were worth wading through the murkier bits to get to my favorite stories (Be Brave and All by Laura Silverman, Two Truths and an Oy by Dahlia Adler, Some Days You're the Sidekick; Some Days You're the Hero by Katherine Locke).

When I first heart about this anthology I was super excited. I think there needs to be more Jewish fiction. I am not Jewish, but it is a religion and culture I have always been interested in. I do find all religion interesting though.

An anthology is a great way to explore Judaism. Not to generalize, but as an outside observer the Jewish community is incredibly diverse. There’s religious (orthodox to reform) and cultural elements. It also tends to be an insular culture. Because it is so complex, it’s nice to have over 10 stories exploring these different aspects and struggles.

My rating may seem a little low, but for anthologies I do an average of my ratings for each story. By the nature of anthologies not every story is going to work for everyone.

I wrote my thoughts as I read them so you can see my thoughts on the individual stories. Some of my favorites are Jewbacca, Indoor Kids, and Some Days You’re the Sidekick Some Days Your the Superhero.

Indoor Kids by Alex London (4 Stars)-That was pretty adorable. At first the ending made me mad, but I’ve decided it was actually a great ending for a short story. There’s a romance element that was so well done. The main character (whose name I forgot) was super passionate about space. I am not, but I do love reading about passionate characters. He also has just the right amount of neurotic awkwardness especially around a boy he likes. It took me back to high school, but didn’t make me anxious. I was engaged through the whole short story and think it’s a nice start to the anthology.

Two Truths & an Oy by Dahlia Adler (3 Stars)-Amalia’s story is universal. she feels uncomfortable/weird about being the Jewish girl at college. Everyone has their “weirdness” and entering college is peak awkwardness. He specific concerns was separate from mine, but I could identify with her. She talked/thought about a lot of things I didn’t know or understand, but l like that. She isn’t going to explain something she grew up in my diverse (a.k.a. anything different from my upbringing) books. It feels realistic and encourages me to do research and learn more on my own.

The Hold by David Levithan (3 stars)-I have no idea what to say about this. Is this fiction or a memoir-type story? I’m a little confused. Honestly, this made me a little sad and blah at the same time. I generally am not a fan of David Levithan’s writing so I guess that isn’t a surprise.

Aftershocks by Rachel Lynn Solomon (4 stars)-Well that hit me in the feels. OCD and anxiety are hard for me to read, but I also love reading it. It just always makes me feel like my OCD will rear up. It was interesting to read about two people who are both Jewish, but interact with the religion differently. Of course anyone can feel that way, but I feel like Judaism is particularly complex-at least in the US. But Miri and Aaron were so preciously awkward. I loved reading about their first dating interactions. They were just adorable. And can I say this was a spectacularly crafted short story. It tells a complete story while looking at a small period of time. Maybe I should change my rating.

Good Shabbos by Goldy Moldavsky (3 Stars)-I don’t know what to say. So much of this went over my head. That doesn’t impact my rating because my confusion comes from ignorance of the Jewish culture/religion/language. And I thought I was pretty knowledgeable. I do like when books expose gaps in my knowledge. My main issue was the end notes. I’m not a huge fan to begin with. They may have worked better as footnotes so I could read them easily while closer to the main content. It was a fun romp around the city, but nothing particularly special.

Jewbacca by Lance Rubin (4 Stars)-This was such a precious read. Apparently, I am all about those awkward first-relationship stories. Rye’s navigating of that new experience made for a compelling story. Rye has to deal with being not Jewish enough. That was interesting because it isn’t something you really see in Catholicism (which I grew up in). It really emphasizes how Judaism goes beyond being “just” a religion. At the same time, I think anyone can connect with Rye. The specifics of his story belong to him, but everyone probably can understand feeling unsure of yourself especially when meeting a significant other’s parents. Lance Rubin’s writing was easy and a pleasure to read. I’ve never heard of him before and am interested in checking out more.

El Al 328 by Dana Schwartz (2 Stars)-I have no idea what to say. Was there a purpose to this? Yes, stories don’t need a purpose, but I kind of do. I don’t know anything about Fi. Who is she? What does she want? Does she only care about sex? Who knows.

