Chutzpah Girls

Usually, BookishlyJewish Hanukkah book reviews feature books about Hanukkah or with strong Hanukah plot lines, but I couldn’t help myself from including my number one Hanukkah gift recommendation (and request!) this year. There’s a reason Chutzpah Girls by Julie Esther Silverstein and Tami Schlossberg Pruwer graces the cover of this years Hanukkah gift guide. It is literally perfect for everyone, and if I don’t receive one, I’m going to go buy it for myself because I want it in hardcover and not just the electronic copy I used for this review.

The premise is simple – the book has biographies of 100 brave and interesting Jewish women spanning from ancient biblical times through the modern day. These one page run downs are paired with stunning art. It’s a book that can be given to middle schoolers to learn about the power of Jewish values and perseverance, to senior citizens as a coffee table book, and to me as a cherished belonging for my collection. While I was familiar with many of these women, others were new to me, and I was so enthralled I kept poking people next to me to tell them about the incredible people I was learning about.

Jews come in many different shapes and sizes and Chutzpah Girls featured women from a wide swath of cultures – Ashkenazi, Sepharidc, Mizrahi, Haredi, Secular, Modern Orthodox – living all around the world. Plus, the illustrations were time period appropriate. Many readers will find either their namesake or their favorite Jewish heroine in here, while others will finally find someone like them featured in a book.

This is a book to inspire and delight. Readers are taken on a journey through the lives of women who lived in many different times, facing all sorts of obstacles, yet pulled through by using their shared Jewish values. It’s a book that readers can return to over and over as they seek reminders that they too can be a chutzpah girl.

Note: BookishlyJewish received an e-ARC of this book from the authors

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