Review: A World Worth Saving
A World Worth Saving
by Kyle Lukoff
Dial Books for Young Readers (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2025
Told in first person, A World Worth Saving tells the story of A, a 14-year old transgender boy who is struggling to live his truest life against the wishes of his parents. They force him to attend meetings of SOSAD, “Save our Sons and Daughters," a conversion group that is part of a nationally led movement.
A and his friends discover that the transphobia displayed by the SOSAD leaders and parents is the result of possession by sheydim (demons). A meets an otherworldly being - a new kind of golem, one made out of trash instead of clay - who tells A that he will have to repair the world. The golem also teaches A its own valuable lesson from prior failed attempts to repair the world: asking for help.
With the help of the golem, other trans and genderfluid teens, and a friendly rabbi who provides essential information about Jewish mythology, the sheydim are dispelled and A's parents come to their senses and become supportive and loving.
A World Worth Saving is richly written and multilayered, all experienced through A, who had this reader on the edge of her seat cheering for him and the trans youth every step of the way. The book has arrived at a time when the world needs more stories of this kind of courage and wisdom. It is definitely a story worth cherishing.
Kyle Lukoff displays mastery in weaving in ancient Jewish mythology into a contemporary story in a way that will both engage and challenge readers to learn more. The book will appeal to readers from all backgrounds, and could be a seminal story for trans youth. The story also addresses anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments and organized efforts within the Jewish community, an important bias for us to face.
This sounds ... amazing!
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