Bookishly Jewish

As you might imagine, given my current role on this website, I read a lot. I also read more widely across genres than I used to, which has been a real gift to my personal growth as a writer. It’s engaging and informative, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but it also means I’m fairly hard to surprise when it comes to what a book can and cannot do. So I was delighted when To & Fro, a literary novel that is actually two separate stories, by Leah Hager Cohen, managed to subvert my expectations at every stage of the reading process.

This novel was mysterious from the get go. It appeared on my radar when someone filled out our Suggest A Book form, but unlike most forms which are filled out by either the author or their publicity and/or marketing teams, this form came from an unidentified fan who had seen early versions of the novel. May we all have critique partners and early readers who are so dedicated to our work. Or rather, may we all write such wonderful stories as to inspire the kind of devotion that has the reader going online and spending the time to fill out forms recommending the story to reviewers.

Then came the physical book itself. When I said earlier that To & Fro comprises two stories, I was not kidding. When I slid the book out of its packaging envelope I saw a lovely blue cover featuring a mirror. Then I flipped it over to read the back cover copy and instead found the exact same cover, only with a yellow background. What was going on? Turns out this is two mirrored narratives each starting from a different end of the book – you literally have to flip it over to read the next one – and they meet in the middle. There was also a little note explaining how the book came to be published, including a description of how Cohen tried to force the narratives to be interlocking in a bid to please traditional publishers, only to find her acceptance with an editor who gently suggested they be printed separately, as she had originally intended.

In one narrative, conveniently labelled “To,” we follow a young girl named Ani who is living in circumstances that are obviously fictional. In fact, she is meant to be living inside Kafka’s parable “My Destinaition,” following the man on the horse who hears the bugles call. Ani’s journey is full of what the reader recognizes as unusual kindness from strangers, but Ani’s past is so full of unusual cruelty and misplaced guilt it takes her a while to get on the same page as the rest of us. She is not given any particular religion, nor are the people around her, but when she finds herself in a study house full of people debating and arguing an endless story, of which we are all part, the parallels to Judaism are unmistakable. As is the resemblance of Ani’s past to a gender flipped biblical story of Ishmael.

By contrast, the other story, “Fro,” follows Annamae, who is very obviously Jewish, and rapidly approaching puberty in Manhattan. Annamae is no less lonely or searching than Ani is, but she has both family and a community around her. When Annamae’s struggles to express herself and be understood reach a critical level her mother finds that while medical professionals and school counselors are not helpful, a Rabbi is. Rabbi Harriet first met the family upon the occasion of Annamae’s father’s passing, and is exactly what Annamae needs. Not for spirituality per se, but because Annamae thinks about the world in ways which are most amenable to discussion with a gentle Rabbi who slurps her soup but has the best stories about creation and the Torah.

You can only read a book for the first time once, and by pure chance I started with the “To” narrative. I got a small thrill every time an artifact from “To” suddenly appeared in “Fro” and I found myself linking the stories together, finding how the narratives can be interlocked and interpreted – both separately and together. I was also inspired with so many different ways to write and treat narrative structure in my own work. However, I am deeply curious as to how this book would have felt had I read it the other way round.

That’s not something I can experience on my own. And with that realization, my reading of the novel became communal. If I truly want to know what the experience is like starting from “Fro” I am going to have to find someone who read it in that order. (The cover copy is very clear that starting from either side is acceptable and encouraged). Perhaps that person and I will end up discussing the varying points in the two journeys. We might argue what the significance of say, the ferryman’s wings, is. Indeed we could spend hours on this, much like the members of the study house Ani encounters. The beauty of this is not lost on me.

To & Fro is at its heart a story about loneliness and seeking. It features two girls, in the most vulnerable part of their lives, who are both seeking similar things, in similar ways, despite their dissimilar background and worlds. You can read almost anything you want into this story, but in doing so you join the narrative. It is a book about loneliness that ultimately forms a community from its readers. And that is a feat I have not seen before. I thoroughly enjoyed being surprised by it and look forward to debating it with other readers -perhaps even some of you!

Note: BookishlyJewish received a free arc of this book after requesting one from the publisher.

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Find It: Goodreads | Bookshop | Amazon

The first book in Jamie Krakover’s YA, sci fi Tracker Sequence – Tracker220 – presented unique questions for readers both Jewish and secular. How can tech be integrated into shabbat? How much personal liberty are we willing to sacrifice for interconnectedness? What human enhancements go too far? We reviewed that book HERE and you can read an interview with the author HERE. Today we are excited to bring you a cover reveal for the second book in the sequence – Authority!

Here’s the cover copy:

“Her glitch destroyed their system… or so she thought.

It’s been six months since Kaya, Bailen, and the Ghosts leveraged her glitch to destroy the tracker network. With it came the eradication of the authorities and an end to Rufus Scurry’s secret plans to mind control the world. While Kaya appreciates her recovered sense of privacy and newfound connection to Judaism, millions believe life is worse without trackers.

As the Ghosts deploy old technology to fill the void, people around Kaya begin acting strangely—doing things they don’t have control over. Some, like her ex-boyfriend Harlow, are losing time all together.

When Kaya receives a threat from an unknown user on her deactivated tracker, she seeks to uncover who is behind it and how they are using the old network. But more people are falling victim to the mind control every day, sending Kaya scrambling to end the loophole before she loses everyone she loves to the technology she’s learned to live with.”

And without further ado here is the gorgeous cover, by cover artist Jennifer Stolzer.

BUY IT: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

This is our third year participating in the Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour. The Sydney Taylor Book Award is presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. This year we were paired with the author/illustrator team of Neal Shusterman and Andrés Vera Martínez who received a Young Adult Honor for their graphic novel Courage to Dream.

This interview is unique, because aside from providing insight into the book itself, it also speaks to the teamwork between a writer and artist when creating a graphic novel together. We learned so much from this discussion and will be reviewing the book soon!

BookishlyJewish: Congratulations on the win! How does it feel to be a Sydney Taylor Honor book winner?

