Rossi offers up a reflective, heartfelt and comedic coming-of-age memoir in The Punk Rock Queen of the Jews. Through the writing, Rossi processes the trauma from her childhood and how she came to be her true self. From the beginning, I knew I would relate well to Rossi as she stated " Jews have a fear of showing too much joy, lest we jinx ourselves." Rossi begins her story in her childhood trying to fit in with her Jewish family where there is a clear expectation that she will act like a good Jewish girl in order to attract and marry a good Jewish boy. Rossi realized she didn't fit in with this ideal early on and acted out, eventually resulting in her running away and her parents forcibly kidnapping her and bringing her to a Chasidic rabbi known for reforming Jewish girls. Rossi was essentially a prisoner in the small neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn until she became 18. While in Crown Heights, Rossi endured the repressive culture of the Chasids while dealing with outright violence and persecution. Rossi also learned more about her faith, found friends that shared her sexuality and found things she was passionate about. Rossi's story is one of perseverance, showing that sometimes the worst experiences make you who you were meant to be. As Rossi becomes an adult, she reflects on her experiences and how they affected her relationships, especially with her parents. Rossi demonstrated the power of forgiveness and states that "Our broken hearts are part of who we are now." Rossi's memoir is written with raw emotion and is very real, nothing is contrived or strives to be more than the truth.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )