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Matthue Roth
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Never Mind The Goldbergs Hardcover – February 1, 2005

by Matthue Roth (Author)
3.5 3.5 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
See all formats and editions
The greatest Hollywood punk rock Orthodox Jewgirl story EVER TOLD!

Don't think for a second that you know Hava or her place in the world. Yes, she's an Orthodox Jew. But that doesn't mean she can't rock out. And yes, she has opinions about everything around her. But her opinions about herself can be twice as harsh.
Now Hava's just been asked to be the token Jew on a TV show about a Jewish family, trading one insular community for another. As in Tanuja Desai Hidier's BORN CONFUSED, there is soon a collision of both cultures and desires -- with one headstrong heroine caught in the middle.
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  1. Reading age
    12 - 15 years
  2. Print length
    368 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    7 - 9
  5. Lexile measure
    790L
  6. Dimensions
    5.25 x 1.25 x 7.25 inches
  7. Publisher
    Push
  8. Publication date
    February 1, 2005
  9. ISBN-10
    0439691885
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0439691888
  11. See all details
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3.5 out of 5 stars
14 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Tom B
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
    Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Great book for teenage girls in this world that has so many distractions for them
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  • Lily White
    4.0 out of 5 stars if you like strange and fun characters- buy this!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2013
    I am not Jewish of any kind, but find it interesting. I always find it entertaining in all religions, how people create imaginary loopholes to negate their inability to be a total follower.

    The author definitely knows how to keep the story moving with curious twists and turns. Well Done!
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  • .
    1.0 out of 5 stars One Star
    Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Potentially the worst book I've ever read
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  • TeensReadToo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too
    Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2006
    Yeah, Hava Aaronson is an Orthodox Jew.

    Yes, she attends a pretty gritty Jewish private school, and her life seems pretty complicated at times.

    No, you shouldn't assume anything about her for even one second.

    Hava, a seventeen-year-old Orthodox Jew living in New York, is going to spend the summer in Hollywood filming for a television series about the "comedic life" of an Orthodox family. Little does she know that she is the only Jewish person in the cast of this show--about a Jewish family.

    In his debut novel, Matthue Roth portrays the thoughts of a teenage Jewgirl in stunning fashion, giving the readers great dialogue as well as utterly believable internal monologue. Hava is a character whose haywire thoughts and coming-of-age realizations are completely understandable and make the novel even more cool and fun.

    Complementing the hilarious narrative are the stream of characters Hava is forced to interact with and the situations she manages to get herself into. Roth portrays Hollywood life through the eyes of a devout Jewish girl raised in New York in an almost satirical fashion, yet it is dead on and only makes everything even funnier and keeps the pages turning quickly.

    Along the way, readers learn more than they probably ever knew about the Jewish religion and culture. Roth is able to tell a great story and at the same time push through some food for thought to his readers about the overlooked religion, as well as comparison from secular and orthodox lifestyles.

    Hilarious characters, embarrassing and awkward adventures, Shabbos at Blue Hebrew House in Berkeley, the filming process of a three month long movie [no jokes here, three months long], and the introduction of a new kind of voice from a different kind of heroine in this crowded world, is just a taste of the fun you'll have while reading NEVER MIND THE GOLDBERGS.

    Reviewed by: Long Nguyen
    8 people found this helpful
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  • RMG
    2.0 out of 5 stars the rest of us aren't all idiots
    Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2006
    I enjoyed the charmingly disturbed heroine, and appreciated an updated view of New York teen orthodox life. Yet I finished the book with several kinds of disappointment. It's fun to see Orthodox teens are not what you might think. But the subsidiary message is that all other Jews are ignorant of their heritage and nonobservant. Truth is, Mr. Roth, many secular (and even atheist) Jewish young people study their Talmud, read Torah and understand history. However, like everyone including Orthodox Jews, they don't follow every law written down that might affect them. Overall, the story was compelling, but the heroine's conflict with her mother is introduced and resolved an an awkward and unconvincing way. Finally, excessive alcohol use, while apparently condemned in the wild Hollywood days, is winked at whenever Hava returns to the safety of the Orthodox world. Drunken teens don't have sex or do other dangerous things as long as they are with other observant Jews? I don't think so. Like the heroine, this book is not as good as it should be.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Amy Senk
    3.0 out of 5 stars Hard Not To Love This Unique Teen Heroine
    Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2005
    Never Mind the Goldbergs is a winding story of teen-ager Hava Aaronson, a New Yorker who moves to LA to co-star in a new sit-com about an Orthodox Jewish family. But Aaronson is not a professional actress; rather, she's an Orthodox Jew who is selected in order to lend the television show a little authenticity.

    Hava is a fun and interesting character. She's very religious and traditional, but she's also a punk-rock fan and has a lot of personal attitude and style. She may keep kosher, speak Yiddish, wear long skirts and not touch boys. But she curses like crazy, sneaks into clubs, drinks alcohol and talks back to authority figures. And with a self-done haircut, a long black skirt covered by a green kilt and a short mini, her Orthodox look is anything but.

    The book does a good job of showing a glimpse of Orthodox Jews and their community, rituals and ideas. It's easy to categorize and label religious people, even teen-agers, and define them by religion alone. Hava won't let the reader or anyone else do that to her. It's interesting to see her struggle with her faith, her relationship to God, her lifestyle, her career. It's also refreshing to see religious youths who not only pray, but act, make movies, rap, party, dance.

    This is a coming-of-age story with a lot of gimmicks. It would be interesting enough to read about a punky Orthodox girl and her viewpoints and thoughts on boys and friends and parents and school and pop culture. Throwing in the Hollywood elements almost seems over-the-top. But if you go along for the ride, it's a fun trip.
    8 people found this helpful
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