NS – What an incredible honor!  It’s wonderful to know that the book is appreciated by the American Jewish community—and hopefully that will help get it into the hands of more kids who need to read it!

AVM – It’s an absolute honor knowing that Courage to Dream has been embraced by the American Jewish community, particularly the librarians who continue to play a crucial role in connecting readers with our book.

BookishlyJewish: What was the inspiration behind Courage To Dream? How did this Book Come to Be?

NS – I was inspired by the contemporary artist Jeffrey Schrier, a good friend who creates a lot of Jewish-themed art.  I wanted to see if there was a way that I could contribute something of my own to that arena. Then, when Scholastic approached me with the idea of doing a holocaust-themed book, I realized that would be the perfect opportunity.  Originally, we thought of working together, but ultimately that didn’t work out.  Still, I’m grateful for his friendship, and the inspiration! 

AVM – I was inspired to begin working on the project immediately after reading Neal’s amazing story. It instantly brought brilliant images to my mind that I started sketching directly on the printed script. I got so swept up in drawing that I almost forgot to email Scholastic back that I was taking on the project.

BookishlyJewish: The work is obviously a collaboration between author and illustrator, how did that work and how did you two originally connect with one another and this story?

NS – The “script” for the book was done long before we found the right artist.  There were artists who could capture the realistic aspects of the story, but couldn’t capture the fantasy.  There were artists with a sense of fantasy, but whose sensibilities didn’t connect with the gritty realism the book needed to have.  And then we found Andrés!  He took these stories and transformed them into visual marvels.  I still get chills when I look at some of the book’s artwork.

AVM – Writing for graphic novels is much like writing a screenplay for a film. Neal applied a vast understanding of cinematic knowledge to his script, writing characters and environments to fit a three dimensional world, smooth scene transitions, and he provided clear, impactful dialogue that moved the story forward at a perfect pace. Collaborating with Neal was a breeze. He had already illustrated the story with words before I even started.

BookishlyJewish: The Holocaust is a difficult topic to write about, especially for younger readers, how did you approach this?

NS – The use of fantasy, folklore, and hope in the face of horror was crucial.  The goal was to make each of the stories uplifting, in spite of the difficult subject matter, without sugar-coating the truth.  I think Andrés’ visuals play a big part in making it work. 

AVM – Master animation director, Hayao Miyazaki, offered a guide. His films sometimes carry heavy themes, but retain an alluring charm with the expressiveness and innocence of his main characters. I aspired to capture that to the best of my ability.

The work of cartoonist, Jack Kirby and the superhero characters he created with Stan Lee brought me so much joy as a young artist. Many early comic writers and artists were Jewish American. I thought using Marvel Comics from the 60’s as inspiration for the fantasy aspect of the book made sense. To me, those early comics visually matched the energy, awe and power that was in Neal’s story and they were historically and culturally connected.

BookishlyJewish: The choice to use five interlocking stories is very intriguing. Can you speak more about this?

NS – It started with “He Opens a Window” which was a short story I had written years ago.  I had initially thought that would be the book, but I kept having other ideas, and realized that seeing different facets of the Holocaust would be a better way to go.  Visually, Andrés brought a different look to each story.

AVM – I decided to slightly shift the color palette and the level of rendering with each story. The first two stories are colored with subtle hues and drawn with crosshatched lines. As the stories unfold the colors get brighter and the rendering less and less. In the last story, which takes place today, the pallet is brightest with minimal lines. I wanted to give a sense to the reader that they were coming from darkness into light.

BookishlyJewish: Who is the target audience for Courage To Dream and what are you hoping readers take away from it?

NS – It’s a broad target audience.  We see the book being used in upper elementary, all the way through High school in holocaust units.  We’ve already spoken at some schools who are using it as less intimidating entre into the subject, before getting into heavier material, like Elie Wiesel’s Night.

AVM – Yes, Neal did a brilliant job writing a story that is inclusive and mindful of a large audience. I picked up on that and tried to do the same as I created the art.

BookishlyJewish: What has been the reader’s response to Courage? 

NS – Overwhelmingly positive!  We couldn’t have hoped for better!  And you never know—especially when dealing with sensitive subject matter—how it’s going to be received.  We’re happy the book is being embraced.

AVM – I had the chance to join Neal on tour to promote the book. As an artist who is usually in the studio, seeing such positive responses from students, teachers, librarians, and bookstore customers, in real time, was amazing!  

BookishlyJewish: Has anything surprised along the process from first thinking about the book to publication to now being an award winner?

NS – I’ve been pleasantly surprised that there hasn’t been push back against the idea of using fantasy as a way to discuss the Holocaust, because we tend to think of fantasy as whimsical and frivolous.  Andrés and I worked very hard to strip away anything that could be seen as frivolous or gratuitous—but you never know if you’ve succeeded until you see how people react.

AVM – The immediacy of images, their ability to evoke gut reactions, worried me when tasked to draw a children’s book set during the Holocaust. I admire artists in history that take risks and have important things to say. It takes a certain measure of bravery to be vulnerable. Artists can meticulously plan and hone their skills but don’t really know how their work will be received until they offer it up for a large sampling of feedback.

BookishlyJewish: How has this book differed from your other work?

NS – For me it was more like writing a screenplay, or stage play than writing a book.  I always try to take on difficult subjects, so there’s that similarity—but with this book there was a sense of reverence to the subject matter.  Who am I to have something to say about the Holocaust? I think I approached it knowing that I was treading on hallowed ground.  

AVM – My fascination with stories that straddle reality and fantasy might be rooted in my Mexican American background, where magic realism finds fertile ground. Growing up in both Catholic and indigenous traditions instilled a unique blend of artistic sensibilities that embrace duality. This is probably most evident in the projects I choose, which are usually historical fiction sprinkled with a healthy dose of fantasy.

BookishlyJewish: Any future plans we should know about?