Some Days You’re the Sidekick; Some Days You’re the Superhero by Katherine Locke (5 Stars)-This was freaking adorable and I loved it. I could probably talk myself into a 4-star rating, but I’m just letting the emotions drive it to 5 stars. Gabe was a great narrator and I loved reading this story from a male perspective. It reminds me of an experience I had in college when I realized how similar boys and girls (and whoever) are. There’s a lot of Tumblr/online speak which I’m not very familiar with (I feel old). But I was still able to enjoy and comprehend this story. Don’t get me wrong, this was a complete and satisfying story, but I would love a full-length novel. I loved the writing and characters. Ms. Locke could totally flush this out and make an equally beautiful full-length novel.

He Who Revives the Dead by Elie Lichtschein (4 Stars)-This was good. It was funny because a co-worker and I were just talking about her birthright trip. Initially, I was confused about what was going on with this story, but ultimately I liked where it went. Sorry, I don’t have more to say, I waited a few days to write my thoughts down.

Be Brave and All by Laura Silverman (4 Stars)-I don’t know what to say. Every time I read an anthology there is at least one story like that. This was a fun story with some introverted characters. I do like how she showed the characters talking about their “weirdness”. They focus on tiny things that others probably don’t recognize. That’s a very real look at anxiety.

Neilah by Hannah Moskowitz (2 Stars)-I’m not sure what I just read. Like does this girl have an eating disorder? Was she cured by going to a religious service with her girlfriend? Was she previously in an abusive relationship or does she blame him for her own life choices? Maybe I’m stupid and just don’t understand this story. I didn’t like it.

Find the River by Matthue Roth (2 Stars)-What was this? Maybe I’ve just read too much and can no longer comprehend words. Probably not since I’m reading and reviewing other stuff with no issue. I didn’t like or care about the characters. And I don’t know what their story was. I reserve 1 star for truly atrocious things-pretty sure I’ve only done it once. So, two stars!

Ajshara by Adi Alsaid (3 Stars)-I’ve never read an Adi Alsaid story and I enjoyed this one. This is a fun and road trip story and I really liked the ghost/paranormal element. It felt very natural and added another layer to Tsvi’s character. I would’ve preferred this more as a full-length novel. It would’ve provided more time for character development. Plus, I would’ve loved seeing more of the places Tsvi traveled to.

Twelve Frames by Nova Ren Suma (3 Stars)-Objectively, this is a good story, but it wasn’t quite for me. Why? I don’t know. This is probably the least traditionally “Jewish”. Especially from a religious perspective. I did really like how she talked about people (historically) changing their names and trying to hid their Jewishness. that’s an important topic to address.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's a Whole Spiel is anthology about Jewish teens. I liked the variation of main characters and plots here, and that's something I always like about short story collections: the different worlds we get to inhabit.

As a non-Jewish person with Jewish in-laws, I recognized a lot of characters and traits in this book. Most of the stories were well written with interesting plots.

Per the usual with anthologies, some stories stuck out more than others for me. The stand-outs for me were the contributions from David Levithan, Rachel Lynn Solomon, and Adi Alsaid.

I'm a huge fan of this anthology! I think it might be one of my favorite anthologies I've ever read because I couldn't find a story I completely had to skip. Usually, anthologies are hit or miss for me because it's hard to feel like they all are on the same level. This is the exception. I'm not super surprised, though, considering most of my favorite authors including Lance Rubin and Laura Silverman contributed stories to it. I haven't finished all the stories quite yet, but some of the standouts for me were Dahlia Adler's "Two Truths and an Oy", "The Hold" by David Leviathan, and "Aftershocks" by Rachel Lynn. Solomon. I'd love to read more of Dahlia's work in the future. Her story about starting college and feeling like a total fish out of water is relatable even though we'd feel it for different reasons. I'd love to read more of David Levithan's too. I'd only heard about his work, but his essay series was so good I couldn't stop reading. Finally, I love that Rachel's story deals with a girl who has OCD. I love how many different situations were featured and the diversity within them while all still being bound by characters who are figuring out what it means to them to be Jewish. Overall: 4

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Any quotes are from the advanced copy.

It's a Whole Spiel is one of the best depictions of the diverse range of the Jewish experience I've ever seen. I loved the anthology so much. Each story was its own little world, and they all left me both wanting more and satisfied that I knew enough to be content.

The sheer amount of LGBTQA+ representation made me so happy. Lines like, "'I'm not Jewish enough for the Jewish kids, too religious for the other queer kids, and too Jewish for everyone else,'" rang so true to my lived experience as a Jewish person in the LBGTQA+ community. Unlike most YA books I've read with LGBTQA+ characters, it's not just different sexualities that are featured--there are multiple trans characters in this book, including a trans middle schooler, Davey, who readers see through the eyes of their brother, Gabe. The representation in this book is really amazing, and not done in a way that feels tokenized.

