Gravity

By Leanne Lieberman

Book Overview

Ellie Gold is an orthodox Jewish teenager living in Toronto in the late eighties. Ellie has no doubts about her strict religious upbringing until she falls in love with another girl at her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1554690498
• ISBN13: 9781554690497
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Thoughtful Coming of Age Novel About a Jewish Teen Grappling with Her Sexuality

I came across Gravity randomly at my local library and was immediately intrigued. Lieberman places Ellie in her Orthodox Jewish Toronto home, with an older sister impatient to rid herself of the trappings of her religion, a mother going through a spiritual crisis, a father trying to keep a hold on his family and a grandmother who is devil-may-care with her brightly polished nails and disdain for the rigors of Orthodoxy. Ellie spends a summer with her grandmother while the rest of the family is in Israel, and it's there that she discovers, for real, that she is attracted to girls. Namely, Lindsay, a siren whose mom isn't around that much, who tells Ellie that she wants to be a stripper when she grows up. It's clear to the reader that Lindsay is, in many ways, using Ellie--to feel loved and wanted, to up her experience, but she also has some genuine feelings for Ellie. Unfortunately, they are not as strong as Ellie's, and Ellie is also grappling with her growing concern that the religion she loves may not welcome her. Her efforts to find out what Orthodox Judaism thinks about gay people, and especially lesbians, are rendered extremely well by Lieberman. Ellie feels like she has no one to turn to, though her sister, knowing her so well susses out her secret. This is a book about both coming out, or rather, coming to terms with one's sexual orientation, and trying to find a role for your newly different self within a familiar, and sometimes close-minded, environment. Ellie has to learn that she has the power to make her own decisions and choices and that there isn't always some authority to tell her what the right thing to do is. This is a moving, thoughtful look at a teen's sexual coming of age as well as religious thought process.

Gravity: The Incredible Attraction of a Stellar Novel

Gravity, Leanne Lieberman's masterful and remarkable debut novel, tells one of the most profound and powerful tales of coming-of-age and exploring and understanding one's self that I have read. Leanne Lieberman conquers the heavily trodden path of teen self-discovery and sexual orientation and manages to interpret in an unprecedented and creative fashion. Ellie Gold, an orthodox Jew, has never doubted or resented her beliefs, but now, over the summer of her 15th year, she struggles to define and understand herself within the rigid lines of her religion. She encounters wild and liberal Lindsay, whose abandon and flamboyant nature provoke feelings and stirrings that challenge Ellie's perception of her self and cause the great difficulty of dealing with her emerging homosexuality. Ellie is lost, guilty, and unsure about to approach now a religion that tells her that her sexuality is a mistake or childish tendency, even a sin is followed. Ellie must choose between abandoning her perception of God and her beliefs of what is truly right and wrong, or bury and hide the feelings and personality that she cannot deny. The realistic fiction genre is not one of my favorites; however, I felt that Gravity was exceptional. Ellie's attempt to judge and really comprehend her religion is one that I can understand. If God loves everyone, why does he disown the homosexuals or those who don't keep Sabbath or follow strict religious practices? I thoroughly enjoyed Gravity and hope that all teens, going through a time of self definition, as well as those who are coming out, or confronting a part of themselves that have not, will also. Ellie, Lindsay, and Ellie's diverse and rich family are all highly developed and deep characters, each with their own quirks, yet able to maintain personalities that one can relate to or connect to people in our own lives. Their deep nature adds to the already extensively original and unique plot, concluding in a surprising yet wrenchingly realistic ending. Although the Gravity was admittedly not written very complicatedly, the blatant honesty of Ellie and her childish innocence reversed any detraction from the text. I would encourage people of all ages and religions to begin the splendid journey and mental trek that one will certainly experience upon ordering Gravity. ~~ C.S.H.

Engaging but not amazing.

This was a very engaging novel that dealt with several complex issues very well. The writing itself is stellar. I question some of the choices the author made -- particularly in having the main character's family be "born again" Jews -- but the book was no worse for it.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

This book by Canadian first-time author Leanne Lieberman centers on the coming-of-age of Ellie Gold. The story begins during the summer vacation: Ellie goes to her grandmother's cottage in the midst of immaculate natural beauty, a place that she has looked forward to returning to since her first visit. This trip ends unexpectedly, as Ellie ends up falling in love with a girl her age, realizing her homosexuality. However, Ellie has been brought up with strict religious values and traditions, which do not accept homosexuality, and she is forced to choose between shunning her community or denying her true sexuality. Ultimately, through the multiple conflicts illustrated between tradition and modernity, Lieberman establishes that there is a place for all types of people, including Ellie, in society and religion. I definitely enjoyed this story. Lieberman sucessfully develops her characters, and does not shy away from the lust commonly experienced by teenagers. And, coupled with the homosexual storyline, this story provides for a very interesting read, and is friendly to those who are not familiar with Judaism, specifically Orthodoxy. GRAVITY is a good read for any, and despite my initial questions of how Lieberman would create such a challenging story, my concerns were for naught, as the story is an excellent work. Reviewed by: Andrew S. Cohen

Dealing with Faith and Sexuality: An Orthodox Jewish Lesbian

Lieberman, Leanne. "Gravity", Orca Book Publishers, 2008. Dealing with Faith and Sexuality: An Orthodox Jewish Lesbian Amos Lassen Ellie is an awkward young girl going into the 10th grade. Her sister, Neshama, is somewhat rebellious and her mother is experiencing not only a personal crisis but has become inspired religiously. Ellie's parents are sending her sister to summer camp and they are going to Israel. Ellie is going to spend the summer with her grandmother in Toronto. Ellie sees a boring summer coming her way and she is unlike her wild sister who smokes and wears pants (not allowed in Jewish Orthodox tradition). Her father is strict and he is an observant, religious Jew and Ellie has also found he place in Judaism. She is not as strict as her dad and she loves to be with her grandmother (bubbe) who is an outgoing and vibrant person and a critic of her son's new found orthodoxy. She, however, is unable to convince her granddaughter of her atheism but she tries very hard to do so. Ellie experiments with her religion and tries new things but she feels guilty doing so. But then she meets Lindsay, a girl who lives across the lake and she has a very passionate session with her. At the end of the summer when she returns to her parents' home, she begins to look within herself and she, like her sister, becomes rebellious about herself. She is not sure about her sexuality and wonders about relationships. Lieberman does not hide the lust of Ellie's adolescence. Ellie does not know what to do with her new feelings but she does know she must thing about them and consider what they mean. Of course, Lindsay re-enters her life and makes her doubts about herself even more problematic to deal with. Ellie is at war with herself--her new sexuality and her religious devotion are at odds. Ellie is torn between her feelings for Lindsay and her feelings for G-d. Her reaction to her feelings causes her to question her faith and to wonder how she can feel the way she does. What is more interesting is that Ellie's mental crisis and her mother's personal crisis come together and although there is no resolution to all of the conflicts, everyone comes out fine. Quite naturally one would expect Ellie to abandon her faith in light of her sexuality and rather than disclose what happens, I will only say that everyone--Ellie, bubbe, mother and G-d--seem to be satisfied by the way things turn out. Let me just say that Ellie's sister and mother offer alternative ways to perceive G-d and this helps Ellie find her place as a lesbian Jew. This is not an easy topic to write about because the orthodox lesbians (Othodykes) that exist today and not likely to share their experiences and prefer to keep a low profile. The idea that sexuality and religion can come together is nothing new in literature but here we have a young girl dealing with an issue that is not often spoke about. Lieberman writes clearly and I found her prose to be beautiful at times. As a gay man who is an o