NS – I have two books coming out in 2024 – In May, Shock the Monkey, the second book in the comic-sci fi series “The Noah Files”, which I’m cowriting with Eric Elfman. Then, in July, Break to You a romance that takes place in a juvenile detention center, which I cowrote with authors Michelle Knowlden and Debra Young – so it’s been a lot of collaboration lately!  And I know Andrés has some exciting things coming up!

AVM – Thanks Neal! In fall 2024, the middle grade graphic novel series, Monster Locker, will make its debut. It’s about a middle school kid named Pablo who accidentally unleashes a vengeful Aztec Earth Goddess from his locker in Columbus, Ohio. I co-created the series with the brilliant animation writer Jorge Aguirre. Monster Locker vol 2. will come out in the fall of 2025. Also in 2025, my graphic novel adaptation of Pam Muñoz Ryan’s beloved novel, Esperanza Rising, will be released.

BookishlyJewish: I always end by asking if you have a favorite Jewish book to recommend to others?

NS – The Way Back by Gavriel Savit.  I had the honor of being a judge for the National Book Awards a couple of years ago, and I am thrilled that The Way Back made our short list.  It’s wonderful blending of history and folklore!

AVM –Maus by Art Spiegelman revolutionized American comics. Before Maus, comics were dominated by superheroes and lighthearted fare, primarily aimed at teenage boys.

The Pulitzer Prize winner shattered perceptions, pushing publishing houses to see the potential of graphic novels for a wider audience. Soon after, a golden age of American comics blossomed for all ages and genres.

Find Courage to Dream: GoodReads | Bookshop | Amazon

Food is at the heart of many cultures. For me in particular, preparing festive foods provides a way for me to connect with both my own Jewish heritage and Jews around the world from various traditions. I mark my time in food – special recipes made every year as part of the holidays take me through the seasons, and the special treats and dishes served at life cycle events shepherd me through these meaningful moments. I may not be the worlds best chanter of prayers and my Synagogue attendance is far from perfect, but I can worship in the kitchen along with the best of them. 

Indeed, Jewish tradition pairs very well with an appreciation of gastronomy. Unlike some other religions, Judaism does not view abstinence as a virtue. Instead, we believe that the world was created full of wonderful things for humans to enjoy within the confines of Jewish law. For instance, using a beautiful floral table setting and serving fancy cheesecake on the holiday of Shavuot elevates an otherwise materialistic pursuit into the spiritual plane (provided one has their intentions in the right place). There is nothing shameful about worldly pursuits. It is our job to imbue them with meaning.

Through shared food traditions, Jews across the globe can be united in the diaspora. Even when these traditions take on different forms – some dip an apple in honey, while others use sugar, but we are all striving to symbolize the sweetness of the coming year. We may not speak the same language verbally, but our stomachs know how to communicate love, comfort, and community across all barriers. Which is why I particularly love reading books that incorporate elements of Jewish cuisine. 

In Stacey Agdern’s sweet contemporary m/f romance, Love and Latkes, food takes center stage – literally. Our heroine Batya, aspiring to be the host of food related TV programming, is given the opportunity of a lifetime. The celebrity judge of a local Hanukkah food competition has dropped out and Batya is offered the gig as a trial run to see how she handles the spotlight. If she does well, she can advance in the large food related television network that is broadcasting the competition. The hitch? Her crush from high school will be competing in order to further his dream of opening a Jewish deli. The romance is sweet but the applesauce is sweeter as the competition provides an excuse to learn about Hanukkah related fare from around the world (include a memorable foray into cheese latkes!)

Television competition also provides the setting for Amanda Elliot’s adult contemporary m/f romance, Sadie on a Plate. Sadie is a professional chef in uncertain career circumstances thanks to the shenanigans of her ex boyfriend and former boss, whom the reader comes to loathe with a passion usually reserved for chopped liver. She is pulled from this funk by the opportunity to compete in a highly popular reality TV cooking competition. The show and resulting publicity could reboot her flailing career trajectory. Except when she inadvertently falls for one of the judges on the plane ride over things get complicated. Now she has to battle her feelings even as she battles in the kitchen – modernizing classics like gefilte fish and matzah ball soup under the watchful eye of the crush she must pretend she doesn’t know personally. Sadie finds herself through food and in a lovely bunch of side arcs- so do the other contestants. 

A competition of entirely different sorts is found in Jennieke Cohen’s young adult “My Fair Lady” retelling, My Fine Fellow. In this alternate history 1830’s London, gastronomy reigns supreme and two budding culinarians attempt to teach a Jewish food peddler from the streets the finer arts of cooking for the rich and famous. Aside from the intricate haute cuisine descriptions, this book also contains an complex discussion about how various Jews keep kosher and what this means for a chef with non-Jewish clientele. The storyline also delves into how lack of knowledge about Jewish food restrictions often leads to inadvertent antisemitism and microaggressions. There is overt antisemitism present, but in this kinder, gentler London, where women aspire to high ranking careers through food, culinary talent wins out over preformed prejudices.

Also in the young adult realm is Betsy Aldredge’s contemporary m/f romance Eight Dates and Eight Nights. Set in Texas, with New York City dweller Hannah stuck at her grandmother’s house in a small town in Texas over Hanukkah, this book features a variety of Jewish Deli favorites, including Hanukkah foods like latkes. Hannah, homesick and grieving the loss of her usual Hanukkah celebrations, finds comfort in the unexpected presence of a Jewish deli on main street. Turns out there is an old Jewish community in the town, and their deli needs saving. The deli owner’s grandson Noah vows to bring the joy of Hanukkah back to Hannah’s life even as she helps him secure additional deli customers through increased social media usage. Because it turns out Hannah isn’t the only one looking for that nostalgic taste of home that only deli food can bring to an Ashkenaz city Jew who just so happens to be in Texas. The food descriptions are stellar, but even better is the acknowledgement that many such communities – in places “city” Jews might not expect to meet them – exist and thrive. Plus they make a mean bagel.

