The Forgetting River: A Modern Tale of Survival, Identity, and the Inquisition

by Doreen Carvajal

The unexpected and moving story of an American journalist who works to uncover her family’s long-buried Jewish ancestry in Spain.

Raised a Catholic in California,  New York Times  journalist Doreen Carvajal is shocked when she discovers that her background may actually be connected to conversos in Inquisition-era Spain , Jews who were forced to renounce their faith and convert to Christianity or face torture and death. With vivid childhood memories of Sunday sermons, catechism, and the rosary, Carvajal travels to the south of Spain, to the centuries-old Andalucian town of Arcos de la Frontera, to investigate her lineage and recover her family’s original religious heritage.

In Arcos, Carvajal is struck by the white pueblo's ancient beauty and the difficulty she encounters in probing the town's own secret history of the Inquisition. She comes to realize that fear remains a legacy of the Inquisition along with the cryptic messages left by its victims. Back at her childhood home in California, Carvajal uncovers papers documenting a family of Carvajals who were burned at the stake in the 16th-century territory of Mexico. Could the author’s family history be linked to the hidden history of Arcos? And could the unfortunate Carvajals have been her ancestors?

As she strives to find proof that her family had been forced to convert to Christianity six-hundred years ago, Carvajal comes to understand that the past flows like a river through time –and that while the truth might be submerged, it is never truly lost.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Memoir, Spain, Biography, Historical, Judaism

320 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2012

About the author

Doreen Carvajal is a Paris-based journalist for the International Herald Tribune and The New York Times.

Her first book, "The Forgetting River," is about her search to recover her Catholic family's hidden Sephardic Jewish roots in a mystical white pueblo on Spain's southern frontier in Andalusia. It was a journey that began ultimately after her canceled goodbye party on September 11 in New York.

She lives in a stone farmhouse and writes mornings in local cafes in Paris with good wifi connections.

Reviews

[Brina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on reviews I read here I was hoping that this book would be greater than it was. Doreen Carvajal is a possible descendant of conversos who goes to Spain in hopes of tracking down clues to her family history. Instead of definitive answers and chronological genealogy we get chapters that read like human interest newspaper articles. The articles I admit were interesting and probably would have read better in the paper or in a blog. In book form there is just that one thing missing.
In the end we never know for sure if the Caravajals are Jews. The one thing she has is a funeral card with Psalm 92. Yes this is traditionally Jewish prayer but non Jews also recite it, so how can the author view it as concrete evidence. Then she never follows up by saying if she chooses to remain Catholic or pursue Jewish conversion.
All in all the story line was interesting just disjointed at times. I'm not sure I would necessarily recommend it because it took me awhile to motivate myself to read the last quarter. I would read the author's newspaper columns because I am guessing in short form they flow better and leave the reader with a slightly better mood.

[Deacon Tom F. (Recovering from a big heart attack) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book. I was with the author get a lot of research into aging times and from what I could tell the research was somewhat accurate.

[Jaylia3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doreen Carvajal was raised Catholic, but like Madeleine Albright she began to suspect that her family used to be Jewish. In Albright’s case this wasn’t ancient history, her family’s religious shift happened during WWII, but Carvajal had reason to believe her ancestors may have been forced to convert during the Spanish Inquisition. Even more surprising to Carvajal, it wasn’t until she was well into adulthood that she realized that while outwardly Catholic some older members of her family were quietly practicing aspects of Judaism or covertly honoring their Jewish heritage 500 years later. Long after the need for secrecy, this aspect of their lives still wasn’t something anyone talked much about, and asking questions didn’t always provide Carvajal with answers.

The Forgetting River chronicles Carvajal’s quest to find out the truth about her family’s history. To do so, she spent time in and then moved with her husband and daughter to the centuries-old town of Arcos de la Frontera in the Andalusian part of Spain. This tiny settlement’s culture, music, art and residents are still deeply influenced by the past, and Carvajal’s richly descriptive account of her life there suggests an ambiance of sunny skies and ancient stones. While she was looking for clues to her family’s history Carvajal found lingering traces of Spain’s formerly substantial Jewish population and the Inquisition that tried to eliminate the practice of the Judaism within the country’s borders.

The chapters of The Forgetting River are a series related articles that skip around in time but slowly build their case. The concluding piece of information that finally convinced Carvajal of the truth of her family’s Jewish heritage seems arbitrary, and more like a device to bring the narrative to a close than an incontrovertible bit of evidence, but this was Carvajal’s personal journey so what finally tipped the scales for her may be based on something more primal than logic. On the whole this is a fascinating, thought provoking book--part history, part travelogue, part family memoir, part social commentary.

I received a copy of this book for possible review from the publisher. I was under no obligation and the opinions are mine.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book that I really wanted to love. The first few chapters drew me in very quickly and I was intrigued by the subject.

Doreen Carvajal, is a journalist and it shows with this book, which reads as individual columns in a series. My problem with this is that single threads of the book are separated from each other by other threads. The chapters are mostly quite short and it's disrupting to become interested in something only for it to end abruptly and the subject to pick back up in three chapters.

The chapters could have easily been consolidated into three or four main sections of the book, and I can only imagine that the author wanted it to feel more like her own journey. This makes for a very unsatisfying book though, and if I hadn't received this to review I don't think I would have finished, to be honest (and I rarely put down a book without finishing it). Every time I felt myself start to enjoy the book again the chapter would end and the moment, the focus, would be broken.

There are also a few chapters toward the end which really don't have anything to do with the book's subject. They seem to be stories she just wanted to tell and then sort of vaguely related to her subject at the end of each story. They were yet another barrier between the reader and any sort of conclusion.

Carvajal's writing is very good, her interpretations seem valid, her instincts are good, and the subject is fascinating. It is only the organization of this book which allows all of those positive aspects to falter. While this aspect doesn't seem to have bothered other reviewers it meant I couldn't fully immerse myself in the book.

--I received this book through an early reviewers program.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! It was one of those books that you hate to end.

"The Forgetting River" has something for everyone. I originally picked up this book because of the genealogical aspect, but found that it is so much more! The descriptions of Arcos de la Frontera are wonderful and when I went to the Internet and looked at the images of this medieval city it was just as Caravajel had written. This book is a beautifully written memoir and encompasses all aspects of the author's incredible search for her family's roots. Sounds, sights, food, arts, and culture are wonderfully depicted and
as a reader, I simply delighted in the journey!

I will definitely keep this book on my shelves. I just know that I will pick it up and read it again someday.

[Edi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A writer's journey of discovery places genealogical research and history lessons in a very personal context. This may be more than you ever wanted to know about the Spanish Inquisition, the expulsion of Jews, then gypsies, then Muslims. Even an occasional wealthy noble, whose property seizure by Inquisition officials and anyone with a grudge to point at them, could be put to torture and execution, all to "purify the faith." This true story was viscerally disturbing, yet the music playing in my mind and the scents of the cuisine described were also a comfort.

[Mike Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "river" of the title is the passage of time which has swept away links between Spanish Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity by the Spanish Inquisition and their modern day survivors, many of whom are not aware of their former Jewish roots. The author takes us on a personal genealogy trip to determine her own background and in the process turns up the horrors of the persecution of Jews by the Catholic church and subsequent loss of identity and even records that were destroyed or altered to protect Jewish families.

The book is well written and no doubt as historically accurate as possible. I would caution readers that it is a search for identity with many references to Spanish locations, and Catholic and Jewish rituals and practices. Within that framework, it is a good read.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the underside of history. Religious persecution in Europe from the Crusades through the Holocaust. This talks about the amazing perseverance of the Jewish people and culture. Helps to remember why we don't want religions to rule countries. Someone once said that the fact that Christianity had survived so long gave it validity. I would argue that the validity of longevity is compromised when a religious culture survives through active persecution and coercion of others, and through keeping silent during such action. On the other hand, Judaism's survival despite repeated systematic and widespread attempts at extermination and persecution, earns Judaism much validity and reverence.

[Ruthie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came to this book fully expecting to love it. I am Jewish and I grew up in Spain, so I have always been very interested in conversos or crypto-Jews. I'm afraid I was very disappointed. There were a few interesting facts and I loved reading about Arcos, a town close to where my mother lives, but the writing and organization are horrendous. It reads like a first draft that has yet to encounter an editor. An appalling lack of structure, terrible grammar and a lot of repetition. Do yourself a favor and don't read it. Instead read The Mezuzah in the Madonna's Foot by Trudi Alexy.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was mildly disappointed in this book. Having read the great reviews, I was expecting much more. The premise is that the author suspects she may be the descendent of converso Jews and I was expecting a much deeper exploration of who the converso Jews were and their place in history. There are long descriptions of the residents of the Spanish village where the author has a summer home and not that much on her quest for her converso Jew roots.

