Lorri M. Book Review: The Golem and the Jinni

I have been busy reading. I don’t normally read a book in this genre, but from the first page I was wrapped within the story. The 496-page book The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel, by Helene Wecker, is quite unique and extraordinary, and for a first novel, I thought it was extremely well-written. I would rate the novel 3.5 stars, with five being the highest, mainly due to the historical background.

It is a story, as the title states, about a golem and a jinni. The novel is a combination of historical fiction, fantasy, superstition, and so much more. The golem is a super-strong, clay creature in female form that was created for a man who is a withdrawn person, and can not seem to find a wife, a woman who wants to be married to him. He decides to have her created to specific specifications. He takes the golem with him, when he departs for New York City from Europe. Her “master” dies on the ship, and she disembarks in New York City. She meets a Rabbi, who takes her in, knowing she is of the “earth”. She begins her “life” with Jewish roots.

The Jinni has managed to escape out of the lamp he has been held in for over one thousand years, due to a tinsmith breaking inadvertently creating an opening. He is a jinni that has been imprisoned within the walls of the lamp, and comes out in human form in New York City. His origins are Arabian Syria, and through fire as his force, he must stay away from water, especially rivers and rain. The two of them eventually meet, and their unusual friendship begins.

Their relationship develops, each one a stranger and immigrant in a new land. Each one not actually human, yet each one takes on human qualities. The story envelops Arabs, Muslims and Jews within the pages, not in a conflicting manner, but in acceptance of each other and their cultures. That, in itself, is worth the read. The communities of Little Syria and the Jewish sector, blend together, and the reader is given scenes of life, not only in the two communities within New York City, but of 1898 New York City just before the turn of the century. The writing of the scenarios by Wecker is fantastic! Wecker is masterful in her descriptions of New York City at the end of the 19th century. Her ability to illuminate the streets filled with carts, horses, trolleys, architecture, people from all over the world, shops, and daily life is impeccable. She captures the very essence of olde New York City. The reader can visualize her portraits, inhale the aromas, hear the noises, and feel the essence of city life on a daily basis. Her minute details breathe life into each sentence, each page.

The fact that the Golem (Chava), and the Jinni (Ahmad) are basically immigrants learning to assimilate and cope with every day living in realms they don’t understand is not a new concept, in reality. But, within the fact that they are not human, not only do they have to try to blend in within their environment, but also have to try to appear to be human, with human mannerisms, actions, and qualities. Chava is bright and clever, always aware and cognizant. Jinni is mocking and arrogant, yet still trapped in human form. Chava is constantly watching and learning, trying to adapt. She is sensitive, and trusting, trying to find independence. Within that sphere, she must always remind herself not to show her physical strength. The Jinni can take on human form, and within that abilty, he must be cautious of his warmth, his sexual desires, his inability to feel emotions or understand others. He is self-absorbed.

There are other characters that play into the story line. From the Rabbi to the bakery owners, the tinsmith who lets Ahmad work in his shop to the ice cream man, people come and go within the pages, but all are integral to the story line. Cultural barriers are opened, and acceptance is gained by one community for the other. There are back stories, as the novel jumps back and forward in time, but not in a manner that the reader can’t keep up with. The back stories are as important as the current time period.

The supernatural, magical creatures, superstitions, Kabbalah all combine in one incredible novel. Some of it lends the reader to disassociate their non-belief, but that is the beauty of the story that Weckler has written.

The human condition and efforts to survive in an unknown land is brilliantly brought to the forefront with sensitivity and clarity. Many questions were brought to my mind: Is it worth the effort to try to overcome the challenges of cultural mores a nd realities? What is freedom? What is enslavement? Are we really slaves to our environment, or a slave to a former world with old and traditional ideals? Are we product of old and new? What is assimilation, and does it require mimicking those around us, or letting others manipulate us into what they want us to be? These and so many more questions were food for thought.

Within the pages of this fantasy and adventure story we see life through the eyes of those who are trying to find themselves within a strange, and sometimes hostile environment. Life is depicted in all of its beauty and ugliness, with the positives and the negatives. New York City is illuminated through vivid word-imagery, people and their personalities are excellently depicted. Cultural mores are drawn together, showing the similarities within both the Syrian community and the Jewish community. Each culture wants the same for their own kind. The human situation and all it encompasses are woven within the tapestry of the pages within The Golem and the Jinni.

