The book "
Freshmen" ("Aliphim") tells the story of teenagers in their first year (9
Th grade) in the agricultural school "Ganot". The freshmen have to deal with all kinds of
problems: the seniors ("dalidim", 12th graders) bully and abuse them; their instructor is facing termination - what can they do about it? there's peeping in the girls' showers - who do they handle the peepers? there's stealing going on in the freshmen's building - who's the thief? etc.
Apart from their problems as a community, each hero faces his own problems: Rony left home after his
father got remarried to a woman that Rony hates, and he's certain that his father forgot his late mother. Tiny (or Saul) has to have an operation - will he recover from it and be allowed back to "Ganot"? Hadassa broke off ties with her parents after they expressed their disapproval of her relationship with Shmulik, the garden instructor, who's 20 years her senior. Ilana, who always helps everybody, has left "Ganot" hurting - will she return? Davidy, an abused teen whose mom died and his dad is in jail, was paroled from juvie - will he go back there?
And when will Ilana and Rony finally become a couple (if ever)?
The book is
written in a flowing and compelling fashion, and the reader sympathises with almost every character in it. Esther Streit-Wurzel weaves a moving, beautiffuly written novel.
Highly recommanded (as are all of Streit-Wurzel's other novels)!!!
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