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Her Sister's Tattoo Paperback – April 5, 2020
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Rosa and Esther march through downtown Detroit in August 1968 to protest the war in Vietnam. When a bloodied teenager reports that mounted police are beating protestors a few blocks away, the young women hurry to offer assistance. They try to stop the violence, but an officer is injured and the sisters are arrested. Rosa sees an opportunity to protest the war in court. Esther has an infant daughter and wants to avoid prison, which means accepting a plea bargain and testifying against her sister. Told from multiple points of view and through the sisters’ never-mailed letters, Her Sister’s Tattoo explores the thorny intersection of family loyalty and clashing political decisions
- Print length296 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherRed Hen Press
- Publication dateApril 5, 2020
- Dimensions5.25 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-101597098442
- ISBN-13978-1597098441
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Her Sister’s Tattoo is a story not just of two sisters but of our country, where politics have so often torn apart families, loved ones, and communities. This tenderly told novel brings humanity to all sides of struggle, lifting us with its grace, compassion, and hope for the future. I highly recommend.”—Rene Denfeld, author of The Child Finder
“The elegant restraint of Ellen Meeropol’s prose and the painstaking precision of her vision offer us discerning glimpses over decades and generations into the complexities of political engagement—its big questions and especially its intimacies. At a time when radical movements are on the rise, we find in Her Sister’s Tattoo exactly what we now need: both caution and hope.”—Angela Y. Davis, Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of California, Santa Cruz
“Rarely has the political been more heartrendingly personal than it is in Her Sister’s Tattoo. Within the story of these incandescent sisters, Meeropol contains a lifetime’s worth of devastating choices and the remorse that inescapably follows. At a time when politics are again threatening to rip the American family apart, this might just be the novel we need.”—Andrew Foster Altschul, author of Lady Lazarus
“When their involvement at a Vietnam War protest escalates an already-violent situation, activist sisters Rosa and Esther must decide what lengths they will go to in support of their political convictions. Blood may be thicker than water, but in this family, politics may be thicker than blood. Her Sister’s Tattoo explores the shades of gray in a world that demands black-and-white perceptions, demonstrating that the lines we draw in the sand between what we are and are not capable of doing are ever-shifting under the weight of our complicated humanity.”—Emily Crowe, bookseller at An Unlikely Story
“Her Sister’s Tattoo is an honest and riveting portrait of anti-war activists and the price individuals and families pay for their actions, no matter how just. It is also a portrait of how lies and secrets can eat away again at both individuals and everyone in their families, particularly children. Meeropol evokes both the fear and exhilaration of protest.”—Marge Piercy, author of Woman on the Edge of Time
“A sensitive exploration of the excruciating dilemmas of seeking to end horrendous crimes while keeping to the principle ‘First, do no harm.’”—Noam Chomsky, Professor, University of Arizona, Emeritus Professor, MIT
Her Sister’s Tattoo is an honest and riveting portrait of anti-war activists and the price individuals and families pay for their actions, no matter how just. It is also a portrait of how lies and secrets can eat away again at both individuals and everyone in their families, particularly children. Meeropol evokes both the fear and exhilaration of protest. —Marge Piercy, author of Woman on the Edge of Time
"The themes explored in the book — loyalty, conflicting decisions, right vs wrong, social justice, family relationships — all speak to me. These are some of the most challenging interpersonal issues we humans grapple with. The success of ‘Her Sister’s Tattoo’ is that Meeropol has managed to approach difficult issues with a keen sensitivity." —Tracey Barnes Priestley, The Times Standard
"Meeropol succeeds in creating and sustaining the kind of tension we expect to find in a mystery novel...Her Sister’s Tattoo is all about a family with a multigenerational passion for political activism, but the narrator’s voice is always clear and calm. Meeropol writes with precision, insight and compassion about the most tumultuous moments in human life, whether they happen in public or in private." —Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal
