Schmutz
ABOUT
THE BOOK
In this witty, provocative, and “compulsively readable coming-of-age story” (Cosmopolitan), a young Hasidic woman on a quest to get married fears she will never find a groom because of her secret addiction to porn. Like the other women in her ultra-Orthodox community, Raizl expects to find a husband through arranged marriage. But Raizl has a secret. With a hidden computer to help her complete her college degree, she falls down the slippery slope of online pornography. As Raizl dives deeper into the world of porn at night, her daytime life begins to unravel. Raizl must balance her growing understanding of her sexuality with the expectations of the family she loves.
NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS
Shmutz is an at times funny, raw portrayal of the awkwardness of a young woman coming into herself, and how she does that even when it goes against what she has been taught. It shows with clarity that even with so much information at our fingertips in the age of the internet, we can still miss out on critical understanding. Raizl learns a lot about sex and sexuality through her exploration of, and addiction to, the world of internet porn, but she is on her own when it comes to learning about consent, safety, and how to navigate her own desires.