Some of the phrases in the book could have been plucked straight out of conversations I've had with Jewish friends. This was not a book written for goyim, this was a book written for Jews of all walks of life.

I think one of my favorite quotes, which to me perfectly summarizes how contradictory and ridiculous antisemitism is, came from one of the early chapters and goes like this: "'We do control the media,' I told him. 'Or the banks? Or we're all communists. I can never remember.'"

There are amazingly well-written depictions of different aspects of mental health written in this book, including eating disorders and OCD, which could be triggering to some audiences, but aren't written in a way that's intended to be an after-school special, they're just aspects of various character's lives.

I really encourage this book for anyone to read, but especially my fellow Jews--because this is a book For Us.

It’s a whole Spiel is a YA anthology revolving around Jewish young adults falling in love, traveling the world, and conquering all kinds of social scenarios. I am incredibly happy that this book exists. It does a really great job representing sexualities, genders, and mental health problems. And from an outside perspective, it also seems to be representing many facets of the Jewish faith and culture, from also observing Christmas to very orthodox Judaism.

Being very happy with the representation in the book, I am actually quite disappointed by how few of the stories I actually enjoyed. Many seemed too short, unfinished, confusing, or just not really communicating their point. That’s why I gave this book overall only three stars. Also, some of these stories contained so many pop culture references that I don’t really expect readers to enjoy these stories in 3/5/10 years.

Stories and essays that stood out positively to me were: „Indoor Kids“by Alex London, „The Hold“ by David Levithan, and „Some Days You’re the Sidekick; Some Days You’re the Superhero“ by Katherine Locke.

Average rating: 3.6

Overall this collection was really good. The rating would have been much higher if only one or two stories had not been included but otherwise I think its a really strong collection. Its a really awesome anthology for the Jewish members of the YA reader base. I would like to mention that I am not personally Jewish and therefore cannot review these stories on an Own Voices perspective. However, I do think it is worth mentioning that I have Jewish members of my family whom I am very close to and because of that, I do have a lot of knowledge about Judaism and Jewish culture.

Individual ratings:

Indoor Kids by Alex London - 4 stars
Such a cute story about a gay, Jewish boy who loves space and is crushing on a fellow Jewish counselor. I'm quickly falling in love with Alex London's writing.

Two Truths and an Oy by Dahlia Adler - 4 stars
A nice little story about a soon to be college freshman looking to escape the Jewish centric life she's always led. Only for her to realize through the horror of being a college freshman that it's nice to have a community to belong to and be proud of when you're so out of your element.

The Hold by David Levithan - 5 strars
I started out not liking this one, because its more autobiography stream of conscious, but I ended up loving it. It looks at the intersection of religion and sexuality and how comforting it can be to belong to both and take pride in both halves of your identity.

Aftershocks by Rachel Lynn Solomon - 4
This was so cute. Aaron and Miri were adorable and funny and I was hardcore rooting for them. But also this story examines that there is more than one way to be Jewish and how different practices and levels of commitment don't make one person any less a follower of Judaism.

Good Shabbos - Goldy Moldavsky - 1 star
Obviously its not an anthology unless I hate one of the stories and this was actually the worst. The main characters were vapid and judgemental and their weak idea of feminism displayed a complete lack of understanding. Also according to this story, girls cant like sports or nerdy things at all.

Jewbacca by Lance Rubin - 3 stars
This had some high points but overall was just okay.

El Al 328 by Dana Schwartz - 2 stars
I'm just not sure I fully understood the point of this one. It wasnt overly unique and the characters were fairly unmemorable.

Some Days You're the Sidekick; Some Days You're the Superhero by Katherine Locke - 3.5 stars
This was a really cute story about two fanfiction writers on a Jewish based fanfic site who dont realize the other identity. It was super cute.

He Who Revives the Dead by ELIE LICHTSCHEIN - 4.5
This one was a little slow to start but I ended up loving it. It's about a young girl who has survived almost drowning to travel to Israel to try to overcome her fear of water. It was really powerful especially in how in analyzed fear. I also really appreciated its positive and negative debate about modern Israel (especially in relation to Palestine)

Be Brave and All by Laura Silverman - 4 stars
Loved the anxiety rep in this one as well as the brief commentary on gun violence in America. This story did a really good job showcasing the future that kids are going to inherit and how the new celebration of diversity is allowing kids to truly grow and be themselves.