"This gem of a book about political activism, betrayal, family and forgiveness is incredibly appropriate for today. It is a quick read perfect for book club discussions." —Jennifer Blankfein, BookTrib
"Ellen Meeropol's gorgeous novel is a must read—even if I'm still skeptical that the 1960s qualify as historical fiction! A story of sibling love and tensions set against a backdrop of protests of the Vietnam war." —It's Just Historical
"This is a powerful story of political activism, family betrayal, allegiance and love." —Port Charlotte Sun
"Her Sister’s Tattoo navigates the delicate, thorny balance between family loyalty and political ideology. Even 52 years after the book’s events take place, fiction writer Ellen Meeropol has found a way to speak to everyone who has ever fought with family in the name of personal or political beliefs." —OOLA
Review
“Her Sister’s Tattoo is a story not just of two sisters but of our country, where politics have so often torn apart families, loved ones, and communities. This tenderly told novel brings humanity to all sides of struggle, lifting us with its grace, compassion, and hope for the future. I highly recommend.”—Rene Denfeld, author of The Child Finder
“The elegant restraint of Ellen Meeropol’s prose and the painstaking precision of her vision offer us discerning glimpses over decades and generations into the complexities of political engagement—its big questions and especially its intimacies. At a time when radical movements are on the rise, we find in Her Sister’s Tattoo exactly what we now need: both caution and hope.”—Angela Y. Davis, Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of California, Santa Cruz
“Rarely has the political been more heartrendingly personal than it is in Her Sister’s Tattoo. Within the story of these incandescent sisters, Meeropol contains a lifetime’s worth of devastating choices and the remorse that inescapably follows. At a time when politics are again threatening to rip the American family apart, this might just be the novel we need.”—Andrew Foster Altschul, author of Lady Lazarus
“When their involvement at a Vietnam War protest escalates an already-violent situation, activist sisters Rosa and Esther must decide what lengths they will go to in support of their political convictions. Blood may be thicker than water, but in this family, politics may be thicker than blood. Her Sister’s Tattoo explores the shades of gray in a world that demands black-and-white perceptions, demonstrating that the lines we draw in the sand between what we are and are not capable of doing are ever-shifting under the weight of our complicated humanity.”—Emily Crowe, bookseller at An Unlikely Story
“Her Sister’s Tattoo is an honest and riveting portrait of anti-war activists and the price individuals and families pay for their actions, no matter how just. It is also a portrait of how lies and secrets can eat away again at both individuals and everyone in their families, particularly children. Meeropol evokes both the fear and exhilaration of protest.”—Marge Piercy, author of Woman on the Edge of Time
“A sensitive exploration of the excruciating dilemmas of seeking to end horrendous crimes while keeping to the principle ‘First, do no harm.’”—Noam Chomsky, Professor, University of Arizona, Emeritus Professor, MIT
Her Sister’s Tattoo is an honest and riveting portrait of anti-war activists and the price individuals and families pay for their actions, no matter how just. It is also a portrait of how lies and secrets can eat away again at both individuals and everyone in their families, particularly children. Meeropol evokes both the fear and exhilaration of protest.
—Marge Piercy, author of Woman on the Edge of Time
"The themes explored in the book — loyalty, conflicting decisions, right vs wrong, social justice, family relationships — all speak to me. These are some of the most challenging interpersonal issues we humans grapple with. The success of ‘Her Sister’s Tattoo’ is that Meeropol has managed to approach difficult issues with a keen sensitivity." —Tracey Barnes Priestley, The Times Standard
Interviews and Features
- Featured in the Daily Hampshire Gazette
- Featured on Lithub
- Excerpt on Crime Reads
- Interviewed in the Amherst Bulletin
- Interviewed in BookTrib, who says "This gem of a book about political activism, betrayal, family and forgiveness is incredibly appropriate for today. It is a quick read perfect for book club discussions."
- Interviewed in It's Just Historical
- Interviewed in the Port Charlotte Sun
- Featured in list of 10 books you might've missed in 2020 by OOLA
- Featured on The Bill Newman Show
- Featured on the Howard Zinn Book Fair: Books to the Barricades podcast.
- Participant in the Page 69 Test
- Featured in Book Riot
- Featured in Book Nation By Jenlist of 2020's best books.
