Hush

by Eishes Chayil (pseudonym), Judy Brown

Inside the closed community of Borough Park, where most Chassidim live, the rules of life are very clear, determined by an ancient script written thousands of years before down to the last detail-and abuse has never been a part of it. But when thirteen-year-old Gittel learns of the abuse her best friend has suffered at the hands of her own family member, the adults in her community try to persuade Gittel, and themselves, that nothing happened. Forced to remain silent, Gittel begins to question everything she was raised to believe.A richly detailed and nuanced book, one of both humor and depth, understanding and horror, this story explains a complex world that remains an echo of its past, and illuminates the conflict between yesterday's traditions and today's reality.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Jewish, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Religion, Teen

365 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 2, 2010

About the author

Eishes Chayil is a pseudonym for a descendant of some of the main founders and leaders of Chassidut in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Poland. She was raised in a world of Chassidic schools, synagogues, and summer camps. She works as a journalist for two international orthodox papers located in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Emily May · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was going to go to bed and write a review in the morning but I can't sleep because this book has affected me so much. I'm really quite disturbed and upset by this so if you're looking for something light and easy: stay away from Hush.

The first piece of advice I would give someone who's going to read this book is to stick with it. I normally find that my initial instincts are correct when reading a novel, if I struggle to get into it in the first few chapters I often never do. However, though I was immediately turned off by all the confusing Jewish terms I'd never heard of and found it difficult to connect with the story and narrator at first because of this, I quickly got used to it and Hush turned into a novel I won't be forgetting any time soon.

This book is about a strict Jewish community where keeping up appearances is what matters most and what happens behind closed doors stays there unless you want to bring shame upon your family. What I didn't know at first is that Eishes Chayil grew up in such a community and has experienced the lifestyle first-hand, the story is actually loosely based on what she witnessed herself as a child (read the afterword). I recently keep finding these novels where the author really knows what they are talking about and it does make all the difference to the story, everything is more detailed, more easily imaginable.

The story reminded me a lot of Speak, but it was more frustrating, more upsetting even, because the protagonist and the victim wanted and tried to speak out. They told people they should have been able to trust - parents, teachers, etc. - and were told to be quiet, were accused of lying because the truth would mean scandal for the family. I was horrified by how many adults failed a nine-year-old girl, how if they'd just put the child's pain before their desire for a squeaky-clean reputation she would still have been alive. Parts of this book felt like the narrator and myself were screaming at the other characters who just put their fingers in their ears and refused to listen.

This is a sad, sad book about guilt and misunderstandings, and those things you tell yourself you don't understand but fear you understand all too well. There's a letter near the end of the book written by the protagonist to her friend who died and it's one of the saddest things I've ever read. I could cry again just thinking about it. The reason this got four stars instead of five is because there were a few parts in the middle that could have been cut out or shortened (like the beginning of Gittel and Yankel's married life) and because I wasn't keen on the beginning. But these are small matters and I highly recommend this book to anyone who isn't afraid of an emotionally challenging read.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you remember studying the Holocaust in grade school? There was a famous saying that you probably learned:

“First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.”

—Martin Niemoeller

Niemoeller’s immortal and pointed statement on the dangers of political and moral apathy could easily be applied to the small, sequestered community that Gittel and her dearest friend, Devory, live in, located in Brooklyn, NYC. This is a community of ulra-orthodox Jews, and reading Hush is like stepping into a world that you know exists, but the customs and beliefs that they practice are, on the whole, far more foreign than familiar. This story essentially is about three things: a beautiful and enduring friendship between two little girls, a community who hurts its most innocent members in a misdirected and fatal attempt at protecting itself, and how ignorance and fear condemns victims, not the perpetrators.

Central to the story are Gittel (the narrator) and Devory. They were born on the same day at the same hospital and have been best friends ever since. Gittel is a wonderful narrator, and the best way I can describe her is that she’s a cross between Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird and Eloise from Eloise. She is spunky, energetic, and makes observations that are profound in the eyes of a nine-year-old, but ironic and whimsical to the reader. Devory is a bit wilder and often acts out. There is a good reason why she does: Devory is being sexually molested by an older family member. Devory does not have a word to explain what is happening to her. She has nothing to call it. Such things do not exist in their world, the world of the chosen people, all of whom are going to Heaven. It’s only when Devory’s behavior deteriorates and Gittel witnesses the abuse that things come to a head.

The story is separated into two sections. In the first section, the narrative flips back and forth between 1999- 2000, when the girls are nine, and 2008, when Gittel is preparing to graduate from high school and looking forward to becoming engaged. Devory is no longer there. Gittel communicates with her by letter throughout the book. It’s the only way she can communicate with Devory. You learn on the first page of the story that Devory is dead.

This is a multi-layered story with no easy answers and many victims. The community is a well-oiled machine, and social reputation and placement are everything. In the everyday status quo, there is a lot of love and security in the community, and you see this especially in the relationship between Gittel and her father. The also pride themselves on taking care of their own and providing for the least of their community. However, they are distinctly uncharitable toward those who do not act in a proper way, come from a family with a bad history, or who could in any way bring shame upon a family or the community at large. Thus, when something shameful happens, it is hushed up rather than dealt with. By default, Devory is condemned to death. People knew something was wrong. Not one person told the absolute truth, but they knew enough to help her if they wanted to admit what was going on. The stakes are high – speaking out against your fellow Jew literally is a horrible sin, an absolute evil. When someone does try to speak out about something, they bring shame upon themselves and their families. At the least, the community will completely ostracize them; at worst, they may be physically attacked. Gittel spends a good amount the book dealing with her guilt, growing to adulthood with her frozen-in-time best friend haunting her dreams and sharing her thoughts.

It’s not all doom and gloom. There truly is a sense of community here, and the friendship that Gittel and Devory have is enduring, charming and a beautiful thing that you will enjoy watching grow. An extremely important person in the story is Kathy, a ‘gentile’ woman who lives in a rented apartment in Gittel’s home. She is the keystone in this story, and if it were not for her, neither girl would have much exposure to the outside, nor would Gittel ever find a way out of her pain. It’s also a fascinating look inside a community that one rarely gets a glance into, and the author is brave for shedding light on it and its darker issues. ‘Eisher Chayil’ is a pen name, and you will learn in the book that it means ‘Woman of Valor’. I’ve read some review where readers think this is pretentious. I disagree – I think the author is stating what she thinks is ‘true’ valor, and this book is her attempt at living up to her own standards. I don’t blame her for not signing her real name to it; in all likelihood, she probably still lives in this community, and she and her family likely would face expulsion from it if she was ever connected with this book.

This is a well-written book full of the kind of humor that only happens when two worlds collide, and the childish observations that Gittel makes between her world and the modern, secular one will make you laugh. It also has plenty of bittersweet moments, ironical observations and desperate emotions. You will identify with the feeling of friendship, family and community, but will be engrossed and educated in the aspects of another culture. If you like dystopian literature, this may actually be a book for you – even though it is set in ‘real life’, outside influences are carefully controlled, the customs are foreign, the marriages are arranged, and romantic love is a ridiculous notion that only outsiders believe in. There are many Yiddish phrases throughout the book, so please be away that there is a glossary at the end to help you out. I advise reading it before you start the story, and this is most definitely a story worth reading. It’s heartbreaking, poignant and promising, and reaffirms the belief that ignorance and apathy are the enemies of truth and justice.

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this book felt like banging my head on a wall...slowly...very...very...slowly.

Eishes Chayil (a pseudonym) is not an experienced writer, and while this is an important story with broad implications, it's not well told. There is no real plot; characters aren't developed; and the actual story line is bogged down in irrelevant details and minutia.

There are two things warring here: Chayil's desire to draw attention to the problem of sexual abuse in a cloistered religious community (an ultra-conservative branch of Orthodox Judaism) and her need to tell the tale of her upbringing. The former is a story; the latter is better suited to a nonfiction book.

Some of the details revealed here are indeed shocking. Girls and boys are literally told nothing about sex or their bodies. They don't understand where babies come from, only that they need to do "it" (and "it" involves a 2-minute act in the dark with the woman's nightgown pulled up to the waist; kissing your spouse or otherwise looking at him/her with longing is a "goyish" act, impure and lustful). Men are encouraged not to work or do anything around the house, as it takes them away from the study of the Torah. Women should bear as many children as possible, even if they can't handle them or don't have the money to support them. Marriages are arranged. The community is completely closed off and cloistered. There are no TVs, and gentiles (anyone not of the sect) are seen as evil outsiders.

These attitudes allow sexual abuse to fester (there's a reason that pedophiles often hide in plain sight in churches); in this story, a young girl is repeatedly raped by a family member. Her best friend witnesses the act once but doesn't realize what she's seeing (she can't even verbalize it because she doesn't know the word "rape"). She doesn't truly understand the implications or horror until she's 18 and about to be married herself.

The majority of the story was drawn out, with a lot of unnecessary asides; Yiddish terms are sprinkled throughout the story but not always explained. The story jumps back and forth between 1999-2000 (when the girls are 9) and 2008-2010 when one of them is about to be married.

The ending was very rushed and completely unbelievable. Too many characters suddenly changed their mind about speaking out about the atrocities, but the epiphanies weren't earned. While the issue of sexual assault in religious communities, which protect the abuser and ostracize the victim or anyone deemed a "whistleblower," must be addressed (just like the sexual scandals in the Catholic church), this particular novel was amateurish and failed on many levels.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A substantial story told through the voice of a young Jewish girl forced to remain silent after witnessing a terrible act of violence, Hush divulges the devastating secrets of a closed community.

I admit that it was tough to take in Chassidism at first, but I realized that these characters, although different, were the same in their humanity and emotions as others - they cared for each other in times of prosperity and hardship, and had their ups and downs. The book is filled with humorous moments and somber ones as well, but Chayil weaves the story perfectly so that they balance each other out.

I love the message the book imparts - that one should speak out when something is amiss, even if it goes against the way they were brought up. I myself regret not doing just that when I was younger, but I hope that people who read this book will not make my mistake. It's imperative to stand up for yourself, your family, and your friends - doing what you believes is right is more important than resolving to stay the same as everyone else.

A beautiful book similar to Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, and just as powerful.

Want to read more of my reviews? Follow me here: http://thomasle18.wordpress.com/

[Debra ~~ seriously slacking on her reviews ~~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just didn't work for me.

The first half was excrutiatingly slow, told in an alternating timeline of the narrator at 9 years old and at 17 years old. There was such an information dump about Hasidic history and culture in the first part of the book that it felt disjointed and unfocused and I wasn't able to connect with the story. When the narrative moved strictly to the present, the book moved along at such a quick pace and everything seemed to wrap up rather quickly. Perhaps it would be a more compelling read for someone completely unfamiliar with the Hasidic culture discovering the incredibly insular nature of their communities.

[Steph | bookedinsaigon · Rating 5 out of 5]

HUSH, Eishes Chayil’s pseudonymously written debut novel, is an astonishing look into the highs and lows of an incredibly insular community. It will bring you to your knees, laughing and crying, and is the type of book that you’ll want to pass around to everyone, regardless of their age.

Eishes Chayil makes you feel as if you are truly part of Gittel’s Jewish community. You have grown up surrounded by these people, raised on the prejudices and traditions and beliefs of the community. Some of them, such as being suspicious of the goyim and rejecting anything that has to do with them, may seem oddly backwards to many readers; however, HUSH is not merely a direct condemnation of the unchanging traditions that killed Devory, but a celebration also. This is a community where arranged marriages before the age of 20 are still the norm, where men and women are separated and have clearly defined domestic roles…and they like that. Instead of feeling like an outsider, we quickly begin to feel like we are part of Gittel’s world: Eishes Chayil builds up a thoroughly complete Jewish world without resorting to “as you see, reader” explanations.