Helene Wecker is masterful, in my opinion, in her ability to portray the characters within the varied settings and cultural aspects. I especially enjoyed the historical aspects of The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel, within the realm of an adult fairy tale!

May 20, 2013 11 Sivan, 5773

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Lorri M. Friday News 5/17/13

I reviewed the memoir, Country of Ash: A Jewish Doctor in Poland 1939-1945.

I wrote about Cancer in Varied Forms, this week.

I finished reading The Golem and the Jinni, and I absolutely enjoyed it, although it is not my normal genre of reading.

Hannah’s Nook has a delicious sounding Fruity Red Lentil Curry recipe posted.

Leora’s Sketching Out blog has a wonderful colored-pencil drawing: Fishing at the Raritan River: Man and Boy. What are your thoughts on it?

Visit Shiloh Musings and read her Jewish Blog Roundup which has several links to browse.

Zivah writes on Naso – raising us up.

Yidstock 2013 – The Festival of New Yiddish Music

Visit Women of the Wall to see their latest update.

The Jewish Journal has a post about the new documentary: State 194: A Documentary About Palestine.

Jewish Waltz With Planet Earth Retreat, such an interesting concept.

Shabbat Shalom!

Lorri M. Book Review: Country of Ash: A Jewish Doctor in Poland 1939-1945

Country of Ash: A Jewish Doctor in Poland 1939-1945, by Edward Reicher, is a compelling memoir, and one that speaks forthrightly about the Holocaust and how it affected Reicher and his family.

The horrific incidents and events that took place between 1939-1945 are depicted with candor, leaving no detail undisclosed. From the Lodz ghetto to the Warsaw ghetto and all locations in between, Reicher writes about the horrors of the Jewish ghetto life, the inhumanities that the Jewish population faced and had to deal with, and the agonizing moments of family separation.

At one point he had to make a choice between his severely ill father in his house, and his wife and child back home. He chose to stay with his father, because he felt he would not be able to go on without him. He felt that his family would be able to survive, and prayed he made the right decision.

Being a doctor who specialized in skin disorders, he was forced to treat the Germans. which he did. He was not given special privilege for his efforts. Reicher literally saved Germans from the agony of skin diseases, including syphilis and gonorrhea. He did so out of duty as a doctor. He also treated other Jews who ended up turning on him, and did nothing to help him. He eventually was able to hide on the Aryan side of Warsaw, disguised and running from place to place.

Reicher witnessed a lot of abusive actions and witnessed Jews being murdered. He, himself, suffered abuse, but he writes about that in a minor fashion compared to what other Jews endured. He had involvement with Chaim Rumkowski, a man that he described as a madman, and a self-appointed “King of the Jews”. He courageously testified against Hermann Hofle, and how Hofle helped send hundreds of thousands of Jews to their deaths in Poland.

Reicher survived the Holocaust, along with his wife and daughter. His daughter, Elisabeth Bizouard-Reicher translated her father’s book to French from Polish, and now, it has been translated to English by Magda Bogin.

Country of Ash: A Jewish Doctor in Poland 1939-1945 is not only a tribute to the strength, determination, and fortitude, but a tribute to all of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. It is a tribute to those who were not Jewish, yet did strive to offer a place to hide and offer food to Reicher and/or his family. It is a memoir that honors Reicher’s daughter, Elisabeth Bizouard-Reicher’s determination to see her father’s memoir in print for all the world to read the horrors and inhumanities suffered by the Polish Jews.

Country of Ash is intense, graphic with its depictions, and a brilliantly written account of one man’s environment and interactions during the Holocaust. It is written without flourish or exaggeration, but written as Edward Reicher witnessed events, and as he found himself involved in the many crossroads of decision and action.

It is not a book I will soon forget due to the extensiveness and intensity of the content, which makes it a difficult read. But, read, I had to, because I wanted to know the truth of his story. It is not a book I will soon forget.
May 16, 2013 – 7 Sivan, 5773

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Lorri M. Review: Where She Came From

Where She Came From: A Daughter’s Search for Her Mother’s History, by Helen Epstein is an extremely compelling memoir. We journey with Helen Epstein as she searches for her familial past, and searches for answers regarding her family members who were murdered during the Holocaust.