- Ellen’s essay “Fourth Estate“ in NOW.
- Shortlisted for the Story Circle's Women's Book Awards
- Short play based on characters from this book performed live at the Silverthorne Theatre in Greenfield, MA.
- Featured in Shelf Awareness
About the Author
Ellen Meeropol is the author of three previous novels: Kinship of Clover (Women’s National Book Association Great Group Read, and literary fiction finalist for the Best Book Award), On Hurricane Island (semifinalist for the Massachusetts Book Award), and House Arrest. Recent essay publications include the Boston Globe, The Writer,and Guernica. Ellen’s dramatic script telling the story of the Rosenberg Fund for Children was produced most recently in Manhattan featuring Eve Ensler, Angela Davis, and Cotter Smith. A founding member of Straw Dog Writers Guild, Ellen leads their Social Justice Writing project. She lives in Northampton, MA.
Product details
- Publisher : Red Hen Press (April 5, 2020)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 296 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1597098442
- ISBN-13 : 978-1597098441
- Item Weight : 12 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.25 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,504,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5,737 in Political Fiction (Books)
- #6,535 in Military Historical Fiction
- #8,835 in Fiction Urban Life
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Ellen Meeropol is the author of five novels, The Lost Women of Azalea Court, Her Sister's Tattoo, Kinship of Clover, On Hurricane Island, and House Arrest, and guest editor for the anthology, Dreams for a Broken World. Her novels have been honored by The Massachusetts Center for the Book, The Women's National Book Association, PBS NewsHour and the American Book Fest. Recent/forthcoming essay publications include Lilith, The Writer Magazine, Guernica, Necessary Fiction, The Writers Chronicle, and The Cleaver. Ellen began writing fiction in her fifties while working as a nurse practitioner in a pediatric hospital. She holds an MFA in fiction from the Stonecoast program at the University of Southern Maine and is a founder of Straw Dog Writers Guild.
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In the summer o 1968, Rosa and Esther participated in an anti-war protest in downtown Detroit. They were both fervent in their opposition but Esther had a small baby and her family was the primary focus in her life. They both made a bad decision which caused a policemen to get hurt. When their pictures showed up on the evening news, they were identified and arrested. It was apparent that they would both have jail time in their future, until Esther made the decision to testify against her sister so that she would be able to raise her baby. Her decision caused a major estrangement between the sisters and totally ended any communication between them. Over the years, they both wrote letters to each other but never mailed them. They missed each other but were both convinced that they were right and didn't make any effort to ease the division.
This is a novel about a family divided during a time that the country was divided. One sister wants to help the future through the family that she is raising and the other sister feels that it is important to fight injustice on a larger scale no matter the consequences. Even though this book took place in the 60's, much of it is relevant in the divided country that we are living in now
When police violence took over at a protest, the politically active sisters, Rosa and Esther, take matters into their own hands and participate in a violent act of retaliation against a policeman. It is caught on camera and they are arrested and caught up in the legal system. Rosa feels she has an opportunity to fight in court for what is right and just. Esther has a baby and cannot risk jail time being separated from her daughter, so she is faced with the painful decision of whether or not to testify against her sister. Opposing points of view split the sisters apart, their family is shattered, and the two women must move on to live their lives separately.
Through alternately narrated chapters and unsent letters, we follow the sisters over time and witness the outcome of their choices, the heartbreak and grief over the loss of their tight relationship and the repercussions of their decisions from their actions on the day of the protest to their disagreement in court, and the differences in their loyalties. Hoping for a reconciliation, we see a gradual birth of understanding and compassion over time as the sisters’ empathy and forgiveness slowly surface.
With Her Sister’s Tattoo, Ellen Meeropol reminds us that although political protests can have an element of violence, it is not new form of expressing views, it is very powerful, it can lead to a better understanding and it can insight change. This gem of a book about political activism, betrayal, family and forgiveness is incredibly appropriate for today. It is a quick read, perfect for book club discussions.
Author Q & A on Book Nation by Jen blog.
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