This was a very interesting book in that it taught me a lot about Hasidic Jewish life. I thought I had a good understanding of the rules of that community, but I really had no idea. There were numerous times in the book where I was shocked at the level of control and lack of choices for the women in the story. I liked that the author included people who didn't want to conform to those expectations to show a contrast of the ways of life. I was frustrated a number of times by the acceptance of some of the women to their position in the community. I know this comes through because of my cultural lens as a modern Jewish woman, but I found it hard to leave that at the door. The two major twists in the text were really great! I was thinking that they were going to happen, but it seemed like a cry from my modern subconscious and not a real option until it actually did happen. I would recommend getting this on audio like I did because of the many languages used throughout the book. This is very well written and contains information about the Jewish religion of which I was unfamiliar. You learn a lot about Hasidim and the very strict rules by which they live, their relationship to Zionists. It opens in 1939 but says very little about World War II at the beginning; there is more later on. One scene stuck in my mind where the very strict father whips his daughter with his belt for riding a friend's bicycle in a park on Sunday. After this, she is hiding under her bed and eventually comes out and just walks away. Nothing is said of her injuries, which had to be severe counting the number of blows she received. That was a little disconcerting. This beating causes her to run away and renounce the Jewish religion. The girl raised as her sister, on the other hand, marries with the religion. Well work reading.
Do You like book I Am Forbidden (2012)?
Good story. Heartbreaking to see what traditions and fundamentalist beliefs can do to a family.
—book
