Her Sister's Tattoo

by Ellen Meeropol

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

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2020

About the author

Ellen Meeropol is the author of six novels: Sometimes an Island (2026), The Lost Women of Azalea Court, (2022), Her Sister's Tattoo (2020), Kinship of Clover (2017), On Hurricane Island (2015), and House Arrest (2011). A former pediatric nurse practitioner, Ellen began seriously writing fiction in her fifties. She holds an MFA from the Stonecoast program at the University of Southern Maine. Her stories and essays have appeared in Guernica, Bridges, Ms Magazine, Lilith, Writers Chronicle, The Writer, and Necessary Fiction.

Drawing material from her twin passions of medicine and social justice activism, Ellen’s fiction explores characters at the intersection of political turmoil, ethical dilemmas, and family life.

Reviews

[Jennifer Blankfein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a powerful story of political activism, family betrayal, allegiance and love. When two sisters get arrested during a Vietnam War protest in 1968, they must decide where their loyalties lie. In Her Sister’s Tattoo by Ellen Meeropol, politics and family are important for both Rosa and Esther, but they each must stand up for their personal priority; their futures depend on it.

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. Go to Book Nation by Jen blog for insightful Author Q & A https://booknationbyjen.com/2020/06/0...

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this dispiriting era in America when all the advocacy in the world doesn’t seem to influence the wrong-headed decisions of a narcissistic White House occupant nearly enough, Ellen Meeropol harkens back to the Vietnam protests when real differences were made and when young, passionate protestors quite literally changed the course of history.

She totally has the “creds” to write this book and it rings of authenticity. I’ve had the pleasure of reading all four of her books and in my opinion, this is her finest yet. And one of the reasons, I suspect, is that she focuses on how decisions at that time affect the dynamics between two loving sisters, the more flamboyant Rosa and her sister Esther, a new mother.

Early on, the sisters attend a protest and throw hard green apples at the police, who are using force against the protestors. The spur-of-the-moment decision results in a police officer and his horse being irrecoverably injured. The sisters are arrested. And Esther has to make the most difficult decision of her life: does she testify against her sister to avoid prison (it was her sister’s prodding that caused the action) or does she commit totally to the cause, even though it means years apart from her baby daughter, whom she is still breastfeeding.

Her decision will be a catalyst for the events that occur as the book proceeds. As time unfolds, the question that echoes throughout is, “Was it worth it?” What was the cost of effects their spontaneous actions had on them and their families, and the other persons whose lives had changed that day? How does one balance the cost against what they accomplished? Despite chasms between views, how do families love each other across the gaping hole?

As a Boomer myself, who attended University of Michigan a few years after Ellen Meeropol, the book strongly evokes the decisions my generation was faced with. Do you allow an immoral war to continue and doesn’t that rise above family considerations? Or do you choose to make smaller differences and place family and friends above all else? It wasn’t an easy decision yet it was often made with a feeling of righteousness. As the author writes, “It would be wonderful to feel that certain again, about how to make things right in the world.” This book is the real deal. 4.5 stars.

[Aimee Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Boomers, this novel will provide an arresting trip back to the fervor of 60s activism and a galvanizing leap forward to the activist challenges we face today. For younger generations, this book offers a window into the political passions that shaped 20th Century America -- and that seem increasingly distorted in the 21st Century. But at its core, this is no history book or political manifesto; it's the poignant story of two sisters torn apart by stubborn idealism and personal choice between personal and political priorities. Her Sister's Tattoo holds up a mirror to America and asks us all to consider how far we can and should go to defend what we believe to be true. There are no easy answers.

[Jennifer Rosner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend! Her Sister's Tattoo shows the devastating clash of two sisters as each moves to protect what she deems most dear. With the story's action beginning at a 1968 protest against the Vietnam War, and spooling forward in time, Meeropol dramatizes political fractiousness within families, friendships, and communities—acute today as ever—and the slow dawning of compassion, tolerance, and mutual understanding. Wise, wonderful, and supremely relevant.

[BookTrib.com]

Ellen Meeropol reminds us that although political protests can have an element of violence, it is not a 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.

Read our full review here:
https://booktrib.com/2020/06/politics...

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosa and Ester march downtown in the early 1960s to advocate for social justice and racial reconciliation. While both of them are about fighting for justice, Ester is more concerned about caring for her infant daughter and not worry about the repercussions of protecting people life that is in danger by the hands of the police. When a fatal encounter with a police officer leaves Rosa arrested, Ester has to decide whether to protect her sister or care about the family that she has left behind. Rosa does not want to go to prison but she also does not want to leave her sister alienated from the people she loves the most.

