A review by jonid
Jo Joe by Sally Wiener Grotta

4.0

A black Jewish women returns to bury her maternal grandmother in the Pocono mountains, Reliving and reflecting on her past while dealing with the present creates the story of Judith. Joe was the boy who protected her, loved her, and rejected her. There is a strong racist and antisemitic thread that runs through the town of black bear, but there is also the thread of both love and manipulation that runs through generations. The writing is deft and although it's easy to get annoyed with Judith's single minded view of her experiences and her self-righteous sensibility, she makes prejudicial assessments as well and almost gives her self little out for redemption.