A Review of : Vanessa Hidary’s The Last Kaiser Roll In The Bodega

   

The Last Kaiser Roll In The Bodega by Vanessa Hidary

       I don’t know Vanessa Hidary personally, but I know her work….its personal. Her body of work speaks for a  multitude of people, genders, and relationships.  The Last Kaiser Roll in the Bodega was a written testament to the strength pulled from Vanessa’s life experiences.  It was all that I expected but nothing that I expected all wrapped in one. This review was meant to be received much sooner, but something kept pulling back in, something kept asking me to please pay attention specifically to it. I happily obliged. This book is a roller coaster of emotions making you pay attention and think at the speed of two trains leaving different stations at the same speed; where they meet in the middle is up to you…. but you’ll love it there.–>

“It’s a Hebrew Mamita thing; you wouldn’t understand”

          For the late bloomers to what’s cool and what’s NOW, Vanessa Hidary’s The Last Kaiser Roll in the Bodega, is a about as much of a collage as she is in literary form. You get a bit of Jewish heritage wrapping its legs around the waist of a Hispanic conscience as it playfully flirts with the mullatto truths of the world.  With TLKRitB in hand, transport from a New York borough to Puerto Rico and then on to a concentration camp  in a modern-day time that told tales of a not too far away before. Yes, this book has it all.  Too tired to read? NO worries. Just hold the cover tight and flip through to catch glimpses of the pictures.  I guarantee you that the picture of Birkeneau will take your breath away. I’ll pay you [attention] if it doesn’t.

“Sometimes, I wished we believed in Confession.”

          Confession: I’ve read The Last Kaiser Roll in the Bodega six times. The literary critic in me felt as if I were missing something that would shift my understanding of what I read, after all…I must be bluntly honest in my review. The grammar teacher in me searched for comma placement and colon juxtapositions. The lover in me searched for the answers to the same questions millions of Wild Women around the world have become too shy/damage to ask. But the soul in me just wanted to be fed, it wanted to dine on the cultures displayed amongst lessons learned and experiences lived.

“You feel me? You feel me? Yeh, I feel you.”

          China Shalum, Yarmulkes, and that De La Soul releasing “Me, Myself, and I” at the Ukrainian National Home were clear signs of perfect imagery. Molly Ringwald meets Flava Flav jumped from the page and said…this is vivid at its finest. Houston, I think we have a writer.  The genius of My Talkative Pen inspired me to pull out my high school diaries/notebooks and compare my thoughts to the genius of a child. THIS was inspiration. Yes, I WAS INSPIRED!!! (Does the over-caffeinated wop). This book made me want to challenge authority…..always challenge authority. So much so, that I hate to even call it a book. It is more than that. It is life unbound.

 ”Had no idea how to cast myself.”

           Among the list of things that Vanessa Hidary could be remembered for, being Meryl Streep’s spitting image would not be one of them….thank G-d! Oh My Ga! Could you imagine the world without Vanessa? Me either. ‘Cause, this world doesn’t need an imitation thereof; we need something original, something sharp, something witty and clever, something “BOOM! In your face”, something…..Vanessa.

          This book is intelligent by popular demand!

          The question at hand: Should you purchase The Last Kaiser Roll in the Bodega? Yes, you should. I read it six times and was never disappointed. Each time I took something that spoke to the core of me. Not your average book review, huh?  Well, Vanessa Hidary is not your average writer…..and she’s definitely no Meryl Streep either. But even if she were, I’d show up just to check out her genius at work, b/c she’s just that amazing. No thespian. lol

          So, hats off to Vanessa for a job greatly done. Ga bless you, ma!

*Pen Click*

Prose N’ Proper