Family loyalty is very important to Ester, she will stop at nothing to keep them save. However, she juggles with sheltering her sister and being the dutiful partner. Racial tensions are at a all time high with court battles and loyalty to family but Ester will stop at nothing for protecting the people she loves and being just to everyone.

I will say that this book started off really strong, very strong characterization and good consistency. I liked it enough to rate it a four but it could have gotten a higher rating if they did not introduce all of all these characters with little character development. Also, I did not really like all the mini plots that was not central to the main story.

Nevertheless, this was a good novel that I will recommend..

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

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Current Quarantine read: Her Sister’s Tattoo by Ellen Meeropol. I’m not very far into it, but can tell it’s a novel that comes from deep in the heart. The author’s passion for justice shines through from the start. Before my copy arrived, I read a fascinating article by Ellen Meeropol in @momeggreview which I highly recommend you read. (http://momeggreview.com/2020/02/03/au...). I’ve known the author for decades now, first when each of us lived lives as nurses, and continuing as we grew into other lives to pursue. Ellen’s books have always been ones I look forward to reading as much for how they share the strong core of her beliefs as for what I learn. I expect this book, about two sisters, who, while at a Vietnam protest, become caught in a situation that puts them at the center of a court case, will carry that tradition foreword. It is a book of choice, of loyalty, and of passions, and a most welcome read in my hot little hands. (PS All of Meeropol’s other novels are in this set of our shelves.) #hersisterstattoo #quaranread #bookshelfie
#quarantinereads #reading #books #shelfie #bookshelves #redhenpress #ellenmeeropol #bookstagram #chsbookmobilequarantinechallenge

[Barbara Burton · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Ellen Meeropol’s deft handling of this book’s premise: two sisters who essentially want the same things, but are forced by circumstances to turn on each other. She takes us into the activist world of the 1960s, and up through the modern period. Told from multiple points of view, we experience both the great damage the characters impose on their families, as well as the underlying love that brings about their salvation. It’s a difficult tale, told with beauty and compassion. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!

[Erika Dreifus]

Hurried up and read this one ahead of a joint appearance with the author. Writing these words on May 31, 2020, I am struck by the relevance of issues of justice, actions, and consequences as they're treated in this novel with what's happening literally today.

[Margaret Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this tale of sisters in the eye of the storm of the anti-Vietnam War movement and their differing perspectives, which led to a sundered relationship. I kept wanting to shake them both. Couldn't put it down.

[Ruru · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book. The characters had strong personalities and the plot was well-thought out. A very captivating book about politics and family betrayal and to some extent... a clash of different priorities. The ending left me wanting more.

[Jean K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellen Meeropol’s Her Sister’s Tattoo is spell-binding fiction. It is all the more gripping because the characters in Meeropol’s novel inhabit historically plausible events. She has given us a true-to-life picture of what it actually was like to be part of the national movements protesting the Vietnam and Iraq wars. Meeropol is a master of vivid detail. The reader can smell the tear gas and hear the “protest music.”

As the novel opens, two sisters, Rosa and Esther, are part of a protest against the Vietnam War. When they see police officers smash their batons on the heads of other protesters, they are outraged. The sisters throw apples at the police and get arrested.

Readers of Meeropol’s three superb earlier novels know that she has a particular gift for portraying relationships within families, especially conflicts. In Her Sister’s Tattoo Esther decides that loyalty to her sister Rosa must give way to the more important responsibility to stay out of prison so that she can care for her baby daughter, Molly. Esther accepts a plea bargain and testifies against Rosa. Feeling betrayed and furious, Rosa first goes underground, but eventually spends nine years in prison, away from her own daughter.

As a result, the sisters are estranged in 1968. One of the great pleasures of this novel is that Meeropol also takes us to 1980 and 2003, so that we can see how the poisonous rift between the sisters ripples down through the entire family, having its effects not only on the sisters and their parents, but also on their husbands and children, through the years.

Without revealing the twists and turns of the plot as it unfolds, it seems safe to predict that the reader will not be disappointed by the ending. Meeropol has written yet another charismatic novel—entirely distinct in tone and characterization from the first three. Her Sister’s Tattoo approaches from a new angle the question of how one balances political and social responsibility with responsibility to family and personal life.

[Aimee Dars]

Sisters Rosa and Esther are dedicated anti-war activists who have committed to do anything necessary to get the United States out of Vietnam. When they participate in a 1968 demonstration in Detroit and find a skirmish between the police and protestors a few blocks away from the peaceful march, they intervene to stop the violence. What they considered a small, justified act, however, has significant consequences, and the sisters are arrested. Esther, who has an infant daughter, decides to take a plea deal and testify against Rosa. The betrayal results in an insurmountable estrangement between the sisters as they struggle with the meaning of family, activism, commitment, motherhood, and, ultimately, the possibility of forgiveness, in the wake of the schism.

