Rachel’s Hope

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Published by: Second Story Press
Release Date: September 15, 2014
Pages: 288
ISBN13: 978-1927583425

 
Synopsis

Inspired by real events and people, Rachel’s Hope is a timely story about immigration, antisemitism, and women’s rights.

1906 San Francisco. Rachel has been forced to leave her Russian homeland because of the anti-Semitic violence that shattered her family. After a tumultuous stay in Shanghai, 18-year-old Rachel has finally realized her dream of coming to America.

But as she sets out for California, her heart is still in Kishinev, with Sergei. She doesn’t know if he is alive, in prison or injured. If she had even a hint of his tortured existence in Moscow, she might wish she’d never wondered.

In San Francisco, Rachel meets and is inspired by women’s activists Emma Goldman and Anna Strunsky. Still, her relationship with her family becomes strained by her growing desire to assimilate, to be an American Jew, not a Jew from Russia. Rachel won’t let anything prevent her from achieving her goals—not even the San Francisco earthquake.

Will Rachel and Sergei see one another again?

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Praise

“…a good job of illustrating many facets and challenges of immigrant life, including assimilation, work, self-fulfillment, and a sense of home. The series finale will resonate most with those familiar with the previous titles.”
–Booklist

“…Shelly Sanders delivers an exciting plot, an ambitious historical context, and engaging, complex characters. Sanders has her finger on the zeitgeist of this era. She puts readers inside the head of a young and scared Russian revolutionary who starves for both bread and freedom. Her characters discuss and explore issues fundamental to all immigrants, but with a focus on the Jewish experience—are we safe? Whom do we trust? Can I be a Jew and an American?”
—CM Magazine, Starred Review

Excerpt


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