Devory’s sexual abuse and subsequent suicide are at the core of this book, but the book deals less with the actual event itself than with its emotional aftermath on a bystander who is silenced by her community, unable to carry out justice for her friend. The only way to ensure a powerful emotional reaction to Devory’s and other Jewish children’s sufferings was to provide a sharp contrast to it, which is why most of the book is spent building up the community and culture. Devory’s suffering is mentioned almost like an aside, the way a naïve 10-year-old narrator would reasonably note it, and it is in fact this contrast, this appalling lack of attention paid it by the rest of the community, mirrored in the actual narration, is the best way Eishes Chayil could’ve slammed it into our faces.

And yet within this serious story is room for normal 10-year-old fun and games. The chapters alternate between 10-year-old Gittel and 17/18-year-old Gittel, the older narrator struggling with whether or not she should tell others what happened to Devory, the younger flitting in and out of typical preadolescent adventures. Certainly young Gittel’s spiritedness adds a layer of heartbreaking fun to this commitment-heavy novel, but older characters give us their fair share of laughs too. I nearly burst out laughing in the middle of a crowded hallway at the scenes involving Gittel’s impending marriage. Suffice it to say that, despite the serious topic, HUSH also gives us plenty of things to smile about, scenes that actually make the core issue of sexual abuse all the more powerful.

The last time I remember reading something this intelligently, creatively, and heartwrenchingly written was for a high school summer reading list. The contrast between the rich Jewish community and the horror of the sexual abuse problem accentuates both in the most effective way possible. Full of laughter and tears, HUSH has all the makings of a modern classic, and is the type of book that truly deserves to be talked about, awarded, and recognized for years to come.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I moved to Brooklyn several years ago from Harlem, I became absolutely, absolutely obsessed by the traditional Jewish enclave near Wallabout Street. I loved riding the bus from Greenpoint to Prospect Park or Rachel Silverman's apartment on Eastern Parkway purely to catch a glimpse of the groups of men and your boys hurrying from home to yeshiva. And I became especially fascinated with the extremely large families of six to seven children mothered by beautiful girls who looked to be the same age as myself.

With this book that focuses on the Hassidic sect in Borough Park, all my curiosity surrounding all things Orthodox was satisfied. The novel, told in the first-person voice of a young Jewish girl, Gittel, reads like an almost tourist guide book--with translations of Yiddish words and traditional customs located both within the text and also in a glossary at the end. It seems the author's intention to communicate and in turn, educate an outside readership as to the beauty and also the harsh reality of life in such an insular world.

A harsh reality that includes the brutal rape and subsequent suicide of Gittel's childhood best friend and playmate, Devory. The realization that this tragedy was to be the novel's central event was slow to be revealed. And further, once the horrific circumstances were revealed, the resolution of Gittel's subsequent guilt was equally slow.

Upon first finishing the book yesterday, I felt irritated by what I saw as the novel's compartmentalization into pre-speech, speech and post-speech sections. I wanted more cohesion. I didn't understand Gittel's failure to "resolve" her place within the conspiracy to silence her friend. I wanted the novel to be like the one-hour Law and Order episodes I've been reared upon with a lovely lady detective who would help Gittel testify in a court of "her" peers and thereby begin the process of healing.