In Her Sister’s Tattoo by Ellen Meeropol, the narrative shifts from the perspectives of Rosa and Esther to those of their husbands, Allen and Jake, and Esther’s daughter, Maggie as it moves from the late 1960s to the early 2000s. I enjoyed reading about anti-war activism from the inside and having a depiction of life underground as well as how the decisions of the sisters affected their daughters.

I didn’t always like the writing style which at times felt a little choppy and at times a little didactic. The characters frustrated me, some with their stubbornness, some because they were too maudlin. I thought there was repetition in some areas while some themes I would have liked to see expanded.

All the characters have a connection to Loon Lake, a New England camp that’s a liberal training ground for children with buildings named after far-left heroes. As much as I loved the idea of such a nirvana, it also amused me: is there an analogue in reality? could such a place exist?

Throughout the book, origami peace cranes appear as potent symbols of hope and healing, and I think the possibility of growth and change, even if only in the next generation, lies at the heart of the book.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Red Hen Press for providing an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally bought this book because it begins in the summer of 1968 in Detroit and I was going to college in Detroit at this time. I was hoping that it would bring back some of my memories from that time period - I got the memories and so much more. This was a fantastic well written book about family and forgiveness, protests and the justice system but most important it was about sisters and their love for each other despite their estrangement.

In the summer of 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

[Margo Littell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her Sister’s Tattoo is the story of two sisters, Esther and Rosa, who grow up in a family of activists and are activists themselves. When an anti-war demonstration turns violent, their response will alter the course of their lives, challenging everything they believe about morality, obligation, family, and righteousness. Split for decades by their vastly different perspectives on the same events, Esther and Rosa move forward but never stop interrogating themselves or their memories of each other, always coming up short when they try to figure out the right person to blame.

Time isn’t kind to motivation, regardless of whether the motivation is harmful or good-intentioned, and as Esther and Rosa grow older, even their firmest beliefs waver. Maybe not enough to change--but enough to open their hearts so they can forgive what they once saw as unforgivable, to embrace what they once dismissed as hopeless. Neither sister is blameless; neither is without personal weaknesses; and at times it seems they’re similar only in the depth of their stubbornness. The 'will they' or 'won’t they' tension of their long-delayed reunion gives this novel a propulsive energy as it skips deftly across decades. Though Meeropol’s love for these characters shines in every sentence, their hard-earned happiness leaves painful scars. Her Sister’s Tattoo is both a moving historical novel and a powerful story for our time.

[Jean Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a book of historical significance to put on your TBR list. In downtown Detroit in 1968, two sisters from a family of dissenters are protesting the war in Vietnam. On that day, one badly aimed and thrown hard, green apple causes mayhem and injury—to a mounted policeman. From the second the apple lands, the lives of these two sisters will be forever altered. One, using the event to cast light on the police brutality precipitating the clash with protesters, has her day in court—and faces prison as a result. The other, a new mother, feels the tug of family. For the first time, she will not follow in her beloved sister’s footsteps, leading to alienation and heartbreak that will span decades. Meeropol is no stranger to questions of moral choice. Nor does she ever posit an omniscient narrator to tidily clear the dilemma. Readers of her novels will inevitably be pressed to answer their own question: What would I do? Would I follow my convictions or would I save myself, or perhaps the more urgent question, would I turn my back on my beliefs to save my family and loved ones from reprisal? This novel with its relatable characters and taut drama may test what you think you know about yourself.

[Amy Davidman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the tension between the sisters and their decisions to be layered and worth extra thought, a deeper contemplation. That was what kept pulling me back to the story even though at times it was difficult to keep picking it up because of the stress of their situations. It made me look at my own life and own decisions and try to put myself in their shoes. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting camp with them as I spent my childhood going to the camp it was based on. That camp and it's politics truly shaped me in significant ways. I identified with the feeling of not fitting in and being introduced to politics and activism that I had not previously been aware of. Sometimes I felt that the story line took some leaps and liberties that didn't feel like they could really happen. I really questioned whether or not the secrets could really be kept, the lies be so seamless, the deception be so real... but then again, it's fiction so I willed myself to dive back in, believe it, and turn those questions back onto myself and my life to take the novel's overall purpose of questioning deeper on a personal level. I'm intrigued to read more from Meeropol.