[Hillá · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book needed an editor. The topic is fascinating, but sadly, I found it extermely poorly written. It doesn't come together, it feels just like fragments and musings, and it's exteremly hard to read, or at least put together. I found it more indulgent than interesting.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book about a woman who grew up in California now trying to trace her lineage back through Costa Rica and from there back to the days of the Inquisition in Spain. She started following the trail of occasional stories, symbols, and other handed-down clues to unearth the secret most of her family didn't want to confront directly: whether or not they were descended from Jews who had been forced to convert to Christianity during the Inquisition or face torture or death for their faith. She spends time in Arcos de la Frontera in southern Spain where she uncovers many threads of the story, as well as some resistance to telling it. (To actually see this town, see Rick Steves' travelogue "Andalucia, Gibralter, and Tangier." He has a section on Arcos de la Frontera, "the queen of the white towns," whose whitewashed houses "smother its hilltop, tumbling down its back like the train of a wedding dress." A great visual for the story and fitting backdrop to Carvajal's evocative descriptions of the town and its people.)
But quaint town aside, it's appalling to read about the vicious ways Jews were treated during the Inquisition, and the discrimination that followed even those who converted. I've actually been reading another book at the same time, one that couldn't have sounded more different when I started it: "The Perfect Nazi: Uncovering my Grandfather's Secret Past," by Martin Davidson. I was, however, astounded to see the similarities as I got into them. They both involve present-day authors who want to uncover and understand how antisemitism in its most virulent forms played out in their family histories, and how it could possibly have ever happened. In "The Perfect Nazi" Davidson distances himself from his grandfather and his actions while trying to uncover secrets that no one wants to tell, and to understand how it ever could have been so. In "The Forgetting River" however, Carvajal looks at the victims of the evil--from centuries ago down to the present day--and tries to forge a connection with them and find her own identity. A moving, thought-provoking, engrossing, fascinating read.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as part of the First Reads program. It explores the author's journey to find out more about her family history spurred on by many clues along the way that suggest her Catholic family actually has roots in Judaism. I think I found it particularly intriguing because I, too, have ancestors that left Spain around the time of the Inquisition with little hints here and there that they may have been Jews. More than anything, The Forgetting River sparked my interest in that personal history and the Spanish Inquisition in genereal. Well written, though I found the decision to tell the story non-chronologically defused the momentum and emotions of the journey and discovery.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing style was a little melodramatic for me, but this story of a woman attempting to discover proof of her family's pre-Inquisition Jewish ancestry is actually rather suspenseful. She introduces us to the town of Arcos de la Frontera in Spain's Andalusia region, and to its unique residents, secrets, and history. To attempt to discover 500-year-old family history seems like an insurmountable obstacle to me, but I was cheering for her all the way.

[Sirin Artan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited when a friend mentioned this book about "hidden Jews". However, I couldn't enjoy the book because it needs a lot of editing. In addition, there was hardly any mention of how the author found out about her roots. On the other hand, too much about the town of Arcos in Spain, where her family was originally from (present day Arcos) and too much scattered information that did not seem to be relevant.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting premise and many interesting and beautiful descriptions, as well as tidbits about Spain and Spanish history. Disturbing stuff too. But I was never quite sure what the author was reaching for and I found the ending unsatisfying. Maybe she did too, who knows. She was waiting for that moment when she would feel/realize she was Jewish, and it didn't happen. Which made for a much less dramatic book, even though it was honest.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounding up 3.5 stars to 4. I believe this maybe the first book I've read that discusses the Spanish Inquisition, edict to expel Jews in 1492 and inquisition tribunals both in Spain and Mexico. And, that these edicts were not revoked for hundreds of years.
The book does meander a bit, but there is so much interesting information in this book, I'm glad I read it.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compromised at 3.5-4 stars

4-5 stars for things learned, impact and how made me think. Haunting, yet moving and intriguing.

