Book review - What Makes Us

Title: What Makes Us
Author: Rafi Mittlefehldt
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Borderline by Allan Stratton
                      Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
Rating:

lots to think about

Summary (provided by publisher): Eran Sharon knows nothing of his father except that he left when Eran was a baby. Now a senior in high school and living with his protective but tight-lipped mother, Eran is a passionate young man deeply interested in social justice and equality. When he learns that the Houston police have launched a program to increase traffic stops, Eran organizes a peaceful protest. But a heated moment at the protest goes viral, and a reporter connects the Sharon family to a tragedy fifteen years earlier — and asks if Eran is anything like his father, a supposed terrorist. Soon enough, Eran is wondering the same thing, especially when the people he’s gone to school and temple with for years start to look at him differently. Timely, powerful, and full of nuance, Rafi Mittlefehldt’s sophomore novel confronts the prejudices, fears, and strengths of family and community, striking right to the heart of what makes us who we are.

My opinion: Several years ago we saw a lot of books about the families of school shooters. Now we've moved on to the families of terrorists. While the details change the general themes remain the same: grief at war with guilt and the pressures of public perception. In this case, we have the added complication of racism and anti-semitism. Eran's anger in complicated not only by his family history but by a public pre-disposed to unfairly judging him based on his race.This is just an added complication to the question of whether anger and violence are ever justified. There are elements of generational guilt and community ties. It comes to no solid conclusions, just starts a conversation that we must all decide for ourselves.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley