| ‘I am Forbidden’ by Anouk Markovitz | ||
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A+ Excellent (97%) | Summary of the Reviews: | |
| Despite being about a closed-off community of Hassidic Jews, this is a sad and powerful story is surprisingly relatable for the world at large – many of the reviewers said they wept when they read it. | ||
| ISBN: 978-0307984739, Pages: 320 | ||
| Fiction | Literary Fiction | Historical Fiction | Judaism | ||
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THE BOOK JACKET:
A family is torn apart by fierce belief and private longing in this unprecedented journey deep inside the most insular sect of Hasidic Jews, the Satmar.
Opening in 1939 Transylvania, five-year-old Josef witnesses the murder of his family by the Romanian Iron Guard and is rescued by a Christian maid to be raised as her own son. Five years later, Josef rescues a young girl, Mila, after her parents are killed while running to meet the Rebbe they hoped would save them. Josef helps Mila reach Zalman Stern, a leader in the Satmar community, in whose home Mila is raised as a sister to Zalman’s daughter, Atara. With the rise of communism in central Europe, the family moves to Paris, to the Marais, where Zalman tries to raise his children apart from the city in which they live. Mila’s faith intensifies, while her beloved sister Atara discovers a world of books and learning that she cannot ignore. A beautifully crafted, emotionally gripping story of what happens when unwavering love, unyielding law, and centuries of tradition collide, I Am Forbidden announces the arrival of an extraordinarily gifted new voice and opens a startling window on a world closed to most of us.
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THE REVIEWS:
| Jenn’s Bookshelves | |
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+ |
Despite having little knowledge of this faith, I was drawn in within a few pages, obsessed with what happened to these two young girls. |
| Suko’s Notebook | |
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+ |
It’s a touching, inside look at an insular Hasidic sect, and its extreme effects on people. |
| Unpious | |
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+ |
I feel its contribution immediately and powerfully, and am happy to have given my time to it. I recommend you do the same. |
| Diary of an Eccentric | |
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+ |
[…]it grabs you, doesn’t let you go, and inspires you to read more about the history of the people detailed within. |
| Life in Review | |
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+ |
I very highly recommend this book. The writing is exquisite and almost poetic. |
| Nomad Reader | |
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+ |
While the epicenter of this novel is the Hasidic Jewish community, it is also a stunning, moving tale of family, love, honor and secrecy. |
| Peeking Between the Pages | |
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+ |
I Am Forbidden will take the reader into another life where you will see what it’s like to belong to a certain religion. |
| The Joy Report | |
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+ |
I didn’t know anything about Hasidic Judaism before this book, and now I just want to know more. |
| In the Next Room | |
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~ |
The concise story-telling means a lot gets covered, but it definitely takes awhile to get used to even if it’s technically chronological. |
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