Speaking of city Jews celebrating Hanukkah – The Dreidel Do-Over by Amanda Usen is full of them. Specifically, our main character Talia is a chef, currently providing catering for a boat full of Jews celebrating Hanukkah when the bartender on the same boat cruise starts to flirt with her. Talia runs the catering brand “The Jewish Grandmother,” and it turns out the bartender is her long lost friend from summer camp, Asher. Now that they are all grown up, sparks are flying, but there’s one hitch – Asher hates Hanukkah due to various disappointing life events that have occurred surrounding that day. Food, specifically Talia’s extremely creative takes on classic Ashkenazi Jewish food, helps him find a way back to both his roots and to her.

Connecting with ones roots is also the subject of Aimee Lucido’s Middle Grade contemporary novel, Recipe for Disaster. Main character Hannah loves to bake but hasn’t really thought much about the Jewish aspect of her heritage until she attends her best friends Bat Miztvah and starts desiring one of her own. Her mother is no pro-this idea, but together with her grandmother, Hannah is determined to prove she really is Jewish despite not having attended temple. Readers who wonder if they are “Jewish enough”, or who connect to Judaism through cultural elements like food rather prayer, Torah scholarship, or Synagouge attendance will really identify with her story. The recipes included are for both food and life, because everyone connects to Judaism differently – sometimes even in the same family – but food is universal.

I’d love to see even more Jewish food cultures represented in literature – including books featuring sephardic and mizrachi foods. They take me on a journey that truly activated every one of my senses while connecting me to Jews past, present, and future who have enjoyed and will cottninue enjoying the celebration of our lives through food.

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Find the Books listed in this post:

Love and Latkes: Goodreads | Bookshop | Amazon | BookishlyJewish Review

Sadie on a Plate: Goodreads | Bookshop | BookishlyJewish Review

My Fine Fellow: Goodreads | Bookshop | Amazon | BookishlyJewish Review

Eight Dates and Eights Nights: Goodreads | Bookshop | Amazon | BookishlyJewishReview

The Dreidel Do-Over: Goodreads | Amazon | BookishlyJewish Review

Recipe for Disaster: Goodreads | Bookshop | Amazon | BookishlyJewish Review

Second chance romance is a trope that pairs particularly well with the Jewish high holidays – a time when all Jews have the potential to receive a second chance. We are given the special opportunity to make things right between ourselves and God. The process is available all year round, but is especially accessible during that time of year. It is a time to take stock, but also to set goals for the upcoming year. So I really loved how Jennifer Wilck’s second chance adult romance, Home for the Challah Days, uses Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur as a backdrop. 

Sarah is a motivated career woman making a difference by working with Jewish nonprofits in Washington DC, but she’s come home to her small town for the holidays. It’s a needed break to think over her boyfriends recent, surprise proposal of marriage, but also to realize how much she has changed during her time away. And small towns being small towns, she also can’t help but keep running into her old high school flame Aaron who is taking over his family’s deli as his parents prepare to retire. 

Distance and poor communication killed Sarah and Aaron’s relationship after her move, but it’s clear from their very first meeting that these two still harbor feelings for each other. Those feelings may whiplash between hate and love so quickly the reader gets neck pain trying to keep up, but it’s clear there is so much unresolved emotion that is still there for both of them. After an antisemitic vandalism incident rocks the town, Sarah is able to step up and realizes she can also make a difference by using her advocacy skills at home. This has the added bonus of not requiring her to give up her entire personality to be what other people, namely her DC boyfriend, think she should be. Meanwhile Aaron realizes that he still misses her, needs to accept help from others, and above all has to work on his communication. 

I particularly enjoyed the Rabbi character, as she is both wise and relatable. Sarah spends a significant amount of time thinking about the dietary, exercise, (and fashion) changes she has made to accommodate her boyfriend so this may not be the book for anyone with an eating disorder who would find that triggering. In addition, there is a very sexy bagel eating scene that I would suggest not reading while eating an actual bagel unless you are OK with dropping it by accident as you get caught up in the action. The book is medium to high heat with several open door sex scenes. 

My only issue with the story comes in the resolution of the antisemitic incidents. Judaism has separate processes for atonement and forgiveness, and no third party should ever pressure a victim to forgive when they are not ready, especially without any visible atonement from the perpetrator. In addition, if one feels the criminal justice system in which they reside is unjust then they should endeavor to keep all people from it, not just the lightest offender. So there was some unevenness there for me. However, in the subsequent pages we finally do meet the offender in question and see a process of repentance that is well under way. I just wish we would have gotten to see this earlier, before victims were asked to extend clemency.

Yom Kippur does not work to absolve sins between people in which someone was harmed. Unlike in some other religions, Judaism does not promise forgiveness to all those who simply confess their sins against others. There is work involved. Changing as a person and performing victim-centric reparative action is required. It was lovely to see Aaron and Sarah acknowledge the mistakes they made in their pasts and figure out how to do better -together.

Note: BookishlyJewish received a review copy of this book from the author after she offered one in hopes of an honest review. 

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Find It: Goodreads | Bookshop | Amazon

I’ll never forget the day in graduate school when I realized exactly how ethically fraught the practice of science is. A guest lecturer was presenting some recent advances in his lab. I won’t go into specifics, but at some point he put up a slide and all I could think was “Sure, I believe that he can do that …but should he?” We all have our different breaking points, but everyone has that moment. It’s why many programs require some form of ethics or liberal arts training for scientists and healthcare workers. Without a critical eye towards their work, anyone can easily slide into murky waters. I expect to find those classes listed in the curriculum for advanced degrees. I didn’t expect to find the topic in a graphic picture book for younger readers. 

Frankenstein Matzah written by K. Marcus and illustrated by Sam Loman follows the story of young Vee, a non-binary scientist seeking to animate a matzah for their school science fair project. On the night of the Seder, Vee actually succeeds, calling their creation a “mantzah.” Vee then proceeds to ask themself a whole host of ethical questions. Do they own the mantzah since they created it? Can anyone own the mantzah since it is sentient? Was this a good thing to do in the first place? Should they skip the science fair? 

