TYPORAMA
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PRAISE FOR IN FREEDOM'S LIGHT:
“I loved this book and the strong positive characters - especially the women! A very gentle reminder that in spite of some horrific situations, good people will show their resilience and find a way to help others. Engaging historical references to the persecution of individuals with values outside the norm. Several examples of how to be able to stand up for what is the “right thing to do.” The characters will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend this book!”- Amazon Reader
“This is a spectacular story. I was privileged to read it before publication and found it to be a provocative, engaging tale of Jews escaping persecution in Spain and finding refuge in the New World. The author's writing style summons unforgettable images and emotions. Highly recommended.” - Jerry Greenfield, Author, He Lost It in the Catskills, and Ask the Wine Whisperer
"A true saga of a family formed from love, not necessarily genes. Congratulations to the author on another terrific book! I look forward to book number three."- Amazon Reader
“I saw a post on social media that led me to try this book. I started with the free sample on Kindle, but within an hour I ended up buying the book so I could smile and even cry through this epic generational story filled with history, strong women, triumph and tribulation. …I flew through this book faster than anything else I've read in months.”- Amazon Reader
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ABOUT IN FREEDOM'S LIGHT:
It is 1785 and enforcers of the Spanish Inquisition are still hunting down and torturing conversos—Jews who outwardly converted to Christianity, but who practiced their Judaism in secret.
When nineteen-year-old converso Anica Amselem refuses a cut of pork in Valencia’s marketplace, she and her husband Efren come under the suspicion of the Church as secret Jews, endangering their lives and that of their infant daughter Isabel.
Accompanied by Anica’s beloved friend and servant, Mariana, they set sail for Charleston, South Carolina where Efren’s uncle, Philip, owns a rice plantation. Within weeks of their arrival, Anica’s promise to her dead mother to continue to observe her Jewish faith and light the Sabbath candles, and Efren’s plans to start a shipping business begin to unravel.
Even as they form unexpected bonds with the young house slave Ruth and her mother Lindy, Anica and Efren are forced to confront Philip’s secret life of debauchery, and the horrors of enslavement.
Set against the background of eighteenth and nineteenth century Charleston and Philadelphia, In Freedom’s Light creates an intricately woven tapestry of three generations of the unique and unforgettable Amselem family.
Meticulously researched and driven by beautifully drawn characters, the novel is filled with their joys and sorrows, hopes and disappointments.
A tale of the power of love and friendship, it is, above all, an affirmation of family beyond race and bloodlines, and the strength of the bonds and traditions that unite us.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A former English teacher, freelance writer, and copyeditor, her articles and essays have appeared in The Boston Globe, Woman’s World Magazine, and Yahoo News.
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