Neilah by Hannah Moskowitz - 4 star
TW: MC is dealing with an eating disorder
I really liked Tina, the main character. I appreciate the honesty of her character's feelings about her weight, her eating disorder, and her faith. I love how many stories in this collection focus on the many different ways that people can be Jewish. Also Tina is dating a girl but is possibly bi/pan since she had a boyfriend in the past.

Find the River by Matthew Roth - 3 stars
I honestly am not sure I really know/understood this story at all. There were parts where it seemed like the MC was really into his faith and times where it seemed like he wasn't. But it felt like the whole point was the importance of faith, so I'm just not sure I understood this one. However I loved the one character putting the MC in his place when he was being pretentious.

Ajshara by Adi Alsaid - 5 stars
This is my favorite story in the collection. It's about a Mexican Jewish boy traveling the world with a group of other kids before starting college. He also happens to see dead people. It's about the exploration of life and the history that we leave behind as humans.

Twelve Frames by Nova Ren Suma - 4.5 stars
This one was very focused on being yourself and how that can sometimes intersect with your faith. I really liked the main character Simone and her exploration of her great grandfathers past as well as the little tidbits about Jewish feminist icons. Overall a well constructed little story.

A lot of the stories in this collection emphasis that there is no one way to be Jewish. I really love that message.

I've been waiting for this anthology for at least a couple of months. I saw it announced on Twitter and was immediately soooo excited. An anthology filled with Jewish stories by a bunch of Jewish authors? OMG, my younger self would have killed for a book like this, but I'm more than happy to read it now. It also doesn't hurt that the title, It's a Whole Spiel, is perfection. As soon as I heard it, it brought up so many memories (mainly all the Yiddish that I grew up with) that I knew this book was for me. Katherine Locke and Laura Silverman did a brilliant job editing this collection.

For the review, I'm going to give a little synopsis of what each story is about and then my thoughts. Alright, let's get to it!

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A Jewish boy falls in love with a fellow counselor at summer camp. A group of Jewish friends take the trip of a lifetime. A girl meets her new boyfriend's family over Shabbat dinner. Two best friends put their friendship to the test over the course of a Friday night. A Jewish girl feels pressure to date the only Jewish boy in her grade. Hilarious pranks and disaster ensue at a crush's Hanukkah party. 

From stories of confronting their relationships with Judaism to rom-coms with a side of bagels and lox, It's a Whole Spiel features one story after another that says yes, we are Jewish, but we are also queer, and disabled, and creative, and political, and adventurous, and anything we want to be. You will fall in love with this insightful, funny, and romantic Jewish anthology from a collection of diverse Jewish authors.

Indoor Kids by Alex London

Josh is at a sports camp where he is a counselor but sports aren't really his thing. He is an indoor kid. He's much more into space. During one of the activities at camp, one of the campers tells him about a crisis happening at the International Space Station. As the news gets worse and worse for the astronauts, Josh becomes more and more worried. Luckily, he has someone to take his mind off of it all: Levi. Levi is a fellow counselor and according to Josh, super hot. And he might just like Josh too...

Thoughts: This was cute as hell! OMG the scenes with Josh and Levi are the best. When Josh first sees Levi he says he "didn't realize Jewish boys could look like that" (paraphrasing) and I know exactly what he means lol. I also got really into the space stuff and was borderline worried some astronauts were about to die.

Two Truths and an Oy by Dahlia Adler

Mali is at college orientation at NYU and doing her best to leaver her very Jewish life behind her. During orientation, the group she's in plays get-to-know-you games, but Mali has a hard time coming up with things that aren't related to being Jewish. All her points of reference have to do with things she did with her Jewish friends. Additionally, she's kosher, so when they ask her to go for pizza, she knows she can't eat the same things they do.

So while she's eating by herself in the college cafeteria, she sees a guy wearing a kippah (like a yarmulke). She goes up to him and introduces herself. His name is Akiva and he tells her more about life on campus. Due to this interaction, she realizes she doesn't need to stay away from her Jewish life while at school. It will be a good way to make friends and feel connected.

Thoughts: First of all, the title is perfect. I always love some Yiddish sprinkled into my stories. I also highly relate to the anxiety Mila feels going to college orientation. They can be very scary. I loved how she was able to accept herself for who she is and is able to feel more comfortable at her new school

The Hold by David Leviathan

The narrator is a gay Jewish boy who hides who he is from his family. He doesn't think they will accept him. But he doesn't have to feel alone for long. He meets a boy, Moshe, at his cousin's bat mitzvah. Him and Moshe figure out ways to meet secretly in NYC and see Broadway shows and spend time together. But one day, Moshe doesn't show up. The narrator doesn't know what to do. But when he gets back home, he finds out Moshe moved to California so he could be out and proud.