In absence of answers, they stash the mantzah in the basement while the family Seder is proceeding. Some hilarity involving the family cat, the eating of matzah, and Vee’s younger sibling ensues. At the end of it all, Vee finds inspiration in the Passover story and realizes they don’t want to be like Pharaoh. It’s an appropriate settling of scores and Vee is rewarded for that choice. 

It’s nice to see STEM in books for younger readers, especially graphic novels, and there are several fun seder science experiments included. Plus, the author’s note felt particularly meaningful. Frankenstein’s Matzah is a good read in preparation for Passover or your local science fair, but I’d encourage parents to ask their young readers to explore the ethical side of the situation with them in an age appropriate level. What do they think about the matzah experiment? Does Vee own the mantzah? What should the mantzah do in this situation? How about Vee’s parents?

The book is obviously fun, but it can also be a catalyst for family discussion. Maybe if we had more of these talks in our homes, students would stop protesting when they are “forced” to include some liberal arts or ethics training into their science education. Most of all, maybe we would all stop and think, about MANY daily actions, “just because I can, does that mean I should?”

Note: BookishlyJewish received an e-arc of this book from the author after she filled out our Suggest A Book Form.

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Find It: GoodReads | Bookshop | Amazon

In honor of Tu B’shvat, the Jewish New Year for trees, we have an interview with Gillian Freedman author of Jews Milk Goats, the true story of how she and her spouse moved from North London to a small holding in rural Bedfordshire called The Gables. When the book was sent through our Suggest A Book Form, we knew immediately this would make a great feature for the holiday. Gillian was incredibly cordial, provided all the amazing photos that accompany the interview, and shared that at The Gables they plant a tree every year for Tu B’shvat. So settle in and get to know her with the interview!

BookishlyJewish: When I first read the cover copy for the book, I couldn’t help but smile. It’s such an interesting, and potentially hilarious situation. Without giving too much away, can you talk a little about why you left North London to take up farming?

Gillian Freedman: Back in the 1970s my husband, Jeremy, and I left London for the first time to live on a small patch of land in a cottage with a thatched roof.  We had the hippy dream of “living off the land” and we did this for nearly five years until we had one child and another on the way.  We realized that Devon, a county in the West of England, was too far from our families and Jewish life and we also needed to further our careers – mine as a physical therapist and Jeremy as an attorney.  

We became fully immersed in communal Jewish life in London as well as joining sports teams and giving our growing children a rich cultural diet.  Our son and daughter benefited from the close relationship they developed with their grandparents and great grandparents. Family Friday nights and synagogue on Shabbat shaped our week. 

Then, 30 years after we returned to London,  the children had grown up and established families of their own and Jeremy and I were ready for a new adventure.  We could have stayed within our cosy North London Jewish cocoon but we were both restless and felt that the time was right to spread our wings before the window of opportunity closed and we became too old and set in our ways.  

We bought a run down house and five acres that were only 60 miles from London and yet in the heart of the rural county of Bedfordshire. There was a 300-year old barn and stable block that had almost fallen down. The field and garden had lain fallow for over 40 years and we were keen to roll up our sleeves and get to work. We like a challenge and knocking The Gables into shape would prove to be the most rewarding challenge of our long marriage.

Although our friends and family were concerned about our ability to work, to farm and continue to live an observant Jewish life we were convinced that we could do it all.

BookishlyJewish: There are many, many rules in Judaism about farming and caring for animals. Can you talk a little about if any of this impacted your experience?

Gillian Freedman: In the second paragraph of the shema we learn that we Jews must care for our animals before we satisfy our own needs. That translates into getting up early in the morning to feed and water the livestock and to milk the goats before we come inside to daven and then have our breakfast.

On Shabbat our lighting and heating in the house is on a time switch. During the week we have a small, electric machine that we use  to milk the goats. On Shabbat we hand milk as we cannot turn the electricity off and on. Jewish law states that we are not allowed to use that milk for ourselves on Shabbat. The cats, Nigel and Mabel, are delighted to help us by lapping up saucers of surplus milk.

At Passover we sell our animals, their food and their housing in the same way that we sell our chametz. 

We do not castrate any of our lambs, kids, or calves because this is forbidden in Jewish law.

Jeremy is a keen beekeeper and he has been investigating how it is that Jews are permitted to eat honey which is the product of the bee, which is a non kosher creature. He has an answer but it would take at least an hour to explain the reason! Suffice to say Jews are allowed to eat honey but only from one species the Western Honeybee, apis mellifera.

BookishlyJewish: Does Judaism inform your farming experience and connection to the land?

Gillian Freedman: When we read the Torah we can see that Judaism is an agricultural religion, tied to seasons and harvests, animal welfare, sacrifices and tithes and much, much more. 

As Jews have become, for the most part, urban dwellers the connection to the land has been lost.  Jeremy and I not only live in harmony with the land, the seasons and the animals but we appreciate the laws that we read in the Torah that relates to all these agricultural issues.

Our flock of sheep are Jacob sheep, the very same species that Jacob took from his uncle Laban when he worked for him in order to be given the hand of Rachel.  The DNA of Jacob sheep has been traced back to the middle east and in recent years Jacob sheep have been reintroduced to Israel by a couple from Canada.  

Above all I see and experience the Creator’s hand in the beauty that I experience at The Gables every single day and, as so many of our visitors say, “It is a small slice of Gan Eden.” 

BookishlyJewish: What was the most surprising thing about the experience for you?

Gillian Freedman: From the outset we decided to be “out and open” about our Jewish identity and customs. Our neighbours would either accept us as we were or reject us. Not only have we been embraced by the community but they have shown a great interest in our Judaism, the Sabbath and the festivals, and are tremendously respectful. When I sat shiva for my mother many of my local friends paid condolence visits. We hold an annual Chanukah party and our friends surprise us by the number of latkes and donuts they can eat in one evening. They understand that we cannot eat in their houses and they are delighted to eat in ours! After the October 7^th massacre and atrocities I received message after message of concern and support from my local non-Jewish friends in the village and those in the nearby town. This support has continued and this sympathy has been far greater than my Jewish friends in London have received from their non-Jewish colleagues and acquaintances.  

