Monday, May 14, 2012

2012 book 136

Anouk Markovits' I Am Forbidden
I'd never heard of this book until reading about it in Entertainment Weekly (mentioned twice in the latest issue) which my mom also read, prompting her to buy this and rave about it to me. And if your mom recommends a book to you on Mother's Day, I think you're morally obligated to read it. Luckily this book is excellent, despite the mixed reviews on Amazon--I think the fact that it takes place in such a Hasidic environment throws some readers off, but my mom and I are pretty comfortable reading about such things. :) Anyway, it's the story of a Transylvanian Jewish Hasidic family from WWII to the present--and especially of two little girls who grow into very different adults. (Interestingly, the one who is more like Markovits is much less present in the second half of the book.) Very sensitive portrayal of Hasidism (well, mostly) and though some parts are just like WHAT I liked this a lot. A-.

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