Thoughts: This made me so sad but also hopeful. Moshe was able to be more himself but he had to move away to do it. It takes longer for the narrator to do the same thing. I also liked how this story was told in parts: some from the present and some from the past. That's hard to do and I always love when I writer executes it perfectly.

Aftershocks by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Miri is dating the only other Jewish kid in her class, Aaron, and is going over to his house for dinner to meet his parents. She doesn't feel she is Jewish enough during the dinner and worries about her OCD but then an earthquake happens. They talk through their various blunders and about their relationship.

Thoughts: Ok, this was definitely one of my favorite stories. I just completely got Miri's perspective of not feeling Jewish "enough" to participate in certain things. Like I don't go to synagogue except for special occasions and my family celebrates Hanukkah and Christmas. But through the events in the story, Miri's relationship with Aaron AND his parents becomes stronger and she becomes more sure of herself. People who go through difficult things together always bond in a way. 

Good Shabbos by Goldy Moldavsky

Kayla and ST are outside of Shul looking for a guy ST likes (who happens to wear a basketball yarmulke) named Moe. He invites them to a party and they decide to go instead of going to Shabbaton. Kayla doesn't really want to go, but she wants to support her friend.

But they must go to dinner at the home hosting them for shabbos first. On the way, a boy named Sruly starts following them. Right when they are about to call the cops, they find out he is having dinner at the same house they are.

After dinner, the girls realize they forgot the address to the party, but Sruly knows it and drops them off.  But the party ends up being filled with college singles. Turns out they're at the wrong place, but the brother of Moe tells them the right address.

At that point, they decide to go to kumzits at their teachers. After awhile,  they leave and end up at the original party.  But once again...it's not at all what they expect. The girls leave and just so happen to meet Sruly on their way back home.

Thoughts: This story was more about friendship than anything else. Kayla and ST's friendship is so strong but that doesn't stop them from telling each other how it is. Kayla gets kind of drunk by the end of the night and it's hilarious how ST and Sruly have to get her home. 

Jewbacca by Lance Rubin

Rye meets Dara at an open-mic hosted by the temple, but unfortunately for Rye, Dara thinks the temple is Rye's. He doesn't lie but he doesn't correct her either. His family doesn't go to synagogue and they celebrate Christmas despite being Jewish.

He's lied before about how religious he is, but this time...it gets a little out of hand.  Dara invites Rye over to Hanukkah dinner and that's when Rye finds out Dara's dad is a rabbi!! For the whole dinner, Rye is nervous he is going to be found out. In his anxiety, he drops latkes on the floor and absolutely butchers the Hanukkah story (dude, I would have been right there with you). But with the help of Dara's ex and Dara herself, he is able to realize what being Jewish actually means. It's not what you do; it's about what's in your blood. =

Thoughts: Oh Rye, my fellow anxiety-have! I was with him the whole way. I could totally see my teen self lying about all this stuff. I love how it turned out to be Dara's ex who helped Rye calm down a bit and not take it all so seriously. I also loved Rye and Dara's relationship. They were very cute.

El Al 328 by Dana Schwarz

Fi is nervous on the plane ride she's taking to Israel for her "birthright" trip. And as it turns out, she has reason to be. The turbulence is so bad, they have to land in Dublin for the night. Once at the hotel, everyone comes together in Fi' and her friend's room to play Spin the Bottle. Fi happens to have a crush on a boy in the group named Max and when the bottle lands on her when he spins it, he says he doesn't want to play anymore. As you can probably guess, she feels awful after that. When they get back on the plan, Fi takes a seat by herself, realizing the people who she thought were her friends are not friends after all.

Thoughts: Damn this story was sad. I've not been in this exact situation but I've been the person no one wanted to hang out with and I absolutely felt for Fi. She gets a little bit of revenge in the end but she's still left feeling lonely. 

Some Days You're the Sidekick; Some Days You're the Superhero by Katherine Locke

Gabe writes fanfic (and has a non-binary sibling named Davey who their family accepts completely!) of the X-Men as the Maccabees. He is pretty famous in the fanfic community and helps run the community with one of his online friends, YaelLouder. It turns out this online friend, is actually his former friend, Sam, who Gabe feels awful about not defending at a bar mitzvah when her dress went up and people laughed at her. Unfortunately, so did Gabe.  Since that, their relationship has never been the same. But once they realize who they are to each other online, they start to be friends again.

