I thought this was a decent read. I hadn't read much about Orthodox Jews before and it was a really interesting story with a decent amount of plot twists. One thing that really bothered me was the lack of any content warnings for this one. The summary says there's some violence but I don't feel that that's enough of a warning when there's a mass shooting that spans across multiple pages. I had to put the book down for a while after reading that because it took me by surprise and I really wish I had been prepared for it.

The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen is such an important book to read for all ages. The Orthodox representation is incredible.

Jewish representation is so important and I loved the impact this book has had in my heart! I loved the way she struggles to accept and look at things through different lenses and seeing the conclusion was absolutely satisfying!

This book is truly special. It's timely, it feels like an authentic teen voice, and it does a superb job of balancing serious issues with dry sarcasm.

I particularly liked Hoodie's relationship with those around him - especially his sisters. Zippy and Chana are such wonderful characters. Also I felt it when Hoodie asked if you were even supposed to like your best friend.

I also think the style and brevity of this book will appeal to reluctant readers.

This book was unlike anything I’ve read before. Hoodie Rosen is a character that I loved so much. I wanted to shake him… I wanted to help him…

Hoodie and his entire Orthodox Jewish community relocate to a new town where they find incredible resistance from the town to put down roots. The hate that stems from fear and not understanding different cultures and religions was perfectly demonstrated in the events of this book. And it is shown from both sides.

Hoodie is ostracized from his community when he befriends a girl in town. A non-Jewish girl and daughter of the mayor who is causing so many problems for their community.

This is a story of friendship and finding common ground in the most devastating of situations. This book made me laugh and cry and taught me about a way of life I wasn’t familiar with. There was beauty in the tragedy and I absolutely LOVED this book!

This book took me a shockingly long time to read. It isn't overly long (not really long at all), nor is it a particularly complex or involved story. There was just something about it--maybe the writing, maybe the characters, I'm not sure--that didn't fully click with me the way I'd hoped it would.

It was a perfectly fine book, moving at times, effective for the most part, and educated me about aspects of the orthodox Jewish faith I did not know before without feeling dry or lecture-y.

But something just never fully connected for me and so some of the more deeply emotional moments didn't totally land the way they were intended to.

I'm glad I read this and would be open to reading more from Blum down the line, but I, sadly, don't think this book will stick with me for very long.

Oh, this book wiped me out. It's so short and so concise and so effective. I was raised a Reconstructionist Jew, which is about the furthest sect of Judaism you can get from Orthodox; most of my experience with the religion has been loosely cultural, a general recognition of the big picture without a clear understanding of the strictest tenets (I have Conservative and Orthodox family, but they live much more secular lives outside of closed communities than is shown in Hoodie). This was a brutal read, particularly when it comes to depictions of antisemitism--although it felt a little caricatured and cartoonishly cruel at times, I'm sure it's not so far off from the truth. (I was raised in a community that was largely secularly Jewish, so fortunately never experienced severe antisemitism),

I did find the pace of the book almost too quick, and had a hard time understanding WHAT exactly Hoodie had done to face such intense backlash--he... might have been spotted in a graveyard? Might have not been with some friends? May or may not have been seen with a girl? Which I suppose is the point: it's the smallest, most insular things that can turn everyone against you, and perhaps this form of Judaism can be suffocating, as he begins to discover; but it's still possible to love your religion and heritage and want to use a smartphone or talk to goyim. I found Anna-Marie hard to parse and thinly drawn, but Hoodie himself was such a charming, smartass narrator, and Blum's tone so fun to read, that it mostly evened out. This book's not perfect, but it's so incredibly important. To be honest, if I had the chance, I'd teach it. We need more books like this. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it.

This book was a lot heavier than I expected, but it made for some great development of the side characters. I really liked learning about the Orthodox jewish community! This was a fast read as it was under 300 pages but the writing style was enjoyable.

Hoodie Rosen’s life is normal. He plays basketball, goes to the supermarket for his fave snacks, and entirely avoids studying at all cost. But one day his family leaves his Orthodox-Jew neighborhood for a more normal one, and he meets a girl. Not just any girl but Anna-Marie, the daughter of the mayor who’s trying to kick his kind out of their neighborhood. Crimes start to turn deadly and Hoodie can’t decide between his people or his first love.