The book is difficult to put down, once you start to read it. I was engrossed in this book from the first page…although it was a slow read for me, because I wanted to grasp the intensity of the generational saga, and grasp the historical facts, correctly.

Epstein has more than proved herself as a writer in this dramatic memoir of family generations, identity, and history. We journey with her through time, through the positive and negative aspects, through the good and not so good, through the hardships and adversity. The reader is given remnants of life in a familial tapestry, through history, through the horrors of war, and how it affects all the generations, from past to present, and also how it can and will affect future generations.

From assimilating into society and racial and religious identity, to how one views themselves and what they identify with, Where She Came From is written with insight, often brutal in Epstein’s vivid descriptions. She writes with love, with yearning and the emotions of loss, she writes with clarity. Where She Came From is an extremely inspiring book.

How does one start over after enduring such atrocities and horrors? Is there laughter in your life, once again? How does the past affect the present? Does God exist? These are just a few of the questions Where She Came From leaves the reader to ponder, and Epstein pondered those issues and questions, and many more. She manages to weave a tapestry of her family, each moment in time adds to the fabric of her own identity, as she comes closer to some of her ancestral answers. We laugh with her, and cry with her, and we are inspired by Where She Came From.

Successive generations live with the past every day of their lives…it seems inevitable, and Epstein reinforces that theory through her writing. Epstein’s writing draws us in, and her memoir is intriguing, insightful and concise, but mainly it is extremely inspiring. In my opinion it is a must read for everyone, as its educational value is priceless.

Where She Came From is both compelling as a memoir and as a historical book. It is an incredible resource for schools, colleges, universities, and anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of life before, during and after the Holocaust.

I applaud Helen Epstein for such an exceptional read!

All rights reserved © Copyright 2007 – 2013 – All Rights Reserved – No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my express written consent/permissio

Lorri M. Review: The Innocents

The Innocents, by Francesca Segal, is a novel that explores relationships wrapped in subtleties that entice one to another. I have heard that the book is inspired by Edith Wharton’s “Age of Innocence”, and if true, did not find exacting similarities within the pages, other than the subtleties of temptation.

There are two main characters that are relevant to the story line: Adam Newman, Rachel Gibson. A third character, Ellie Schneider is intrusive, but a necessary part of the story line. Adam and Rachel live in Jewish London, engaged to be married, and will be married within a year. They are high school sweethearts. He adores her, loves her mannerisms, her face and the way he feels when he is around her. He would prefer getting married immediately. Rachel is a cute type, somewhat immature for a person in her twenties. She is the epitome of a pampered princess. She wrapped up in wedding plans, and the entire scenario of a social affair, complete with all the trimmings. She does not want that hindered in any aspect, and is obsessed with organizing it. .

Adam lives with a constant sense of grief within him, since his father died when he was a young boy. His soon-to-be father-in-law showers him with fatherly kindness, and found Adam a job in his company, but it isn’t enough. The sense of loss is a constant that follows him like a shadow.

Ellie Schneider arrives from New York, and the fireworks begin. Nuances arise, especially from Ellie. She is Jewish, also, Rachel’s cousin, yet the extreme opposite of Rachel. She is outgoing, aggressive, a porn film star (art house film according to the family) a drug user, and a blonde explosion of sexuality, even in synagogue, where one is expected to dress in a proper manner. Adam falls for her, and their supposedly subtle interactions foster his sense of yearning and desire for her. Temptation is strong, and Adam is torn between his commitment to Rachel, and his desire for Ellie.

Adam and Rachel have been protected throughout their lives by their families. They are both naive, and their naivety shows in their interactions, not only with each other, but others. They have been together for twelve years. Is their relationship founded more on habit than love? Do they really have the bond that their family members are so protective of? Is Adam and Rachel’s foundation built on substance and love? And, what of the family, do they see through the frailties and delicateness?

I found the story line to be enjoyable, and the writing to be vivid. Francesca Segal has written a first novel that is written with a sense of family dynamics that bind members together in a protective and loving fashion. The past is very much in the present within the family attitude, as stability, family priorities, and a sense of place is extremely important. Having come from a place of loss, older family members treasure the family fold and will do anything to protect its environment.

I recommend The Innocents, by Francesca Segal to those looking for insight on Jewish family life, family dynamics and the issues of requited love.