Today, I couldn't get Gittel out of my head and I also recognized the radical action she takes in lieu of a YA problem novel's easy conclusion.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is an interesting book for anyone reading it but particularly for us goyim, to say the least. It is written under a pen name to protect the author and is essentially a revelation of the Chassidim life in NYC . Every aspect of their ghetto life is revealed from prayer, food, schooling, marriage, etc but unfortunately it also reveals the painful aspect when an unspeakable crime is committed in a family. It is hidden from the authorities and the community at large. Ultimately this decision leads to a tragedy and haunts the writer. The eye opening part for me was how much misunderstanding and fear there was in their community for the secular world, particular the Christians. It was also interesting to know how their community functions and perpetuates a centuries old lifestyle. It is not great writing and it lags for a while in the beginning but it is informative, revealing and insightful about a way of life that you will probably never know about otherwise. I recommend it if for no other reason than to broaden your perspective ...Lord knows we need that in this world now days.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This expose of the Chassidm by an anonymous author, shows the rampant sexual abuse and incest that is occurring in isolated communities (in New York City!) where the concept of love and any emotion as part of a relationship is fiercely denounced. While difficult reading since there is a lot of Yiddish vocabulary (glossary in back of book) the writing is vivid and brings the Chassid world to life. I have not been so moved by a book in quite a while. Gittel, the nine year old narrator, is naive and has no idea what she is witnessing when she spends the night at her best friend's house and her friend's older brother comes in and rapes his sister. But she is haunted by it and knows it is connected to what her friend does later on. She just doesn't know why it is connected or what happened to her friend, just that it was bad. Even knowing what is going to happen to the friend, when you finally read it, it punches you right in the stomach. I don't think Gittel or her friend Devory will fade from my memory for a very long time.

Addendum: I first read this book in 2011 after it won the first Morris Award for best debut YA author. I spoke with the editor at ALA that year who told me that the author had to sneak the book to her as well as any revisions. The author was anonymous (Eishes Chayil means a woman of valor) because she had either four or five children and knew if she went public with it that her community would declare her dead to her children and they would never know her. I understand from reviews of her second book that she is now divorced. So likely she is "dead" to her children. Anytime you have an insular community with some people (in this case, all men) on a higher pane than others, the potential for abuse is there. When the Chasidic men in particular spend so much of their adolescence only with other boys, and perhaps only go home to sisters on holidays, is it any wonder that warped sexual attitudes are learnt? When girls get a whole 10 minute lesson and are told how high to hold their nightgown and that it'll be quick, is it any wonder that the guys turn to other guys for more enjoyable, maybe even passionate sex? When a woman first learns the word "rape" after she is married, having gone to a social worker outside her community, what does that say about the things the community does not talk about? This book is fiction. But as the afterword made clear, it is based on far too many victims the author spoke with as well as her own personal experience. It is clear that the climatic scene where Gittel watches Shmueli rape her little friend was based on real life knowledge. As in the Catholic scandal, many of these warped young men...this one was still a teenager himself in the scene, over 13 but likely not by a whole lot....were first molested by "role models", almost certainly their teachers, that they and their families didn't dare expose unless they were willing to leave their entire life behind them. I'll be keeping this book. I hope someday the entire Chasid community confronts this despicable scandal but I won't hold my breath, seeing that at the moment, measles is roaring through their community as well as outside their communities in other states because of their ignorance and refusal to get vaccinated.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