Thoughts: I LOVED THIS STORY! I love stories about fanfic and this one was so good. Gabe ends up fully apologizing for his action and OMG I love a well-written apology. They are so rare in real life that seeing them in fiction makes me happy. I also really appreciated the way they/them pronouns were used. ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS STORY!

He Who Revives the Dead by Elie Lichtschein

Raysh goes on her birthright trip and meets Moshe, a counselor who will show everyone around while in Israel. As part of this trip, Raysh is trying to get over her fear of water after she almost drowned. She thinks she's going to have to get over this fear on her own, but the friends she makes along the way help her with her fear.

Thoughts: This was another of my favorite stories. Getting over a fear, especially a fear of water when you've almost drowned in the past, is no joke. I loved how Raysh didn't have to do it alone. She thought they might not be the type of people who would even care about her, but they proved her wrong and god, I love that.

Be Brave and All by Laura Silverman

Naomi and Rachel go to Washington DC for a JZY convention. But while they're walking around the city, Naomi sees people handing out flyer for an anti-gun/gun reform protest the next day. She wants to go,but she has anxiety issues. It's also Shabbat and there will be other things to do. But then she meets Adam, another boy on the trip and he agrees to go with her, They sneak out of the hotel and she has the best time. And they are able to be brave together.

Thoughts: If I was forced to pick my favorite story in the whole anthology, this would be my pick. It has everything I love. Fighting through anxiety, a little bit of romance, and activism!! This story is absolutely delightful.

Neilah by Hannah Moskowitz

Tina has issues with food, mainly eating too little. Her family also tends to focus on calories and what foods are "best" for you. She and her girlfriend Mira go to services at their college together and this is Tina's first time as she is more culturally Jewish than religious, unlike Mira. She has always worried about being too much,  being too thin or too fat, too loud, too quiet. But after listening to the service, she starts to except herself and realizes that maybe she should get some help.

Thoughts: This was a really nice, quiet story. If covers a heavy topic like body issues/food, but the way it evolves and Tina grows as it goes on is understated and I really like that. I also enjoyed Tina and Mira's relationship. Mira is gentle with Tina and I love a gentle couple.

Find the River by Matthue Roth

Alex joins a Jewish youth group because of his friend is part of, but ends up meeting a girl he knows named Alix. Through his experiences, he learns about the meaning of what being Jewish (especially orthodox) means to the kids around him and what it means to him.

Thoughts: Because this was more about the more orthodox/religious aspects of being Jewish, it was a little hard for me to relate to it, but I still found it to be an interesting story. Alix wouldn't change the way she lived despite what others thought of her and I love that.

Ajshara by Adi Alsaid

Tzvi goes on a year long trip of different countries, spends times with friends, parties, falls in love, etc., and discovers what he truly wants from life. He also happens to see ghosts! Through these travel, he tries to escape the ghosts that follow him around, but, ultimately, he learns to accept them.

Thoughts: I'd never heard of this type of trip before and it was fascinating to go on this journey with Tzvi as he figured out who he was before he went back home to continue his life. I also loved the ghost aspect. Everyone has their ghosts they rather not deal with and seeing it interpreted this way was brilliant.

Twelve Frames by Nova Ren Suma

Simone likes to dress eclectically, but in a new town that isn't always accepted. She decides to try though. So when she goes to the local flea market to sell her grandfather's camera, she dresses how she wants. It would be an understatement to say she is nervous as hell. But while walking around the market, she meets a girl named Goldie. She is "different" like Simone. She sets out a blanket at the market and has pictures of different famous amazing Jewish women for sale.

Simone offers that she's "kinda" Jewish, but Goldie explains that she just is, not "kinda." She also tells Simone that she cannot sell the camera. Her grandfather wouldn't like it (It's made clear that Goldie may be able to see the grandfather's ghost). So, they take pictures of each other and become fast friends, Goldie helping Simone to accept herself. 

Thoughts: OMG I absolutely loved this story. I have been Simone. I dressed however I wanted in middle and high school and have been the one people looked at weird. I wish I had had a friend like Goldie. It would have made things a lot easier. But being able to read this story and feel some of the light of their friendship is enough. Now there's a story for the kids I used to be.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I did end up giving a higher rating than I thought I would to this book, so I’m not going to jump in right away about how this didn’t really live up to expectations. Because some stories were really good!! But that’s the thing about an anthology, it’s so hard to give a concrete review because there are so many stories of different ratings included in the complete book. My final rating was the average of my separate ratings for all the 12 stories, which means that I did end up liking more stories than I disliked.

