A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 7 Up–Simone, 16, has always known she was adopted but has never had any real desire to meet her birth mother despite the fact that she knows her parents keep in touch. Her family is perfect the way it is, thank you. Sure, she looks different and has different talents from her parents and younger brother, but that has never mattered. That all changes when Rivka calls and wants to meet her. What had begun as a normal school year changes as Simone must come to terms with who she is and how she fits into both families. When she then learns that Rivka is dying, it becomes a year that challenges her belief in God, a belief she did not know she had. It becomes a year that strains the bonds of friendships and family ties, both old and new. It becomes a year of her first boyfriend, and a year in an impossible life. Reinhardts first novel is superbly crafted and has compelling and strong characters. It asks the big questions, about love, about faith, about what it means to be a daughter. It also has strong subplots that deal with friendship; with boyfriend/girlfriend relationships, both good and bad; with standing up for what one believes is right; and with struggling to keep up with academics and fit in at school when things seem to be falling apart on a personal level. The novel deals with big issues without being preachy or sappy. It is a great read.–Janet Hilbun, Texas Womans University, Denton, TX
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From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. Olive skinned and dark eyed, Simone looks nothing like her fair-haired family. She is, nonetheless, the beloved daughter of her adoptive parents and enjoys a close and supportive relationship with her younger brother. It therefore comes as a terrible intrusion in Simone's comfortable life when, after 16 years, her birth mother asks to meet her. After some resistance, Simone makes contact with Rivka, a 33-year-old self-exiled Hasidic Jew who is dying of ovarian cancer. Despite a fairly transparent setup, once Simone and Rivka are brought together, their shared story is developed with skill, attention to detail, and poignancy. Both Simone and Rivka are strong, complicated characters who benefit greatly from each other: Simone is gifted with her heritage and history and thus a richer identity, and Rivka is able to leave the world having known her daughter. Some sexual content and strong language in Simone's friendships and school life may make this an inappropriate selection for younger teens, and with a poorly representative cover, the book may require hand selling. Holly Koelling
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books (February 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385746989
• ISBN-13: 978-0385746984
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #467,448 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Simone and Rifka, May 18, 2006

A Kid's Review

I am an Orthodox Jewish girl at an Orthodox Jewish school, and I read this book because I am very interested in books about my faith. I think that the author did really well on Simone and her boyfriend and her friend and the friend's boyfriend, and that reminded me of other great teen books I have read, too. I do not think she did as well on the stuff about what it is like to lead a Jewish life. My best friend who is also Jewish has an adopted younger brother and I know that her family really tried to find a Jewish baby in order to adopt it but there were not any. I really do not think that Rifka would have given her baby to a gentile couple unless Rifka hated being Jewish, but she did not! The most interesting parts of the book was the part where Rifka and Simone met for the first time, and the parts about Simone and her boyfriend. There are some plot things that come up fast and then are dropped too fast, like the stuff about the club at school.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!, March 15, 2006

By	Stacey Goldblatt (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Dana Reinhardt's novel zooms in on an important and unique turning point in the life of Simone. Adopted at birth, Simone has lived in the loving and supportive home of her mom, dad and younger brother, Jake. She has tucked thoughts about who her birth parents might be into a deep pocket. But when she hears her birth mother, Rivka, would like to communicate with her, Simone chooses to dip into that pocket, albeit cautiously at first. What ensues is Reinhardt's poignant novel.

This is one of those books that touches tender in the hearts of readers. Simone's catharsis is very much a result of her endeavor to learn about Rivka and her past. One admires Simone for her courage and her refusal to harbor resentment for Rivka and her parents. Instead, she opens herself to her past and as a result, is able to open herself up more readily to the present.

Teens and adults alike will enjoy the authenticity of Simone's voice. Her friendships with her peers are meaningful, her candid relationship with Rivka is admirable and her willingness to take a chance on love is inspirational.

This is a story of love, friendship and family. Beautifully written. Inspirational. Spiritual. A great read. A MUST read.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reminds me of what it felt like to be a teenager, April 4, 2006

By	Jennifer Robinson "Editor of Jen Robinson's B... (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I would classify this as an early young adult book, appropriate for grades 7 and up. It's about a sixteen-year-old girl named Simone, who grows up knowing that she was adopted, without wanting to know anything about her birth parents. She is resentful when her parents tell her that her birth mother, Rivka, wants to get to know her. She eventually gives in, and finds her life enriched by knowing Rivka.

I liked this book a lot. I found myself wanting to keep walking and listening, so that I could spend more time with Simone. I found her voice realistic (and the narrator did a wonderful job with this). She is sometimes a resentful teen, and sometimes awkward or insecure, and sometimes wise beyond her years. She has an unabashedly good relationship with her parents and her younger brother (ok, this is a tad unrealistic in my experience, but still nice to see). She has a small group of true friends, and a crush on a boy named Zack. I found the scenes between Simone and Zack particularly enjoyable. There's a scene in which Simone gets off the phone, and jumps up and down. Reading it, I almost wanted to be her. I certainly could identify with her.

This book also has a lot of information about what it means to be Jewish. Simone is an atheist, being raised by atheist parents, but her birth mother, Rivka, was raised as a Hasidic Jew. As Simone gets to know Rivka, she learns about various Jewish ceremonies and customs. I found this a tiny bit heavy-handed. It was interesting to me to learn more about Passover and Seder, etc. But I felt once or twice like the author was deliberately educating me, which I tend to find off-putting when reading fiction. However, this was not off-putting enough to keep me from absolutely loving the book, and it was an important part of the story. And I actually think that the whole Jewish aspect to the story has the potential to increase my understanding of and empathy with some of my Jewish friends. Certainly it could do so for young adult readers.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. It's a light-hearted, engaging read that also deals with complex issues. It brought a few tears to my eyes near the end, but made me smile, too.

This review was originally posted on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on April 4th, 2006.