maybe 3.5 - I thought about what my feelings were and what I would say about this book the entire time I was reading it. The chapters alternate, for the most part, between the main character, Gittel, at 10 years old and at 17/18 years old. They seemed to mesh seamlessly which is always a gigantic plus but the childish voice from the 10 year old carried over to the adult. And please know that when I say 'childish' I mean childish.
I totally understand that someone in an ultra-orthodox religious community such as the one in the book wouldn't be as worldly as the children I'm used to but this was stretching it. This isn't the first book I've read, fiction or otherwise, where this kind of community and this kind of character is portrayed so it's not that this was a shock to me. The voice stood out, far out, to me as being overly childish. I'm not going to state specific examples, it would take too long although I do have a few in mind.
The ARC didn't have a glossary or a pronunciation guide and although most of the words can be understood with with the context clues there are still many that cannot. At the least one can't be sure if they're correct or not. Those two additions to the finished novel will go a long way. That being said, the author could have dropped it down about 5 notches. You can open the book to any page and find dozens of alien words. Sometimes the same word over and over, other times a new word. Either way it gets old fast. Just like I've read many books concerning this "type" of community and this "type" of character, I've also read many books featuring Jewish people. Their language is sometimes a part of that so this wasn't something unknown to me either. But there is such overkill. So much of it is just not needed and it definitely detracts from the story in my opinion.
Last but not least, this doesn't affect my rating because it's a pet peeve and nothing else, but why would the author choose to use "Eishes Chayil" as her so called "name"? The term means "Woman of Valor". wtf? How about the name your parents so lovingly gave you when you were born? They gave you the name for a reason. Use it. People have them for a reason. Don't like it? Change it. But don't just use whatever term you want when you want. I'm going to write a book and it'll be by "Super Woman" or "Super Mom". Who does that?
As a side note, I saw another book on here by "Intelligent Allah". I guess that's opposed to "Stupid Allah"? I'd love to know what goes on in these people's minds. Actually, no, no I wouldn't.

[Bethany Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Born on the same day in the same hospital, Gittel and Devory have been best friends since birth. Both girls live in Borough Park, a neighborhood in Brooklyn that is home to the Chassidim – followers of a very strict form of Orthodox Judaism. This sect is a tight knit community in which everyone follows a stringent set of rules and shuns outside goyishe (non-Jewish) influences such as television and the internet. The year is 1999 and Gittel and Devory are eight years old. The girls love to play and have fun and are sometimes mischievous, sneaking up to the apartment on the top floor of Gittel’s house to visit Kathy – a goy who gives them “almost-Kosher” candy and lets them watch her television. Slowly, Devory begins to change - disobeying her parents, behaving erratically, and showing up at Gittel’s house at all hours of the night. Gittel has no idea why her friend is acting this way until she spends the night at Devory’s house and witnesses an unspeakable act. It isn’t until years later that Gittel fully understands what was happening to her friend and finally finds the courage to risk the anger of her community by telling the truth.

Hush is a beautifully written book that explores the topic of the shame and guilt associated with sexual abuse. Eishes Chayil (a pseudonym meaning woman of valor) paints a picture of an ultra-orthodox Jewish community so secluded it seems hard to believe that it could in exist in contemporary New York City. Chayil, who grew up in a community similar to Gittel’s, sends a clear message that the lives of children should not be sacrificed so that a family or community can save face. Though her criticism is focused on a sect of Orhtodox Jews, it could just as easily have been leveled against other religious groups or communities whose leaders would rather deny the problem of abuse than deal with it. The impact of abuse on the book’s two main characters is clear. The innocence of Gittel and Devory at the beginning of the book stands in stark contrast to Devory’s collapse into depression and Gittel’s state of guilt and denial. Years later, Gittel finally overcomes her fear of speaking out against the unwritten rules of her community, and her courage sends a message of hope and demonstrates the power of one person who is willing to stand up for what is right. Chayil also sends a larger message about the importance of questioning rules and traditions regardless of how long they have been in place. Hush is powerful book with an important message.

[Cornmaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting expose of the insular world of Hasidic Judaism (I'll use the gentile spelling). Written with a pseudonym, the author takes great pains, I think, to prove that she knows what she is talking about in terms of how ultra-orthodox Jewish communities operate. And therein lies the rub. I think it is quite OK to provide enough detail for non-Jews to understand the mindset. I have a particular affinity for Judaism in most of its forms, and read a lot of novels focusing on the faith. It is clearly important to understand the foundation of many Jewish practices, as well as the current teaching about continuing ritual as a way to set oneself apart and preserve the community. But I think some of the tension of the story got lost in the details. Some of the author's narration went on far too long.

