Ruth Tenzer FeldmanBlue Thread (The Blue Thread Saga)

Ruth Tenzer Feldman has mastered the art of connecting different time periods. In Blue Thread, Ruth intertwines events from Oregon’s women’s suffrage movement with the daughters of Zelophehad’s struggle for women’s rights during biblical times. In her companion book, The Ninth Day, the Free Speech Movement of the 1960s is connected with 11th century Paris. In both books, the main characters (Miriam Josefsohn in Blue Thread and Hope Friis in The Ninth Day) are able to move back and forth through time by using a magical prayer shawl. One can be read without the other. I recommend both books.The prayer shawl has a unique blue thread that originated from the biblical Tribe of Levi. The thread has a special power that can carry a messenger across the olam (the universe). Since Miryam the biblical prophetess, did not have any children, she passed a thread onto Tirzah’s daughter, Miryam. Miriam Josefsohn traveled back to that point in time. Another thread miraculously survived until the Middle Ages and was embroidered into a prayer shawl by Rashi’s daughter.Most striking is the message that Ruth brings to her audience. She illustrates how women can use their voices and their deeds to make a difference. Sometimes the choices that the young women make run counter to public opinion. These risky endeavors are oftentimes filled with uncertain outcomes.. While Serakh is trying to calm Miriam after their first time travel, she says “… But where you are or when you are is not of great importance. They form only a tiny dot in the olam, a spark in the universe. What matters most is who you are.” (Page 67)Tidbits of history are sprinkled throughout. Readers learn about basic trends and ideas associated with the time periods. This historical information adds credence to the setting while also enriching the readers understanding of history. Jewish culture and historical events are an added bonus that may or may not appeal to a secular audience. Ruth provides an Author’s Note that spells out where the line is drawn between fiction and non-fiction and also explains some Jewish terms.Both of Ruth's books are creative and engaging. Multiple twists and turns keep the reader engaged throughout. Ruth patiently introduces and develops the characters. The dialogue is relaxed and credible. Miriam and Hope’s relationships with others highlight their personalities. Through these interactions, the reader is able to see the girls’ strengths and weaknesses. By the end of the book, readers feel like they are walking hand-in-hand with the characters and joining them as they move through the olam. I am looking forward to future treks through the olam.

There are currently three books in this series; this one takes place first. I read it while staying at the Crystal Hotel in downtown Portland and it was wonderful to take a walking tour of the places mentioned in the book. The storyline was believable and the characters well-developed. It's about a teen aged girl learning about the mysterious family heirloom prayer shawl she is given by her uncle. Time travel, semantics, and a little bible history are all woven into this great story.

I would say that this book is aimed at teens, however it is an engaging story reminding me of Gore Vidal's use of fictional characters in historic circumstances. I ordered the book as its launch in Portland was held in the home the author imagined as the heroine's family home, and I was researching that house's history. It's wonderfully imaginative and gives a fascinating picture of two historic events separated by millennia.

Great book. Great writer. Highly recommend.

I liked the historical setting and the topic, but wasn't really drawn into this fantasy novel about suffrage. The main character ( a young adult) is spirited back into the time of Moses on more than one occasion. Maybe a young adult interested in suffrage might find this a bit more compelling.

Nice characters, but silly premise (I don't like magical realism, so perhaps I should have known). End screams "Give me another book contract!" Bubble gum if you don't have something good waiting.

My book club read it. We would recommend it for teen girls....not older adults like we are.

Miriam wants to be a printer, just like her daddy. She has a book of printing fonts in her bedroom, and imagines creating such lovely posters, menus, and bills that people line up at the door of her print shop door. Unfortunately for her, Daddy doesn’t believe that girls are able to do the work, and intends someday to leave the shop to Miriam’s younger cousin Albert. Mama doesn’t believe girls need an education. This fall, instead of going to school again as she wants, Miriam will leave Ohio to accompany her Mama to the marriage markets of New York.Absolutely nothing is going Miriam’s way at all. Life is so, so unfair. Suddenly,Miriam meets people who plan to change their own lives. At the synagogue, a strange, olive skinned girl named Serach in mismatched clothing asks if she received her blue threads yet. At the hat shop, the milliner who makes lovely hats asks if she’s going to the Votes for Women rally. Even the woman who runs the charity home asks questions that make Miriam think twice.When Miriam visits her father at his shop, she meets a woman who works for him – further proof that women can do the job – any woman but Miriam, that is. She is expected to let her father take care of her, and then let her husband take care of her. And she should be happy that she has menfolk to take care of her, instead of complaining about it. Working is for poor women, and for unfortunate women who have no male relatives.Meeting independent women opens Miriam’s mind to new possibilities, but she will still need all her courage to take the first step.Grandma Miriam, rest in peace, left a shawl with a blue thread to the grand-daughter named after her. Will Miriam be allowed to keep the shawl? It’s a terrible controversy in her family, between Mama and Papa and Papa’s brother, because it stirs up terrible memories. But the shawl’s history goes much further into the past…Miriam looks up the history of the Miriams that came before her, and further back. Much further back than she had ever thought existed. And Serach asks her for help – for friends who lived thousands of years ago. Serach is a time traveler, and with Grandma’s shawl with the blue thread, Miriam can travel with her.Will she be able to give advice to Serach’s friends? These five sisters want to inherit their fathers lands They are exactly the “unfortunate women” her father talked about – they have no husbands, father, or brothers to help take care of them. They want to inherit the land in their own name. Serach wants Miriam to encourage them. How can she, when she is afraid to argue with her father about the shawl that was left to her?With the example of her friends, and the words of encouragement she herself gave the five sisters, Miriam takes the first step toward becoming a real printer. And the next step. And there’s always one more step, until she takes a step that she can’t walk away from.Ruth Tenzer Feldman captures the spirit of the times, from settlement houses to attitudes about alcohol. she sprinkles details about clothing, immigrants, and politics through the book like chocolate chips in a cookie, without hitting the reader over the head with it. It is left to the reader to decide whether Miriam or her father is right...Incidentally, the Dedication page of this book contains the phrase, Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History. I didn't know that, when I picked up both books at the same time!