Paula J. Freedman

Tara is Indian-American and Jewish; she feels more strongly connected to her Indian heritage and isn't sure about having a bat mitzvah - are you even allowed to have a bat mitzvah if you aren't sure you believe in God? - but she decides to go through with it. Meanwhile, her two best-friendships are shifting: downstairs neighbor Ben-o might have a crush on her, and Rebecca has become close with Sheila while Tara wasn't paying attention. Will she lose both her best friends at once?

A classic show more middle school muddle of family and friends, with a unique glossary of Hindi, Hebrew, Yiddish, English, and Punjabi, and recipes!

Quotes

Mum says I don't have "sides," that ethnicity is not the same as religion, and that anyway, you can't be half-Jewish. Just regular Jewish. (28)

Keeping things orderly and separate may have made Mum feel more in control of her life, but m? It made me feel like someone with multiple personality disorder - make that multiple ethnicity disorder. (60)

"Would you like it better if you were told exactly what to think? ...Without ambiguity, there could be no debate/ Debate is a good thing, a useful thing." (Rabbi Aron, 112)

"You two are exactly alike - you think you have this weird telepathic communication thing going on, but you don't. Just because you both say things in your head doesn't mean you can hear each other." (Rebecca, 144)

"This is what you meant about dialectics, isn't it? That doubts are like questions." (159)

"Too often, I think, poor communication with the people closest to us can lead to terrible misunderstandings." (226-227) show less

(61) I have an elementary school library colleague who bemoans the fact that there are almost no books about suburban East Asian kids. Now there is. As our heroine Tara -- raised on both Indian food and Jewish culture by her multiethnic parents -- faces her bat mitzvah, she has to decide if she will embrace her Jewish identity. And can she do so while still holding onto her Indian traditions? (Can one serve samosas at a bat mitzvah party?) And what about her best buddy Ben-O, who is acting show more so weird, putting gel in his hair? And Ryan? What's HE doing in robotics club, and why does Ben-O get so annoyed when he's around? While some challenges get solved a bit too easily in this book for adult tastes, it's spot-on for middle grade girls looking for characters who know themselves and engage it a bit of chase romance. Highly recommended. show less

As Tara prepares for her bat mitzvah, she tries to find balance in recognizing her mixed heritage (Asian Indian and Jewish) while also dealing with typical teenage drama in her personal life. Tara's teen voice and attitude are authentically drawn and will appeal to teen readers, but resonate particularly with readers of mixed, Indian or Jewish background. This put me in mind of Judy Blume's works.

My Basmati Bat Mitzvah by Paula J. Freedman is a delightful coming-of-age story of Tara Feinstein. Tara seems to do everything in twos. She has two best friends, two boys interested in her, and two cultural traditions in her family. While Tara studies for her bat mitzvah and wonders if she needs to believe in God, she also tries to figure out how to bring together her East Indian and Jewish American heritages. Tara is such a great character and so well written that readers can’t wait to show more see what happens next. I highly recommend My Basmati Bat Mitzvah and hope some television producer is smart enough to turn this book into a series. show less