Intentions

From the Publisher

Starred Review, Booklist, August 1, 2012:
“The fastmoving, powerful narrative in Rachel’s present-tense voice will easily draw teens, not only with its dark drama, but also with the spot-on teen banter and wry viewpoint.”

Publishers Weekly

This witty but unsettling coming-of-age story from National Book Award– finalist Heiligman (Charles and Emma) traces 15-year-old Rachel Greenberg’s fall from innocence after a series of betrayals leaves her angry and confused. Rachel’s life is in upheaval: her parents’ once-solid marriage is dissolving and her best friend is experimenting with drugs and sex. But Rachel is hit hardest when she catches her hero, Rabbi Cohn, having sex in the sanctuary with a young bride-to-be. Feeling like she has no one to turn to, Rachel enters a downward spiral of her own. She begins a tentative romance with a childhood friend, but she isn’t fully able to sort matters out until she starts focusing on tikkun olam, the concept of repairing a damaged world. Although the onslaught of disasters that pile up for Rachel get to be a bit much, and her final confrontation with the rabbi comes off as slightly artificial, Heiligman nails Rachel’s reeling emotions as she tries to restore her faith and find answers and redemption. Ages 14–up. Agent: Ken Wright, Writers House. (Aug.)

VOYA - Kevin Beach

The author of the YALSA award-winning nonfiction book, Charles And Emma (Henry Holt, 2009/Voya December 2008), has created another thought-provoking title, this one fiction. The fragile psyche of "good girl" Rachel, already tenuous at best, is instantly shattered when she overhears her beloved rabbi committing adultery in the darkened sanctuary of the synagogue. It is the last straw for her, since her parents argue constantly, her beloved grandmother is slipping into the throes of Alzheimer's, and her lifelong best friends are seemingly leaving her behind. Armed with a newfound cynicism, Rachel goes on a binge of reckless rebellion that includes cursing in the presence of teachers, sassing her parents, and disrespecting the rabbi. She struggles with the Jewish tenet of kavanah, or intention, and knows deep down she is behaving irresponsibly, but sees everyone else in her life being hypocritical. It is often hard to sympathize with Rachel when she immaturely retaliates against her friends to an excessive degree, but eventually, partly due to her positive attempts at assisting a poor child in an afterschool program, she comes around and courageously confronts and consoles everyone in her life to make amends. There are some rough sequences in the book that are intended for a mature reader, but they will be rewarded with some poignant explorations into the mind of a bright, but troubled, teenage girl who has lost her support system. The author is a veteran of more than twenty books for children. This is her first intended for a more mature readership. Reviewer: Kevin Beach

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—After discovering her beloved rabbi having sex in the temple with a young woman who isn't his wife, Rachel, 16, begins to question her faith. At the same time, a budding romance with Jake is threatened by her confusing relationship with bad-boy Adam, who happens to be the rabbi's son; her relationship with her best friend, Alexis, is falling apart; her parents' marriage is unraveling; and her grandmother's health is rapidly failing. As a result of mounting pressure, Rachel shatters her "good girl" image. On a shopping trip, she drops items into Alexis's bag and lets her friend take the fall for shoplifting. In the aftermath, Rachel realizes that she must tell the truth. The theme of taking responsibility for one's self is prevalent throughout the novel, yet subtle enough not to put off teens. Another valuable lesson to be gleaned is that people are imperfect. Heiligman's concise sentences coupled with realistic teen dialogue, humor, emotional highs and lows, and risky behavior (there are a few scenes involving sexual behavior and drug use) make this a fast-moving and engaging read. Although Yiddish/Hebrew terms appear throughout, readers can easily follow the plot without prior understanding of them.—Nicole Knott, Watertown High School, CT

Kirkus Reviews

Shockingly, Rachel overhears her rabbi having sex in the sanctuary of her synagogue before confirmation class. Unnerved and sickened, she doesn't know whom to tell. Recognition that a man she's always admired and trusted is imperfect, along with tension in her parents' marriage and an impossibly wide chasm between herself and her friend Alexis, make Rachel's moral compass spin out of control. She lets the rabbi's bad-boy son, Adam, talk her into losing her "pot virginity." Her lifelong friend and current crush, Jake, saves her from making a spectacle of herself. Heiligman's ear for teen dialogue and situational humor is particularly keen here, as Rachel goes from thinking she's not stoned to a declaration that "pot = truth serum." When Rachel starts shoplifting with Alexis, Jake suggests that she follow Rabbi Cohn's advice and atone for her transgressions. "Rabbi Cohn? Fuck Rabbi Cohn! Jake! I heard him screwing someone on the bima. He's a terrible person!" Rachel's path to understanding what it means to act with intention winds through a brief stint as a tutor to a special needs boy, past revelations about her parents, and finally to forgiveness. Lessons learned, the plot wraps up a little too neatly. The story is framed by the adult Rachel looking back on the events. A modestly daring coming-of-age tale with a (presumably) unintentionally preachy tone. (Fiction. 14 & up)