[Claire Arbogast · Rating 3 out of 5]

"...“One more word from you and I’ll hold you in contempt of court.” The judge’s words landed like spittle on Rosa’s cheeks. She ached to wipe her face. Instead she sat up straight in the witness stand, willing her hands to stay clenched in her lap. She returned his stare, imagining her own olive skin facing off against his purple complexion. Maybe he would burst a blood vessel. Imagining that worked better than picturing him walking naked down the street, the emperor without clothes—that’s what her lawyer suggested if she felt intimidated by the courtroom ceremony, the robes and office. ..."

The story and the writing felt pushed and too chick-lit. Still it brought forward many overlooked and important underlying issues in the anti-Vietnam War movement.

Interestingly, this author is the wife of the younger son of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, executed in 1953 for passing atomic secrets to the Soviets. Ethel’s brother, David Greenglass, a fellow spy, delivered strong testimony against the couple in court—suggesting a whiff of similarity between the Rosenberg saga and this novel. See Kirkus review https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

[Cai · Rating 5 out of 5]

HER SISTER’S TATTOO, the engaging new novel by Ellen Meeropol, narrates the story of two sisters, Rosa and Esther, who have always been close but are driven apart after throwing apples in a 1968 anti-war demonstration, which results in the paralysis of a cop. Both women are arrested, but Esther, who has a young baby, strikes a plea bargain and testifies against ringleader Rosa. Furious, and dreading a life in prison, Rosa goes underground, but is later caught, arrested, and sent to prison (for an action in which she has no involvement). The two women remain estranged for years, even after Rosa’s release, but things begin to change when their daughters happen to meet.

Told from multiple points of view, the story asks where our responsibilities lie and how we can navigate a life that includes both commitment to family and commitment to a cause. Meeropol probes her characters deeply while still creating a page-turning read. It is not hard to imagine this highly affecting novel becoming a movie.

[Ann Lewinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two sisters at a Vietnam War protest in downtown Detroit face life-changing decisions that will drive them apart in this novel of hard choices and no easy answers. Esther, who has a baby, testifies against her sister Rosa (named after Luxemburg) who goes to jail and as a baby of her own. The story, which culminates at a protest against the Second Iraq War, is told from the perspectives of the estranged sisters, as well as their husbands and Esther's daughter, who meets Rosa's daughter at the same camp their mothers went to. It's here, where the buildings are named for Sacco & Vanzetti and Lillian Hellman, where one counselor teaches Yiddish and even square dancing is an opportunity to teach socialist principles—and the girls attempt to spring a Red Diaper Parent Trap—that the book really comes alive. But throughout, the details are just right: the curries and ginger stir fries, the Miriam's Cup on the Seder table, the limited CD collection (Bob Dylan or Billy Bragg?). Also recommended for YA readers, especially budding activists.

[Celine Keating · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellen Meeropol’s latest is perhaps the best of her many stellar works of fiction. Her greatest strength is bringing the political to the personal level, and that strength is on ample display here. A single incident of violence, its outcome unintended, leads to the estrangement of two sisters, which persists for decades. The novel explores the consequences of political activism but doesn’t come down on one side or the other. The novel asks: Was this action worth it? Did it sufficiently address society’s ills, or was it an empty gesture that solved little? Ruth and Esther are both very richly drawn; we feel their desires and their pain, and fully believe in their inner lives and imagination. Molly, Esther’s daughter, is another point of view character (the only first person narration) and she, too, is a fully believable and extremely likeable character. Several lovely touches give the novel extra resonance, in particular a repeated motif with origami peace cranes that serves as a metaphor for bridging difference. This is an important and deeply felt work of fiction.

[Mona Frazier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel grabs you from the beginning with its 1968 scene of a Vietnam War Protest. Two sisters are caught up in the violence wrought by mounted police swinging batons and they make a split decision that haunts them for the rest of their lives. An officer is injured, both sisters are arrested and one of them ends up in prison. The story almost seems like an analogy for the USA during the time of the VietNam war.

The novel jumps to 1980, where we follow the sisters and their families through the consequences of their actions. Told in multiple POV's, the novel traces the family interactions, the secrets, and assumptions. The sisters' kids meet, at a 'left-wing' summer camp, which the sisters attended when they were young.

I enjoyed the quick pace, descriptive/authentic dialogue, relationships between sisters, kids, bro-in-laws, and politics. What kept me from giving this five stars was the big slow down during the last third of the book (2003).

[Liralen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two sisters, young and filled with passion for activism. One choice, one shared action, innumerable consequences that reverberate through the next decades.

It took me a little while to get into this one, but once I did, I was hooked. There are any number of dramatic events in the book, but they tend to be quite understated—making the point and then moving on, often without showing the most dramatic parts. It's a hard skill to pull off, slipping away from the drama without making the reader feel cheated, but Meeropol does it over and over again throughout the book.