I liked the back and forth story tactic - telling the tale of the protagonist as a 9 year old, and then as an 18 year old, when she finally gathers enough courage to buck the denials and the power of the rabbinical leaders and speak out. The back notes state that the author experienced an incident almost like the story, and she felt it her duty to show not only the non-Jewish community but Hasidic Jews as well that these things do go on, and they cannot be denied. And that is an important contribution.

There's a glossary in the back as well for Yiddish and Hebrew words. The fear and hatred of non-Jews among Hasidic Jews is evident, and the author does explain why. It was fascinating to see how naive and ignorant the kids are kept of normal things. It was also fascinating to see the paradox of the command to have a lot of children, but restrict sexual relations to once a month, and deny the sexuality of men and women. Also fascinating to read of the belief that there's no such thing as love wrapped up within marriage, that marriage is strictly an officially sanctioned state within which to procreate.

I did wonder, however, if the author's stated intent is to have this story cover all ultra-orthodox Jewish communities and she made up a name for the sect to which her characters belonged, why did she feel the need to write under a pseudonym? The name was cool though, carrying the meaning, "Woman of Valor." And her husband was clearly a character sympathetic to the cause.

[Minli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hush is not something I would have picked up on my own, and I was hesitant going in because the subject matter is one of my triggers. However, I'm really glad I read it, so I have the upcoming book club to thank.

Gittel grew up in the Chassidic Jewish community in Borough Park, Brooklyn, which is steeped in millennia of tradition. Now seventeen and in her last year of school, she's expected to become a wife and mother, but her past still haunts her. When Gittel was ten, she was in the same room when her best friend Devory was molested by Devory's own family member. Everyone in the community pretends nothing happened, and tries to convince Gittel to forget. But then Devory is silenced forever, and Gittel must find a way to address the guilt that won't disappear.

I find this book very, very courageous for several reasons--as it doesn't surprise me that, while Eishes Chayil is a pseudonym meaning "woman of valour," the book was published at potential personal risk to the author, who must find it impossible to maintain her anonymity among her community. It must also be cathartic to release this story into the world, for others' eyes, as a labour of love and redemption and hope. I'm not sure which parts of the novel were fictionalized, but the author's note suggests that it is part-memoir.

Purely from a craft point of view, Hush is also part-monograph, which can be confusing for some readers. I know very little about the Chassidic community, and I found the paragraphs explaining Hebrew terms, religious festivities and detailed wedding rituals informative but sometimes distracting from the story.

The author did a superb job writing about her community to an outsider, with sensitivity, nuance and yes, warmth. Hush made me profoundly sad and hopeful, and I feel honoured to have read it.

[Beth Dailey Kenneth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably more 2 1/2 stars...

I wanted to like this book, I really did. As a studious Christian, I was aware of the many sects that out there and knew some about the Chassidic Jews. This book brought me into their homes and their world. I was blown away by their lifestyle and choices.

Devory & Gittel were the best of friends born the same day in the same hospital. But something changed. Devory began to read more and talk less, she disrupted class, caused problems and didn't care. Finally Gittel went to stay with Devory for a holiday and, through her child eyes, saw something she wasn't supposed to see...let alone understand. Devory expresses her unhappiness and Gittel tells Devory's parents what she saw but no one believes.... Now Devory wants to stay at Gittel's house for all holidays but it just doesn't happen, no matter how hard and forceful Devory behaves. Gittel doesn't understand and Devory just keeps acting worse. The last time Devory was forced to leave she snuck back in and ended her life.

Gittel doesn't understand. Her family tries at first to help but in the end fear of the community and their society standing wins out. Gittel is to "forget" Devory. All photos are gone and Devory's family moves to Israel with their son.

But Devory does not go away. When Gittel begins the process of graduation and marriage, Devory begins to haunt Gittel's dreams. As soon as Gittel is 18 she goes to a police station but can't stand the words used to discribe Devory's attack--rape by her own brother. Incest.

Gittel gets married and with it comes all new traditions, problems and still Devory haunts Gittel. Gittel must decide how to handle her & Devory's past and build a future she can live with....