2-3 stars for the writing style. Was like a series of journalist essays that were loosely tied by similar topics. Not all sequential, and the key people were sporadically mentioned between chapters on other things. It was a bit slow, and I had to push myself to read one chapter then another finish, but glad I did. (Although I read and finished several other books while reading this one).


A random library find when looking for Spain tourism books. Read some before, during and after own travels to Spain with in-law family members- so added relatable context to what I read. In-laws also descended from Spanish Jews who were exiled to Portugal and then Mexico. We travelled in our own version of a pilgrimage to visit and remember the Jewish roots of the family tree. But unlike the author, we were able to find a record trail prior. Saw many architectural remnants of Jewish and Moorish influences that were turned into Catholic. Buildings, like many of the people who left or remained in hiding, have had long years of identity crises.

Not Catholic and not from Spanish culture influence myself- I knew next to nothing of the Spanish Inquisition until a few years ago. Learned several aspects here had not known previously. What a terrible blight on humanity is this piece of history. Begs one to question why in the name of Christianity such horrific things could be done and justified? How and why are people so cruel to other people?


Some memorable passages:

“When God made the sun, he hung it over Toledo.”

“In Arcos de la Frontera, practically anything can be whitewashed-houses, history.” (any Spanish village)

“”Why did we forget that we are Jews?” I asked.
“The older generation didn’t forget”, Cecilia laughed. “It was just a subject they avoided.”
“But we lost something.”
“Listen to me,” she said, gazing toward the river. “Maybe they saved themselves.””

“Half the people you meet in Spain look as Jewish as…Living in Spain as a Jew is like living gay among repressed homosexuals. You know it’s part of the makeup, and more than a few of them know, too, but they’ll be damned if they’re ever going to open up to to the idea and will turn defensive, nervous, even hostile of you dare broach the subject.”

“Share your secrets only with those people you trust.”
“Sounds like my family’s strategy.”

“This obsession with pork is a primitive fear so deeply embedded…It’s mania. To show your Christianity, you had to make a prominent display of eating pork….make Jewish foods un-Jewish by adding pork or lard.” (and avoiding kosher cooking styles and too much spice. story of maid reporting family to Inquisition officials over adafina)

“…all the symbols…are speaking. Persecution forces secret communication. It provokes a unique form of creativity, truth delivered between the lines to careful observers.”

“Little by little, distance grows with the past or an angle of the past. Then comes a moment you say, ‘I have nothing to do with this.’”
“Was this the moment I would break with the Church I grew up with? Is this how it feels to cut ties I thought would last for life? Silence.”
“….Why did I feel this way?”
“And then I realized the answer. It was that heavy feeling of flow of silence through the centuries that trapped my ancestors in a hidden identity u til the only way they could communicate was through double meanings, symbols, and hidden codes.”

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great premise; disappointing result. Author Doreen Carvajal's search for her family roots, and specifically for evidence of the Jewish ancestry she "feels" (and has threads of anecdotal evidence to make plausible) has too much of the present - the author's search for her truth - and too little of the past she's seeking. That's in part because there isn't actual documentation of the theory she investigates throughout the story; Carvajal can't actually connect her present with any specific Jewish ancestors of the past. She apparently began the book to document her quest and wrote at least some of it in real time, which could have been interesting had the journey reached a rewarding destination - which unfortunately, for both the writer and the reader, it doesn't.

Carvajal takes a mystical approach too often in her writing, suggesting that she does or might receive "messages" from the ringing of certain bells, for example, or wondering "if those ancient voices could reach me" through the singing of a friend (who, reading between the lines, seems somewhat annoyed by the author's attention at times). She also bases too much of the book in a Spanish town where she has a vacation home, but which doesn't seem to have any actual connection to her own family history.

The book's strongest parts are about the actual history of Spanish Jews during the Inquisition six centuries ago, who were forced to either flee their country or convert to Christianity under threat of torture or death. The stories of these "conversos" and their legacies are fascinating and the details were largely unknown to me, and I do think this would be an interesting read for anyone specifically interested in or connected to this horrific history - though an actual history book would likely be of even greater interest. This book is also relevant for amateur genealogists, like me, though its main take-away is one that the author doesn't seem fully willing to accept: that most of our various histories can't and won't ever be fully known, no matter how hard we try or how much we want to know. The stories we do unearth are the ones worth sharing - and perhaps writing books about - not those that will remain forever forgotten.