I would also like to issue a little disclaimer. I am Jewish. So for me, there may have been issues I had with a few of the stories that a non-own-voices reviewer might not have. Which I feel makes it even harder for me to review this! Because am I just being nitpicky because I wanted to read some good Jewish rep? Or is the story actually bad? Am I allowed to dislike it for rep reasons since a Jewish author did write the story?

Needless to say, I’m a little conflicted. Which leads me to why the book didn’t really live up to my expectations. I know it’s not really fair to the book, but I had very high expectations. I can count on one hand the amount of YA books that feature *good* Jewish rep, so I was really looking forward to something that I could recommend anytime someone said they were really in the mood for reading a book with Jewish rep.

There were also some stories in this book that I feel did the rep... badly? I know it’s weird to say this of a book where all the authors were own-voices, but I’ll expound more on that later when I talk about a few stories in specific. I decided that since this is a review of an anthology I’m going to talk about a few of the stories that stood out to me, either for good reasons or bad ones.

THE HIGHS

**The Hold by David Levithan**

There were a lot of good stories in this anthology, but this one really stood out to me. David’s chapter talks about Jewish identity, and how it’s different for each person. He speaks about what being Jewish means to him, and he talks about being gay in the Jewish community. Overall, a really powerful story and one that I enjoyed very much.

**Some Days You’re the Sidekick; Some Days You’re the Superhero by Katherine Locke**

Gaah, this story was just so cute!! The story is written fanfic style, with each chapter having summary and authors notes and endnotes. It was amazing. I don’t really know how to describe the story, but trust me it was adorable. Also the references to Matisyahu’s music? Peak Jewish experience.

**Neilah by Hannah Moskowitz**

First off, the writing in this story was fantastic. The story focuses on Tina and the first time she goes to services with her girlfriend Mira on Yom Kippur. Tina wasn't raised religious (only her father is Jewish) and she feels very self-conscious going to services for the first time. She is also battling an eating disorder that she's keeping secret from her girlfriend. This story managed to make it seem like not a lot was going on while there was still a lot going on? It worked really well for the story. Also, I got to read a YA book that mentioned a story I grew up hearing?? That’s pretty great rep. (The story is of Reb Zusha M’anipoly if anyone wants to look it up.)

THE LOWS

**Good Shabbos by Goldy Moldavsky**

This was probably my least favorite story in the entire book. One thing I really didn’t like was how there were footnotes explaining every little thing. Personally, I think that the best stories are shown not told. There were other stories in this book that mentioned concepts or Hebrew words that the average reader wouldn’t understand, but it was written in a way that was implied. I don’t want to read something and have every little thing explained to me. I am Orthodox, so I did know what everything with footnotes meant, but even without looking at the footnotes this story was just badly written.

**Find the River by Matthue Rothwell.**

This one was just. Weird, I guess. The story follows a non-religious boy in public school who joins a Jewish youth group. The problems I had with this story were numerous, so I guess I’ll just break it down for you.

Many times throughout the story it mentions that Orthodox Jews are cultish and brainwash the masses. This is a harmful stereotype that is really not okay. Throughout the story, it’s as if the MC can’t make up his mind whether or not to hate the religious kids or not.

“They brainwashed you don’t you realize? Can’t you even see it?”

“Others, I sensed, were just there to meet girls-but we all watched the propaganda films…”

“A bunch of kids I didn’t know walked up to us and started talking to him….the guys with their heads covered, the girls in skirts…'What gives Challah? Are these your rabbis?’”

At the end of the story, the MC seems to find “spiritual awakening”, I guess? And then decides he’s better than all the other less religious kids. All in all, it was a pretty weird story filled with harmful stereotypes and bad rep.

These are the two that I had the most issues with. I think that it’s important for me to mention these issues because I have been seeing reviews where non-Jewish people mention that they read this anthology and for them, it all seems great because the authors are all Jewish so the rep must be A+. There also were a few stories that had little things that didn’t really sit well with me (Jewbacca, Aftershocks) but don’t really merit any special passionate rant.