BookishlyJewish: At some point you obviously sat down and decided to write a book about this journey. How did you come to that decision and was it hard to write?

Gillian Freedman: I have been a “scribbler” all my life and I have always wanted to write a book. I worked, brought up a family, ran a charity in my spare time for over 20 years and then took on the project at The Gables. My widowed mother passed away nearly two years ago. She and I were the best of friends and adored each others company. I would drive up and down to London twice a week to see her.  When she died I knew that it was a case of now or never for me to sit down and start that book that I had promised I would write. The catalyst was buying the goats – but that is a long story and in the book.  I started to write last year in January. Completely changed the format and shape in March and it was completed in late summer 2023.  

BookishlyJewish: Is there an intended audience for the book?

Gillian Freedman: It is a book for everyone and anyone.

The book has been read by secular Jewish readers who have told me that they have learnt a great deal about our Jewish calendar and festivals.

Religious Jews have responded to the history of the Jews in England and the stories of the animals.

Non-Jewish readers (many in the county) have told me that I was the first Jew they had ever met and now they have a greater understanding of Jewish life and practice from reading the book.

There really is, as my brother and children tell me, something for everyone.  Whether it is history, or farming, religion, animal welfare, funny stories and sad ones too.  It is all there but with, I hope and have been told, a light touch.

BookishlyJewish: What do you hope readers will take away from the book?

Gillian Freedman: I would like my Jewish readers to know that they can have the courage to be proud and observant Jews in whatever setting they live.  If we are true to ourselves and our lifestyle then I believe that others will show us respect. I want non-Jewish readers to understand our history and to realize that we are few in number, have survived many persecutions, but that we can contribute positively to society wherever we make our home.

BookishlyJewish: How did the goat, out of all the animals you cared for, get the place of honor in the books title?

Gillian Freedman: We sold our cows during the Covid Lockdowns.  We had never milked our cattle but had allowed them to feed their calves for a year.  Although Jeremy was very fond of the cows I was somewhat intimidated by their size and when the goats came into our lives I fell in love with them straight away.  All our visitors, young and old, are drawn to the goats. In fact it was because of the research that I did when we bought the goats that I actually decided to write the book.  Besides which Willow, the leader of the herd, is not an animal to be ignored.  She would have been extremely grumpy if I had not put her on the cover of the book!

BookishlyJewish: Fun fact about goats our readers might not know?

Gillian Freedman: Goats are highly intelligent creatures.  They are affectionate and enjoy cuddles and kisses.  Contrary to popular myth they do not “eat everything and anything.”  They are actually very discerning about their diet and if their hay falls on the ground they will not touch it.  

BookishlyJewish: I always end by asking every author if they have a favorite Jewish book to recommend to our readers.

Gillian Freedman: I recommend the book Outwitting History by Aaron Lansky.  As a young man of 23 years of age he set out to save the abandoned Yiddish books before it was too late. His quest grew and grew and although at the outset experts thought that only 70,000 Yiddish texts still existed he has so far rescued over 1.5 million Yiddish books.

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Catch up with Gillian on her blog and linkedin

My childhood was punctuated in Barbie. Every birthday, I marched right up to the Barbie aisle and selected a doll, doll outfit, or furniture set. I was shown all manner of other toys by my parents. My options were limited only by our budget. I simply knew what I wanted, and what I wanted was a foot tall and could wear a wedding gown in the morning followed by a bathing suit in the afternoon and a power suit in the evening. On a trip to NYC, I rode the FAO Schwartz elevator and enviously drooled over the Barbie shoe lava lamps. How many orphaned Barbie shoes could even one of those pillars have matched up for me?

Like most of my friends, Barbie wasn’t all about fashion for me. She was also a way for me to be different people, try on different roles, and even flex my entrepreneur spirit. I sewed my first ever homemade garment for Barbie – a hooded riding cloak with gold trim. And all along, I had no idea that Barbie’s creator was Jewish. Until I saw someone mention it in a review of Barbie and Ruth, a biography of Ruth Handler, the woman who invented the Barbie Doll, written by Robin Gerber. I immediately knew I had to read the book too.

I opened Barbie and Ruth with the same anticipation that I opened a new doll box as a kid. I loved that Ruth had the guts to do what her inventor husband could not – actually run a business – and how their marriage lasted through the roller coaster that followed. I felt really seen when Ruth explained that little girls do not necessarily want to play with baby dolls. Sometimes they want their play to allow them to be bigger girls. This realization, that girls want a chance to try out numerous careers and ways of being a woman, was in my opinion Ruth’s true genius. There were similar dolls on the European market, but they were for adults and had more salacious purposes. Through Barbie and Ruth, I realized that Ruth Handler saw the raw power of letting girls imagine a world with limitless possibilities open to them. Plus, she had the chutzpah to use television advertising to convince a male dominated toy industry to buy a doll they swore would never sell because they assumed no respectable mother would buy a doll with boobs for her daughter.

Barbie and Ruth does not hold back from darker truths. Ruth was indicted for tax fraud, the Mattel employees quoted have very differing takes on her character and working style, her daughter Barbara (Barbie’s namesake) resented her for working, and her son Ken passed away from HIV/AIDS at a time when nobody in “polite society” talked about HIV or being queer. This struck me as fairly ironic since little girls all over the world have been known to explore their own sexuality by having two Barbie’s kiss and Earring Magic Ken became almost a gay icon.

