Yasha's Amazin' Bar Mitzvah

Moving to a new place is always hard. And it’s been even harder for Yasha, who not only is moving away from his friends and his close-knit community of Russian Americans, but not he also has to do even more for his bar mitzvah. He even has to do a volunteer project at the retirement home where his mom works! And to add on to that, the local kids that the only other Russian kid introduces him to are jerks, marking fun of is Russian food and calling his “Drago,” after the Soviet villain from the latest Rocky movie. But through his caring nature and bonding with the senior citizen that he volunteers with, Bernie, over the Mets, Yasha will figure out how to come to terms with his identity in a new place. Sure, her makes some mistakes along the way, but he eventually figures out how to be himself. I loved reading Yasha’s Amazin’ Bar Mitzvah. I think that it really encompasses being a minority surrounded by the majority, which I have sometimes felt as an American Jew. I would rate this book five stars.