I'm also going to add some special mentions here for some really great stories that I didn’t want to expound upon in detail because I didn’t want to leave a super long review. (It seems like it’s too late for that, but oh well.) He Who Revives the Dead and Ajshara both talk about the Jewish experience of Birthright and Ajshara. They both describe Israel really well, and the mechanics of traveling Jewish teens. I swear I freaked out when Ajshara mentioned Sabich. It’s delicious and everyone should try it. Also, Good Shabbos should take notes on how well He Who Revives the Dead weaves in common Hebrew words and phrases. You don’t need footnotes to write about a culture that the general populace won’t understand.

Overall, I did enjoy more stories than I didn’t enjoy. So I do recommend reading this book, but do be sure to take some of the stories with a grain of salt, since not all the stories are the best reflection of the Jewish experience

A collection of stories about authors’ experiences and memories centered Aron d their Jewish identity. I would recommend for grades 9+ for some mature content.

Great collection of short stories! Thought-provoking and entertaining, this assortment features teens exploring their Jewish identity in some manner all while dealing with the various challenges that come with being young in today's society.

Review: It’s A Whole Spiel Anthology
It’s A Whole Spiel is an important, earnest, joyful anthology about modern-day Jewish life for quite a few different teenagers. I absolutely loved it.


It's A Whole Spiel CoverA Jewish boy falls in love with a fellow counselor at summer camp. A group of Jewish friends take the trip of a lifetime. A girl meets her new boyfriend’s family over Shabbat dinner. Two best friends put their friendship to the test over the course of a Friday night. A Jewish girl feels pressure to date the only Jewish boy in her grade. Hilarious pranks and disaster ensue at a crush’s Hanukkah party.

From stories of confronting their relationships with Judaism to rom-coms with a side of bagels and lox, It’s a Whole Spiel features one story after another that says yes, we are Jewish, but we are also queer, and disabled, and creative, and political, and adventurous, and anything we want to be. You will fall in love with this insightful, funny, and romantic Jewish anthology from a collection of diverse Jewish authors. (Goodreads)
Goodreads

I received an eARC of It’s A Whole Spiel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
In anthologies, not every story is going to appeal to every reader. That’s just how these works. Each reader is going to connect differently to every story. However, I loved every single one of the stories in It’s A Whole Spiel. Some were closer to my heart than others, but none of them were complete misses like other anthologies in the past.

Katherine Locke and Laura Silverman put together a stellar line up of authors and stories that flowed well, showed a variety of experiences among Jewish teens, and brought up a lot of different emotions. It was beautiful.

My personal favorite stories were Dahlia Adler’s “Two Truths and an Oy,” Elie Lichtchein’s “He Who Revives the Dead,” and Hannah Moskowitz’s “Neilah.”

“Two Truths and an Oy” featured an Orthodox Jewish main character going off to college orientation and trying to figure out how she would fit in at college and how Jewish she would be in her “post-yeshiva” life. I loved how she struggled to find a way to fit in and found out that the best way was to just be herself. It was beautiful.

“He Who Revives the Dead” is about a teenage girl on her Birthright trip who is trying to conquer her fear of water after drowning and being revived, and to find herself. It is a beautifully earnest story that spoke to me.

“Neilah” is about a teenage girl falling in love with a girl, with Judaism, and with herself. It features a lot of discussion of weight, weight loss and an eating disorder, so be careful with it. I loved the way that this story ended.

Those were my favorites, but as I said before, I loved every story in this anthology. You need to pick it up for yourself – and for a friend.




ABOUT IT'S A WHOLE SPIEL
Title: It’s A Whole Spiel

Author: Katherine Locke, Laura Silverman, Alex London, Dahlia Adler, David Levithan, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Goldy Moldavsky, Lance Rubin, Dana Schwartz, Elie Lichtschein, Hannah Moskowitz, Matthue Roth, Adi Alsaid, Nova Ren Suma

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Length: 320 Pages

Release Date: September 17, 2019

Rating: Highly Recommended

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fiction

Representation: Jewish Main Characters in every story, Jewish side characters, Jewish authors,

Shiksa approved. Coming of age stories from the perspective rectifying versions of Judaism: Orthodox stories to not Jewish enough stories. There's a lot of tradition and practice that makes up the prism of modern Judaism. But what is missing is the very real understanding that it is essential to connect with people outside of your traditions. And, most importantly, what happens when you are with someone who is not "Jewish". Lots of self identity, but not a lot of reaching across the aisle.

Cute and fun and funny and I love adding these kind of Jewish books to my family library. Just a nice lighthearted and fun book!