Confessions of a Closet Catholic by Sarah Darer Littmam: A review

"Sometimes, I wonder in Jesus, Allah, and God are all the same person. I imagine that J-A-G person sitting up there in heaven, shaking His head with tears in His eyes because He can't understand why His children are fighting and killing one another in His various names, not realizing that they are all praying to the same guy."

Confessions of a Closet Catholic by Sarah Darer Littman

Justine Silver, our 11-year-old protagonist has decided to be supportive of her new best friend, who has given up chocolate for lent. Her friend, Mac, has given up chocolate, but Justine (who doesn't think that God would want her to suffer a chocolate-less life) decides instead to give up being Jewish.




A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was in Monterey for mini vacation with my university's English Club, and I showed off some of the books from my book haul. While getting lost in the maze-like shelves of a few used book stores, I found Confessions of a Closet Catholic by Sarah Darer Littman.

It isn't that Justine is unhappy with being Jewish-she's just trying to understand what being Jewish means. A major theme of the book is how misunderstood she is within in family. Her father's favorite is her little brother and her mother's favorite is her perfect older sister. Justine's mom seems to care more about the carpets than her children. So, when Justine thinks of her friend Mac and Mac's large Catholic family and how they seem so loving and kind, she decides to see what being Catholic is about.

The only person in Justine's family who seems to really understand her is her Bubbe, her father's mother. Bubbe, a Holocaust survivor who kept a kosher household and goes to synagogue every week (as apposed to Justine's parent's, who don't do either of those things), has always had a special connection with Justine. When Justine learns that her Bubbe has had a stroke, Justine blames herself and her dabbling in Catholicism.

I loved her Bubbe! She was kind and always knew what to say. When the twist came (and the reader will see it coming- it isn't surprising or shocking, but that doesn't make it easy) I was bawling. I was in a similar situation when I was Justine's age, so I lost it.

I am so glad that I picked up this book! It was emotionally charged and asked some tough questions, all while being incredibly touching and thought provoking.