It's a timely read, too. Living in Germany, I've felt quite far from the protests going on in the United States right now (June 2020), but I'm following the news closely, and some of the similarities are striking: power dynamics at protests and in court, differing views on the 'right' way to approach change, und so weiter. Different context. Different complications. Love that although the sisters share the same...background beliefs?...about what is right and wrong, they're willing to put different things on the line and they grow in different directions, not always as they would expect. Really glad I read this one.

[Alice Shechter · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Her Sister's Tattoo" is a vivid, fast paced account of two sisters who evolve (or devolve) from being the closest possible siblings to a state of bitter estrangement. They make diverging political choices and while each reader might have tendencies toward one path or the other, it is impossible not to relate to both Rosa and Esther and the decisions they make. Readers who lived through the political and social upheavals of the 60s will especially find that Ellen Meeropol has beautifully captured a time and place, and the forces that were (and still are!) at work on people who believe the larger world, but also the smaller worlds of community and family, need commitment, devotion, passion and yes, love. Establishing those priorities is the task for all of us, and Meeropol lays that out with empathy and skill.

[Kristen Millares · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this poignant, heartfelt novel, Ellen Meeropol traces the primordial love and enduring resentments endemic to sisterhood. Her Sister's Tattoo begins when Rosa and Esther throw apples at a police officer who was beating innocent protesters; their impulsive decision becomes national news because a member of the media took a picture of the moment, which led to the maiming of the police officer by his horse, ignoring that the sisters' action was in response to police brutality. Meeropol's story presents very interesting parallels to the media frameworks for current protests by marginalized populations in response to police brutality. As Rosa and Esther travel divergent paths in and out of prison and political engagement, Meeropol shines when detailing how secrets, kept across generations, burrow their way into the psyches of those not made innocent by not knowing.

[Rob Forteath · Rating 3 out of 5]

The synopsis tells us what happens in the first half of the book, which makes for some tedium as the outline is filled in. There is almost no surprise in this part, plenty of descriptions of how the women's love for their babies is strong. This is described to us several times. The story also takes the time to show us that even the men love the babies, and it feels as though we are meant to find this surprising. Eventually the imprisonment and estrangement are fully described to us, and the book can move on.

As the author manoeuvres the sisters into a reunion, the book picks up some steam. The climax is fitting and done well enough; the pieces are arranged for us as we know they should be.

For a reader, the main interest has to come from the changing attitudes of the sisters to each other and themselves. If you can sympathize with their struggles, you will likely enjoy the book.

[America Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel about two sisters whose lives are changed forever in one day, at a protest against the Viet Nam war in the 1960s. The sisters have very different personalities, but they nevertheless have a close and loving relationship – until the incident at the protest separates them for years. Ellen Meerpool's portrayal of the sisters, and also their parents and husbands, is convincing. The story is compelling, rich, and complex: told from multiple points of view, it engages with important issues of politics and history of the 1960s, as well as the personal issues between the sisters. The novel shows how differences in the sisters' personalities, values, and politics lead to irrevocable changes in their lives and relationships. The story made me as the reader ponder how a single choice we may make in a moment can have consequences that last for years.

[michael Freed-Thall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellen Meeropol's, Her Sister's Tattoo, is a heartbreaking and insightful exploration of the diverging personal and political ideals of two sisters. Rosa, a fiery radical, wants to end the war in Vietnam and refuses to compromise her principles even if it means going to prison. Esther, a new mother, puts her family and baby first. This sets up a devastating breach in their formerly loving and intimate relationship when Esther takes a plea deal after a violent demonstration and tells the truth in court. Incarceration solidifies Rosa's belief that her sister betrayed her and the movement.

The novel is told from the alternating points of view of the sisters and their spouses and children. Meeropol masterfully keeps the reader wondering whether old wounds and resentments can be healed as time and life roll on.

[Constance Matsumoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the gifts offered the reader of historical fiction, is entering a world we may not have experienced in our lives, only to be reminded that we humans have always struggled with differing values and points of view in a complex world. Ellen Meeropol released Her Sister’s Tattoo in the midst of a global pandemic as fear, political divides, and words like ‘unprecedented’ swirled humanity into a frenzy. But disease, war, tumultuous politics, and family rifts have always disrupted our world, regardless of generation. Meeropol’s page-turning story transports us into the anti-Vietnam movement and masterfully draws our personal bias to side with one of two sisters, torn apart by their highest values, only to see the other sister’s side and question the gray areas of our own beliefs.