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 … 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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It is the rare novel that manages to be both achingly sympathetic and formidably honest. I Am Forbidden is both of these, and much more. Anouk Markovits’s exploration of the obligations of faith — and the equally pressing obligations of the loving heart and inquisitive mind — is riveting.
Gave insight into the lives of Orthodox Jews.
Powerful and disturbing read. It will stay with you long after you read it.
Great story; well- told.
It gave me great insight into this strange religious sect & also saddened me that people are forced to live like this in the name of religion.
This book presented a fairly comprehensive look into the world of the Haredim (Orthodox Jews). I felt transported to another world that I have never known. Many interesting details of Haredim life. I was able to empathize with them as people with the same concerns and cares that we all have. The empathy that the author allows me to feel also lead …
I appreciated an inside look at an isolated Jewish sect, and an understanding of what isolationism does to people. Well written and intriguing.
It was hard sometimes to understand some of the ethnic words dispite that it was intersting
Good book
I recommend this book despite the rating of 3 stars. It’s very realistic and helps you understand the orthodox Jewish religion and what it requires of an individual.
Very human!
A little hard to get into to start but then you can’t put it down. People from a different world but the reader gets so drawn in and you care about the characters.
Heart wrenching and difficult the read, but informative
This novel is truly a seminal work on the topic of Jewish Fundamentalism. With unparalleled detail and poignant storytelling, this saga of a Satmar family explores and debunks the myths upon which the extreme version of Judaism we know today was founded, and it does so with a resounding clang. I found myself gripping the edge of my seat quite a …
In this gem of a book Anouk Markovits takes a reader to an exotic world, portrayed with such warmth and precision that the journey feels perfectly real and the characters become your intimate friends.
Maybe not for everyone, but I found this book fascinating. While I was aware of the Hasidic existence, I had never learned about the practices and beliefs of this sect.
This writing really helped me to learn more about the beliefs and practices of some of the sects of the Hasids. It was moving and very thought provoking. Some of us are qucik to judge what we do nnot understand and this account opened my eyes to see the world through the eyes of women who live in this culture. Americans are noted for our emphasis …
My first foray with this author and was pleasantly surprised. Terrific insights into the multi-generational family of survivors of the halocaust. It was so sad how it affected the next generation and beyond.
Interesting look at a culture I was totally unaware of.
A little confusing at first. Great characters. Sad story.