Footprints in the Sand by Bracha Goykadosh

853 Words2 Pages

Footprints in the Sand, by Bracha Goykadosh, is a story of friendship and hope, of secrecy and bewilderment. Rena Cohen, the narrator, is the typical twelfth-grader whose only concerns are school and friends. Malka Koenig is one of Rena’s closest friends, but after eleventh-grade her life changes drastically and her friendship circle is affected by the change. Though twelfth grade is supposed to be a carefree year, it turns out to be a year learning of life’s true values.

Rena Cohen had returned from camp high-spirited, anticipating her long-awaited senior year of high school. With only two days left to catch up with her friends, Rena called Malka Koenig and Lizzy Zimmerman and set up to see them at Cafe Bonjour. She couldn’t wait to hear how Malka enjoyed her lessons in computer programming and how Lizzy enjoyed her stay in camp. At the cafe, Rena realized something was wrong. Lizzy and Malka looked uncomfortable around each other and after just a few minutes, Malka got up and walked out. Lizzy refused to tell Rena what was wrong, so Rena got up and left too. When school began, things only got worse. Malka insisted that Rena was her best friend, Lizzy insisted that Rena was her best friend, and Rena wasn’t so sure she was friends with either of them. One thing was for certain: they were no longer the inseparable threesome everyone envied. As her year progressed, Rena grew more and more distant from her once undisputed friends. Their silence baffled her and she felt lost in the crowd; by twelfth even the loners had found their place in the grade. Malka became close friends with Tzipporah since they were both G.O. heads. Lizzy became friends with a girl named Riva. One day Malka approached Rena and told her she wanted to tell ...

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... because studying for so many tests each night was an impossible task for her, the answer she gets is startling. “There are much more difficult things in life”, is what Malka says. Although at first Malka’s answer seems mean and selfish, towards the end of the book we find out that she has leukemia. Rena realizes that her friends’ fight is rather trivial, and Ayelet understands what could indeed be more difficult than an abundance of schoolwork. When Malka unfortunately passes away, her classmates are shocked and sad, but they know they have gained from Malka the understanding of what life is really about.

I really enjoyed reading Footprints in the Sand. It is written with such excellent imagery that i almost cried when I found out that Malka had leukemia. Also, many great messages are woven into the tale. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone!

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