Ruth is shown for what she likely was – a business pioneer during a time when women were told to stay at home, but also a polarizing figure who may have indeed been aware of tax fraud at Mattel, at least to some degree. To me, after reading the evidence presented, it felt like nobody was willing to give Ruth her proper title when it was due, her husband had to be CEO for a long time despite Ruth carrying out all CEO type duties, but everyone was more than willing to place the blame on her when the time came for that. It’s the story of being a powerful woman. Nobody claps when you’re up but they all come to throw stones when you’re on your way down.

However, if you’ve ever had a Barbie you’d understand that her creator likely couldn’t be kept down for long. Just like Barbie, Ruth had many acts. She was also a double mastectomy survivor who tried to move forward from the Barbie tax fraud debacle by starting a company that produced comfortable, confidence boosting, prosthesis for mastectomy survivors. Remember that reconstructive options were nill back then, and available prosthesis were bulky and ill fitting. Ruth gave women like herself, who had undergone unwanted mastectomies and mourned the loss of their breasts to cancer, a means to hold their heads up and still feel beautiful. She is also depicted as handling Ken’s illness with understanding and grace, as a contributor to several Jewish philanthropic causes, and in later life a mentor for women in business settings.

The prose of Barbie and Ruth is workmanlike. It felt to me more like a legal brief than a novel, which paired well with the framing of the narrative. The intro foreshadows Ruth’s legal troubles and then the book goes back in time to show the entire build up to the ultimate court case and later resolution. This includes Ruth’s growing up as the child of Jewish immigrants with a large family and being raised by her eldest sister. This book is not written in the style of biographies that are meant to feel like fiction or thrillers. I needed time to digest and make my way through. 

After finishing the book, I became one of the last people in the known universe to finally watch the Barbie Movie. I enjoyed the Ruth Handler cameo character, and based on the book felt it was truly representative of Ruth the woman. Much has been said about the movie and its different representations of feminism. I’m not a movie critic, so I’ll simply direct you to read those voices for a nuanced take on those issues while I focus on Ruth and her vision for Barbie. Barbie, like Ruth, has her flaws. Many of them are pointed out in the movie. None of us is perfect, but for some of us, Barbie lead us to believe that we could still dream big.

Barbie had every career under the sun, and above it – looking at you astronaut Barbie! -so it makes me smile to realize that I ultimately chose a career for which I didn’t have the corresponding Barbie as a child. Because isn’t that the point? By giving me so many different ways to play, to be, to exist, as a woman (albeit most frequently as a slim, white woman who never gave any indication of being Jewish) Ruth Handler allowed me to think past what was in front of me and dream for myself. I’ll never have Barbie’s figure, and I’m no blonde, but Barbie still had something meaningful for me and Ruth’s story did too. Because this little girl most definitely liked to pretend she was a big girl. And she still does, even after she’s all grown. 

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Writing romance was an interesting genre switch for me as an author. On the one hand, it’s not like I was transitioning from commercial sci fi to litfic, and I’ve always had a lot of romance in my speculative fiction, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected for me to expand my artistic portfolio in this way. On the other hand, there was a whole new world of reader expectations for me to tackle – including new tropes. There were many that came easily to me, others that came with a bit of practice (fittingly, slow burn is in this category), but there is one that I just never took to – enemies to lovers. I struggle to see how two people who well and truly hate each other, and have justifiable reasons to do so, can fall in love. So I was curious to see how Arden Joy would handle this in her debut adult romance, Keep This Off The Record.

The story follows old high school rivals Abby and Freya as they meet again years later at a reunion. Predictably, things do not go well. However, neither can put the incident behind them and move on since Abby’s best friend and Freya’s close coworker hit it off. Let’s just say the “enemies” portion of the story is very successful. I believed that these two hated each other with a passion. To the point where I almost didn’t continue past Chapter 3, because I too sincerely and deeply loathed Freya despite spending some time in her point of view. I was TeamAbby right off the bat, and when she threw her drink at Freya, it felt emotionally cathartic for me as a reader.

Freya is an award winning journalist and media darling, adored by her many fans as a trailblazer and feminist in an often male dominated space. She’s also the kind of person that values image and popularity above all else, sacrificing those around her to maintain power and status. This reader felt Freya’s every action was permeated by a deep hypocrisy. What kind of feminist mocks another woman for living alone or having a cat, and how image obsessed do you have to be to not so subtly pay off the bartender with an outsize tip so that she’ll take your side and ignore the fact that your high school BFFs are basically a two woman gossip mill intent on destroying everyone around them? Sure, we later learn that Freya is also deeply insecure and has sacrificed pieces of herself – including her queer identity – to maintain her position, but that doesn’t excuse the way she treated people in high school. Especially when she continues to repeat that behavior now. It made me not want to spend any more time with her, or in her head.

Luckily, the prose and banter in this book were so hilarious, they pulled me along into the later chapters. Much of this witticism comes in the form of a delightful cast of supporting characters. Indeed, these secondary characters get much more page time than I am used to in a romance and there is a second love story embedded within the main romance. Abby’s best friend Naomi falls in love with Freya’s associate producer Will. Their relationship provides much of the drama for the book and is very satisfying, as is the entire bride crew. I was especially hooked by Riley, the nonbinary fashion designer, who somehow manages to make everything better.

In terms of heat level the friend crew banter is definitely X-rated. However, the actual romance on page is limited to a few steamy kisses and sexts, after which everything fades to black. As someone who prefers her romances high heat and my banter clever without relying on sexual jokes, I might have swapped those two, but that is a personal reading preference and it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book. This was safe enough to read on the subway and the attraction and embraces were so well done I can only hope Joy experiments with leaving the door open in some of her future offerings.

Not liking a main character off the bat is not an immediate DNF for me. As a Jew, I believe in reparation of both the world and ones own personal short comings. However, I also believe that secretly having feelings for someone does not justify treating them like garbage. It is not cute from kids on the playground and it is certainly not OK from an adult. It takes a very specific type of soul searching to move on from that type of behavior, and I saw none of this from Freya while she and Abby were starting to realize they may have more than friendly feelings for each other. She ponders what her prior actions might say about her as a person, but she has not yet shown any capacity to stop harming others (or herself) in an effort to keep up her image. It is therefore a very tidy narrative move when this exact issue is what leads to the third act break up and Freya has to actually recon with her behavior and take some public risk in order to win Abby back.