This story has such a heavy topic of race. A behind the scenes of what it’s like for someone who’s religion and race is different from those around him. Prejudice plays a major role and that familiar American Dream.. as long as your white.

I leaned heavily into this story because the whole plot and characters were what I feel some people need to read. It was a fresh story with real problems we face and will forever face, unless we start making changes.

I was honestly shocked this was a debut author. Isaac hit a lot of emotions and made start a newer outlook into others. So if you’re looking for read with topics of coming-of-age in this world, I really enjoyed this one!

Being an Orthodox Jew I was slightly nervous going into this book! I have to say I had no reason to be nervous at all! The book does a great job depicting the everyday life of a child growing up in the ultra orthodox community. The writing was funny and engaging even while discussing heavy topics such as religion and prejudices. I do think certain words or parts in this book might be confusing for someone who isn’t familiar with the culture so they might have to do some googling outside of the book.

This book follows Hoodie Rosen a teenager who is studying at a yeshiva in New York where the locals aren't happy that so many Orthodox Jewish families are moving in around their community. Hoodie meets and falls for Anna-Marie Diaz-O'Leary, who is the non-Jewish daughter of the mayor who is making things difficult for the Jewish people trying to move into her town. Hoodie seemed very realistic to what a orthodox Jewish boy would say/do and I loved his sense of humor!

Only hang up: when Anna-Marie’s mom was making the tuna sandwich she can touch the bread it doesn’t “taint” anything it’s still totally kosher! Pas Yisroel means that the baking of the bread was handled by a Jewish person only. Once the bread is baked it can be handled by anyone no problem. AND kosher starburst in the USA are REALLY hard to find and now I’m craving starbursts!

Excellent story of friendship, finding your identity and honoring your family, and coming of age. Excellent debut!

THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF HOODIE ROSEN is a witty and powerful YA debut about a teen boy navigating the complexities of faith, first love, and antisemitism. As an Orthodox Jew in a town that clearly doesn't want their community there, Hoodie finds himself caught between two worlds. His voice intrigued me because he's so funny and observant, but also hopelessly naive in some ways. I really enjoyed this coming-of-age story from a point of view that was new to me, and the bittersweet ending was unforgettable. I hope you'll check it out!

Intriguing story of an Orthodox Jewish boy who befriends the non-Jewish daughter of the town’s mayor, much to the dismay of his family, teachers, and friends. He struggles with finding reasons, logic within his belief system.

THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF HOODIE ROSEN is straight-up hilarious yet deeply profound — like, literally, much of the book is laugh-out-loud funny — and even manages to retain its comic edge after the story takes a tragic turn.

Sixteen-year-old Hoodie is studying the Torah at a yeshiva school in Tregaron, New York, where the locals aren’t too happy that so many Orthodox Jewish families are moving in at once.

At school, the rabbis discourage Hoodie from socializing with non-Jews. Although always ready with a snappy retort, Hoodie has been largely compliant with what has been asked of him by his family, faith, and community — until the morning he meets Anna-Marie Diaz-O'Leary, who just so happens to be the non-Jewish daughter of the mayor blocking Hoodie’s father’s from converting an old commercial building into more housing for the incoming Orthodox community.

With wise counsel from his older sister, Zippy, Hoodie struggles to reconcile the teachings of the Torah with his forbidden feelings for Anna-Marie. What follows is a series of events that seem tragically inevitable but help Hoodie challenge and, finally, truly integrate everything he has been taught — ironically, exactly as his teachers intended.

It’s astonishing how author Isaac Blum manages to convey deeply profound truths about race, religion, prejudice, and the meaning of faith and community in the midst of such sly humor. Honestly, this book feels like an instant classic. Highly recommended.

Let me start by saying I'm from a region where there aren't any Jewish people. So I was actively looking forward to this book to read the perspective of an Orthodox Jewish boy. And I'm really glad to say that this book was a fantastic story.

Hoodie Rosen is a brilliant character. He's witty and funny, and his narrative is super compelling to read. Hoodie is an extremely relatable character, from his crush on Anna-Marie to the later events that take a darker turn.

I think this book should definitely be available in schools and libraries across the country.

This is a book that everyone needs to read. The importance of the message is eye opening to everyone in our society. This was a beautifully written book and I could not put it down.