Review: Walking West
Walking West
by Tovah S. Yavin
Menucha Publishers, 2024
Category: Middle Grade
Reviewer: Judy Ehrenstein
Buy at MenuchaPublishers.com
Life in 1880s Oklahoma Territory isn't easy, particularly if you are a Jewish peddler intent on keeping kosher and observing Shabbat. David Kamen and his Uncle Simon travel with their donkey Star throughout the territory, bringing needed items to farmers, ranchers, soldiers, and Indians, while encountering storms, stampedes, and even rattlesnakes along the way. An adventure story to enjoy, the details about the roughness of life and the challenges of battling ever changing weather, really draw the reader in. David is resourceful, levelheaded, and accepting of everyone he encounters, including the original Cherokee and Cheyenne residents of the land now being “settled.” And in return, these “egg eaters” as the Jewish peddlers are known, are equally accepted. David dreams of becoming a writer, and as he progresses in age from 12 to 17, he moves from keeping notebooks full of observations to being a newspaper reporter to seeing his first book published.
While one could quibble with the ahistorical universal acceptance of Jews and Native Americans, it's the disappearance of the Native population from the narrative and the lack of clarity in the details of the Land Run of 1889 that readers may notice in an otherwise enjoyable read.
There is no doubt that this is a Jewish story. It explains how religious practice was maintained in extreme conditions, and how Jewish communities formed outside of large cities. Non-Jewish readers may not understand why David and his uncle would eat some food offered to them but not all, nor the intricacies of what can be done on Shabbat, but the author tried hard to weave these details into the story.
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Reviewer Judy Ehrenstein is a children's librarian in Maryland. She is a former member of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee and is the co-editor of Children's and Teen Book Reviews for AJL News and Reviews.
Life in 1880s Oklahoma Territory isn't easy, particularly if you are a Jewish peddler intent on keeping kosher and observing Shabbat. David Kamen and his Uncle Simon travel with their donkey Star throughout the territory, bringing needed items to farmers, ranchers, soldiers, and Indians, while encountering storms, stampedes, and even rattlesnakes along the way. An adventure story to enjoy, the details about the roughness of life and the challenges of battling ever changing weather, really draw the reader in. David is resourceful, levelheaded, and accepting of everyone he encounters, including the original Cherokee and Cheyenne residents of the land now being “settled.” And in return, these “egg eaters” as the Jewish peddlers are known, are equally accepted. David dreams of becoming a writer, and as he progresses in age from 12 to 17, he moves from keeping notebooks full of observations to being a newspaper reporter to seeing his first book published.
While one could quibble with the ahistorical universal acceptance of Jews and Native Americans, it's the disappearance of the Native population from the narrative and the lack of clarity in the details of the Land Run of 1889 that readers may notice in an otherwise enjoyable read.
There is no doubt that this is a Jewish story. It explains how religious practice was maintained in extreme conditions, and how Jewish communities formed outside of large cities. Non-Jewish readers may not understand why David and his uncle would eat some food offered to them but not all, nor the intricacies of what can be done on Shabbat, but the author tried hard to weave these details into the story.
Are you interested in reviewing books for The Sydney Taylor Shmooze? Click here!
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