In the epilogue we see Freya complete more of this work, including having an impact on the world at large, and I was grateful for it. Because while all the sexy banter and arguing leading to kissing is fun, what typically holds me back from this particular trope is that oftentimes there is no believable process of character transformation. Without it, the reader is left wondering how long this relationship will actually last and how much hurt the characters are in for down the road. Here we get a full view of Freya taking her change forward and trying to help others recognize that they should not need to put others down in order to succeed in life.

Abby and Naomi are both Jewish, and there are casual references to hosting a Rosh Hashana dinner, attending Hebrew school, and Abby wearing a star of David necklace. Freya, Will and several of their friends are not Jewish. The book therefore features two interfaith romances, although it does not dwell much on how the characters feel about that aspect of their relationships. It simply shows people who just so happen to be Jews living their regular life, with the Jewish practice that they choose to engage with completely normalized into their existence. I really, really love when books just let Jewish people be themselves, without any heavy handed exposition.

Overall, I’m glad I stuck around. Keep This Off The Record has some very delightful banter, a well rounded group of friends, and an actually believable enemies to lovers plot line. The major star, for me, was the prose which shone from the very first page. I’m interested to see what Arden Joy writes next.

Note: BookishlyJewish received a physical arc of this book from the publisher after they reached out to offer one. No strings were attached, but presumably they were hoping for a review.

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We were thrilled with the opportunity to sit down with Laura Samotin to talk about her upcoming book The Sins on Their Bones. We’ve been following Laura, even before the book announcement, due to her fantastic reputation as an editor and overall supportive vibe. Read on for more about folktales, how to talk with demons, writing vs. editing, and so much more!

 BookishlyJewish: Where did the idea for this story come from?

Laura Samotin: I was reading through some books on Eastern European Jewish folklore and came across the story of the homunculus of Maimonides, which included this fascinating “recipe” for creating this kind of creature. At the same time, I’d been playing around with Dimitri as a character—a man who had lost everything and blamed himself, even though objectively what happened to him wasn’t his fault. I didn’t have a story to put him into, but after reading these folktales, the threads of a plot began to come together. That’s how most of my writing works: scraps of story ideas all gather in my brain, until they eventually come together into something resembling a coherent idea.

BookishlyJewish: I imagine a ton of research went into writing this particular story, care to share any highlights?

Laura Samotin: I knew, when writing TSTB, that I wanted the book to be set in a Jewish-normative world, with a magic system based entirely on Jewish myth and mysticism. In order to make that happen, I relied on a number of scholarly and primary source texts—I have a research background, and so delving into this book the same way I researched my PhD dissertation was quite fun for me. While I have a bibliography of key texts in my author’s note, I think one of the highlights for me was reading about the ways in which Jewish mystics thought that people could interact with demons, including the (fairly disgusting) advice that people who wanted to see demons could put the powdered afterbirth of a black cat into their eyes (do not try this at home).

BookishlyJewish: That sounds like hard work! How long did this book take to bring to fruition, from idea conception to the soon to be publication?

Laura Samotin: I am a very fast writer. I wrote the first draft of this book in 19 hours over the course of a month in June 2021, but then spent the last two years revising it with my agent, and then my editor. While the initial task of putting pen to paper was quite quick, it took hundreds of hours and countless revisions to really get to the heart of the story.

BookishlyJewish: I bet that answer will surprise many of our readers. Have there been any surprises for you in the book journey, either in how the story developed or in the publishing  process?

Laura Samotin: When this book went out on submission (the process where agents send the book to editors at publishing houses to see if anyone wants to buy it for publication), it had three points of view – Dimitri, his ex-husband Alexey, and a soldier named Zora. After an R&R by my now-editor, the book was acquired with three points of view – Dimitri, Alexey, and Dimitri’s spymaster Vasily. I won’t spoil the story, but suffice it to say that my editor was able to see to the heart of what the plot should have been initially, and a whole series of things fell into place when I made that POV switch.

BookishlyJewish: Who is the ideal audience for the book?

Laura Samotin: One of the best surprises for me was just how much readers connected with TSTB, Jewish or not. While I hope that Jewish readers feel at home in the book’s pages,  I also intended for this to be a universal story about love, loss and belonging. Anyone who enjoys fantasy should (hopefully!) be a fan of the book. And if you’re someone who picks things to read via AO3-style tags, TSTB has: emotional hurt/comfort, mutual pining, slow burn, angst, friends to lovers, lovers to enemies, found family, confessions, and also “this story features a goat”.

BookishlyJewish: I’m in it for the goat! But seriously, is there anything you are hoping readers take away after finishing the book?

Laura Samotin: In many ways this book is about grief, the grieving process, and the ways in which it both hurts and heals to examine your past through a different lens. Dimitri’s journey is one of forgiveness of himself, and I hope that’s meaningful for readers who struggle with similar issues.

BookishlyJewish: A lot of our readers are also writers, do you have a piece of advice for them that you wish someone had shared with you?

Laura Samotin: Don’t compare your writing to books on the shelves. TSTB, when it gets into readers’ hands, will be the product of hundreds of hours of work on the part of dozens of professionals, from my agent to my editor, to in-house readers and copyeditors and sensitivity readers and more. The first draft that I wrote is very different from the finished product, and I wouldn’t be capable of producing that final product in isolation. A lot of writers get discouraged because they don’t think they’re “as good” as the authors they admire, but it’s important to remember that all of those authors had a lot of professional assistance in polishing that book and making it as good as possible.

BookishlyJewish: What’s next for you and your writing?

Laura Samotin: The sequel to TSTB will be released in 2025, so once TSTB has made it to shelves, that’s my focus for the foreseeable future! I’m excited to connect with readers as a debut author, and look forward to continuing to support and uplift other Jewish SFF authors. 

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