After finishing up Confessions of a Closet Catholic by Sarah Darer Littman, I have to say I’m pretty impressed with how the book tackled the subjects of faith, spirituality, and religion in such an authentic and often humorous way.
Littman did a nice job providing the reader with insight into Jewish culture, customs, and traditions. I also enjoyed the intermixing of Yiddish and Hebrew language; it brought me back to some wonderful memories of Hanukkah and Rosh Hashana dinners at my boyfriend’s house.
One of the most useful messages that I took away from this reading was an overall message of tolerance. I’d have to echo Rob, Justine’s crush, in his admiration of her thirst for knowledge :
“It’s so cool that you took time to learn about another religion. Knowledge makes people more tolerant. Too bad more people don’t do what you did, and learn about different beliefs.” (pg 97)
I appreciate that the novel didn’t favor one religion over another. Instead, it addresses the complexity of faith while ultimately leaving the reader with an understanding that wanting to figure things out for yourself is okay too.
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Agreed. The fact that Justine's dad gives her the opportunity to determine her own faith shows a lot of tolerance for not only the religion but individuals as well. Not everyone comes from the same background nor do they have the same beliefs, and being able to accept these things is what creates the calm feeling of tolerance in the end of Littman's novel.
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