May 7, 2013 27 Iyyar, 5773

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Lorri M. Book Review: Bearing the Body

Bearing the Body, by Ehud Havazelet, is an intense look at family dynamics and the after-effects of the Holocaust in relation to the silence of the survivors, survivors trying to quietly assimilate in a new environment. Often times the events of the past are so horrific and traumatic, that they are difficult for one to bear. Havazelet has an deep comprehension of this.

Dysfunction reigns, and rains, heavily, through the clouds of family dynamics. Silence resounds loudly, echoing fragments of the past, of the Holocaust. Assimilation and trying to forget one’s past affects the children of survivors, in more ways than one can imagine. This novel depicts that dilemma. It is a story of survivors passing their burdens to the next generation to bear, within their bodies, both emotionally and mentally, not to mention the physical consequences of that decision. Secrets are kept, yet those very secrets are what has caused family rift, family anger, family emotional separation and lack of unity.

Sol, the father, is a Holocaust survivor, and a man who is silently carrying the burdens of the past. Due to his silence he is subject to strange behavior. Daniel, the eldest son, has unexpectedly died. Nathan, the youngest son, is a boy in a man’s body. Nathan is stuck in time, and can’t seem to evolve from his childhood. He has hang-ups, including use of marijuana, alcohol, and has sexually obsessive issues. He is a womanizer, and his life revolves around his sexual urges and impulses, and his desire for immediate gratification, no matter the cost. One despicable act, in the first few pages of the book, cost him his relationship with his girlfriend. He doesn’t seem to get the reasoning, though, and keeps phoning her to try to win her back. He is in denial, and won’t face the truth of the situation, and the resulting consequences of his actions.

Sol writes to strangers, family members of those murdered in the Holocaust, in order to express to them some form of sympathy and condolence. Yet, he bore the burden of silence, choosing not to reveal to his sons the facts of his surviving the Holocaust. He keeps a constant foot in his old world, while simultaneously keeping his other foot rooted in Queens. He is a man constricted and restricted, emotionally and verbally. He is unable to tell his sons that he loves them, much to the chagrin of his wife. His silence has kept him from moving forward, causing disharmony within the family unit.

Sol and Nathan have traveled to San Francisco to find out what caused Daniel’s death. While there, Sol becomes hospitalized. Nathan resorts to alcohol, denying and pushing his father’s illness to the background of his mind. Sol eventually leaves the hospital, alone, due to Nathan’s drinking binge.

During one scene in the novel, Sol carries Daniel’s ashes up the steep and hilly streets of San Francisco. Bearing the body of his son, bearing the bodies of his family members who were Holocaust victims, bearing the bodies of so many souls, bearing his own body with its aging medical problems, bearing the burden of loss, bearing the lack of verbalizing his love for his sons. So much to bear in one human body.

There are no right answers to the questions that the Havazelet’s writing evokes. He writes with sensitivity, ever aware of the frailty of humans, ever conscious of the Holocaust and of the repercussions and consequences of the survivors’ choices. Havazelet has written a novel of family dynamics, a sobering and serious-toned novel, and one not to be taken lightly. Many readers might not like the tone, like the realistic portrayal of a family on the verge of disassociation, not only from each other, but from life in general. It is a difficult story to become involved in, and the content might be misconstrued by some readers. It is a dreary book, a book that is burdensome. In my opinion, that is what Havazelet is trying to convey…the burdens of the body, carried by not only Holocaust survivors, but the generations to follow. History has colored the lenses and emotions of the Nathan and his brother, filtered by the lack of communication from the parents. Havazelet dramatically makes the reader aware that the cycle continues, and will continue, unless it is somehow broken.

Havazelet is definite in the fact that one should not be silent. Yet he isn’t judging those who are. He is aware of man’s faults, and of man’s weaknesses, and it is apparent in his writing. He is emphasizing that one must bear witness, because it is extremely necessary for family members to realize their familial history. It is necessary for them to try to come to terms with the past, in order for them to move forward. Grandparents and parents must find a way to tell their grandchildren and children about the Holocaust. Their experiences must be carried down through the generations. Their stories shouldn’t be left in the caves within the mind and soul to fester, causing unhealthy and extreme emotional outlets. In my opinion, that is Ahud Havazelet’s message, and he delivers it through intense word images, and through masterful writing, in the pages of Bearing the Body.

May 2, 2013 – 22 Iyyar, 5773

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