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BOOK REVIEW
In Full Bloom
by Shoshana Schwartz, Published by Feldheim
Reviewed by Judith Weil
"In Full Bloom" is the story of a girl who was orphaned at a
young age and was brought up by a childless, totally secular
uncle and aunt. They loved her, were generous to her, but did
not always understand her.
We follow Gail's growing up process, which was accompanied by
an unsatisfied need to mourn, and a wish to reconnect with
the religion of which she had received a smattering before
she was orphaned.
We see how Gail meets up with a young religious woman who
becomes her friend and mentor. We follow Gail's unrelenting
search for truth, for her true self. And then we rejoice when
Gail eventually meets the person who is right for her and
they marry to - we assume - live happily ever after.
We can relate to the book on a number of levels. Firstly, it
is a good read, and that's nice. Then we see Gail's
questioning process, where she asks questions which preoccupy
many young people, including those from religious homes. The
issues brought up are not the deep philosophical ones, but
the simple ones with which we all have to come to terms. The
result is something of Judaism in a nutshell, but presented
within a story, rather than as facts and figures - and this
makes them easier to absorb. Then we see something of the
mourning process as experienced, first by a child who has
little control of her surroundings, and little grasp of
reality, and then by this selfsame child when she is grown
up. And finally, we we see something of the American Jewish
community.
Gail's uncle and aunt are nice, well meaning people. But
Yiddishkeit is something foreign. They do not even light
Chanuka candles, have a seder, or give any recognition
to Yom Kippur. "Meeting" them, it is not difficult to
understand why the American intermarriage rate is so high.
Their values are universal ones, and when Jewish universals
meet gentile universals, at college, for example, the result
is inevitable.
Gail faces the type of problems so many newly-religious
encounter: Kashrus, Shabbos, and the need to cope with
relatives who have difficulty handling their own friends'
reactions to the situation. When an uncle takes a religious
niece under the chupa, he must wear a kipa -
even if his guests laugh at him. And his wife must wear a
hat.
Behind the book is an unstated note of sadness. Gail is saved
for Yiddishkeit, it is true, but what of the thousands, or
even millions, of Gails - and their male counterparts - who
are inevitably lost?
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