The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of religious discrimination.

After school, Hoodie receives a desperate text from his sister Zippy warning that their father is on his way home and has heard about Hoodie’s actions at school. Zippy helps Hoodie prepare to argue his case in front of his father. Hoodie wants to deny being with Anna-Marie entirely, but Zippy reminds him of Jewish teachings on lying. She urges Hoodie to be quiet and apologetic and let her handle their father.

Hoodie’s father, Avraham, is furious when he enters the home, and he immediately accuses Hoodie of betraying his family and his community. Zippy tries to defend him, insisting that Hoodie didn’t know what he was doing. Avraham demands to know if Hoodie took a picture of the graffiti before washing it away. Confused, Hoodie answers that he did not. Avraham explains that photographic evidence of an antisemitic hate crime would shame Tregaron residents into stopping their campaign against the Orthodox Jewish community. He also suggests that having proof of the graffiti would help Hoodie’s cause in the community at large, as others might excuse his interactions with a non-Jewish girl if they believed it was in support of their cause.