[Zhelana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, this book was published in 2012, so there is no excuse for this. The author continuously uses the G-word slur for the Roma people to describe them, their music, specific individuals, and their culture. Other than that she goes through all this research, talking to strangers and moving her family across the ocean when all she really had to do was talk with some of her elder relatives. Or research a different family line. Either one would have gotten this book to a conclusion in one chapter instead of spending hundreds of pages getting there. This book really annoyed me. I nearly didn't finish it and wouldn't have if it weren't for my book club.

[Noam Sienna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this as a library e-book to read on my phone while I was in bed with the flu... I enjoyed the descriptions of living in Spain, and I found much of the author's reflections on family and memory to be beautifully crafted. However, while she repeatedly assures us that she is a rational journalist who insists on facts and who is skeptical of the romanticization of Sephardi ancestry, she herself falls into almost every one of the traps of mythologized narratives around Sephardi and crypto-Jewish history. By the end of the book, I was happy that the author seemed to have answers that worked for her, and I had enjoyed most of the journey with her, but I took little away for myself.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at page 174. I was SO excited when I got this book from the library, but it's just a rambling mess. There's no structure at all. Expected a history book with memoir worked in to bring the history to life, but it's all memoir and does not leave me impressed with Carvajal's journalistic skills, given how many of her interviews end with "I didn't get any information out of them and didn't press any further."

[Tim Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been sitting on my shelf for a number of years and I finally read it. It's well written and an interesting mix of travelogue, family history, and personal soulful journey that makes it an enticing read. Once, I started, I could hardly set it down.

[Lisa Portale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been my favorite read this year! A fascinating and beautifully told story of discovery and identity. Moving, Carvajal is a beautiful writer, yes, but the way she coaxes a very dark history into the light with grace and honesty will keep you wanting to turn the page.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

One woman's journey in search of her family's heritage.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly skimmed it for interesting information.

[Marilynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Journalist research into expulsion of Jews, primarily from Spain, and conversos

[Amanda Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book because I can relate to it in many ways, but it never really grabbed me. It is wonderful as a concept but somehow not executed right.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Journalist Doreen Carvajal has covered European news for The New York
Times and the International Herald Tribune for over 25 years. During her travels, people have commented to her about
her family name and questioned its origins. She was raised as a Catholic in California, with distant relatives living in
Costa Rica. Now she calls Paris, France,
home for herself, her husband, and her
young daughter.
Recently, she began to suspect her
family might have Jewish roots. As she
starts to look into her family history,
she begins to uncover the secrets that
have been locked away in the minds of
the elders of the Carvajal family for
generations. A letter comes from her
Family History at the Center of Two New Books
father’s i rst cousin: “With respect to
the question of the Carvajals,” she
writes in Spanish, “its always complicated as usual with our family….
Mama was the one who knew, and she
used to say our origins were from sefarditas,” Sefarditas is the Costa Rican
term for Sephardic Jews.
Carvajal moves her family to the old
world town of Arcos de la Frontera in
the south of Spain looking for her family’s religious heritage and family history, while she investigates the town’s secret history during the time of the Spanish Inquisition. Using research, conversations with locals, and modern DNA
science, she unravels the history of her
family’s religious past. She discovers
that her true heritage is connected to
Jewish Spain, and that her ancestors
were forced to convert during the Spanish Inquisition

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

American journalist, from a South American family, searching for possible Spanish Jewish roots. If the book had been fiction, there would have been a big reveal at the end. But because it's nonfiction, the story sort of peters out because there isn't any conclusive evidence that the author's family is descended from the hidden Jews of Spain. She has lots of anecdotal evidence, but doesn't really pick up anything new from her searches in Spain. Yet the book, especially because she is a journalist, leads you to believe there will be something definite with which to wind up the story. By definite I mean a historical record of some kind. I completely understand that this kind of evidence is hard to come by, because we're talking about small villages maintaining records from 5oo years ago, and many wars during that time. One irritating aspect is she claims pretty much everyone in Spain is descended from Jews and has hidden the fact for centuries. Every chapter has story after story of people she meets and reads about, being descended from hidden Jews. It winds up sounding as if every single person in Spain is actually Jewish, if they would just cast off their Catholism and embrace the truth.