Madre

I just loved this story! I was so taken with the story of Surie and her family. At 57 yrs of age, Surie, a Chasidic Jewish woman, finds herself pregnant with twins. Her ten children are mostly all grown, she has grandchildren and great grandchildren, and her beloved husband Yidel is about to retire. S Leggi tutto

There is a deep divide between the world of the secular and the world of the Chassidic Jew and the long beards, sidelocks, black hats, and long coats are just an outward manifestation of it. It is rare that readers are given the opportunity to peer behind the curtain. Here, Goldie Goldbloom, who is C Leggi tutto

What to say about this book? It's complicated! Thought provoking, frustrating, disturbing, sometimes uplifting and even enlightening, this book is certainly insightful. I think the cover blurb says more than enough about the actual story so I won't even try to add to that, except to mention the protag Leggi tutto

On Division is a beautiful mediation on so much: absence and presence, grief and joy, people and history that have been lost and traditions kept over time, secrets that are revealed and secrets that are not, relationships that could have been different and, of course, the always unknowable future. I Leggi tutto

The recent movie Disobedience made me interested to learn more about the traditional Jewish Chassidic community. This interest probably ties right into my fascination with cults and such, not to equate the two. And, since our library refuses to get Disobedience the book in ebook, and I found this on Leggi tutto

This is the story of one woman’s struggle for her identity under the weight of family secrets, cultural expectations and gender roles. It is the story of Suri a 57 year old woman from Brooklyn’s strict Chasidic Jewish sect. Suri is both wife, mother, and grandmother to a well respected family in the Leggi tutto

“On Division”, by Goldie Goldbloom, immediately intrigued me due to its unique story line (a 57 year old grandmother finds herself pregnant with twins) and setting (among Chassidic Jews in Williamsburg, Brooklyn). Good novels educate us with facts, perspectives, and story lines. Great novels give us Leggi tutto