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first heard about Hush, I thought it might have been inspired by the book Push - dealing with a somewhat similar situation, sort of, though in a drastically different setting - and I wonder now if the writer derived strength from that book, in realizing how uplifting dark stories can be.
What sets Hush apart from other books of its nature, I think, is its ring of authenticity. This woman knows her stuff. When I read the Romance Reader, another work of a former Chassidishe woman who never quite fit the mold, I had a hard time believing she was legit - here, however, the voice, the diction (this doesn't happen by us, but by the goyim!) and the constant references (Sarah Schenirer Masters Program, The BY TImes) allowed for a lot of flavor in this book that anyone even remotely in the know will recognize.
Gittel, the novel's protagonist and narrator, flashes back between her year in fourth grade and her life as a high school graduate embarking on marriage and "real life." It becomes clear that Gittel witnessed a heinous act between her best friend Devory and someone else, and that this ended in tragedy, with no one having done anything. In her child years, Gittel sounds almost like a female Huck Finn - constantly getting into innocent enough scrapes, lying expertly to get out of them. In fact, the Borough Park childhood is captured so perfectly - the simplistic notions of theology, the judging of others who seem to not quite fit into the black and white scheme, the ignorance leading to all sorts of narrow minded thinking, the mother whose spontaneous fits of screaming mean you need to think fast and lie well (a pleasing paradox when considering how religious they are in other, less important ways), the string of gossip, the concern over the neighbors, the steady stream of candies and holidays and guests. Gittel is wide eyed and innocent in her telling of her story, in fact, while the novel reads rather simply it is in fact most appropriate considering the world we are inhabiting. Gittel's flashes of humor always surprised me, as she mimics the tones of the adults around her and occasionally mocks them in a round about way that highlights how ridiculous much of it is.
Once in adulthood the novel takes on much more anger. Gittel has lost her innocence yet has never managed to confront this loss - all around her whispers of abuse and molestation abound yet no one has the strength to fight back and hides behind the presumption that it could never happen in that community. Eventually she decides enough is enough and wages her own campaign, at her own loss.
The novel, while not remarkably well written (in part because of the limits of the narrator, but still), was certainly a page turner. It was disturbing, thought provoking, and inciting. The community is well captured, though so many of the stereotypes that I wish were only that were illustrated here, and I wonder how much was the author's own slant - and while she indicates that she also wanted to capture the joy and warmth of the community, I certainly didn't see any of that.
Despite the novel's flaws - two of the biggest being that despite having a glossary the author translated all of her terms as she went along which made the already contrived dialog sound only worse, and the ending being so incredibly unrealistic and fantastical that it almost undermined everything that was written before - it is a topic that is close to my heart and was dealt with more finesse than not, and is, I think, important to read or at least have out there.

[kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very riveting read, but not an easy read, even though the language in some of it is quite child-like. How's that for a conundrum?
The chapters alternate between a time in the narrator's life when she is 8/9 years and and then 17/18 and while that can be confusing, in this case, the switches back and forth are so well done that they aren't jarring, nor will you be thinking I don't want to read this, get me back to the other part of the story. Both present and past stories are strong and pull you in.
I picked this book up because it's about the Chassidic Jewish community and I've read another novel about this religious group without too much understanding of their customs (although I liked the other book) and I wanted to learn more about them and the story seemed interesting. All of that proves true for this book. I did learn much more about their beliefs/traditions and the story was great as well.
Gittel witnesses something as a young girl and no one wants to hear about it, even when the community not listening leads to tragedy, still no one will listen and she's haunted by this as she marries and attempts to begin her adult life.
Without spoilers I can't really go into that too much. What the author does so well is make you realize that because of the very sheltered life Gittel is leading, she doesn't have the knowledge or experience to truly deal with what happened. She also shows both the beauty of their lives and how very restricted it is.
Meaning no disrespect to anyone living this life, I imagine for the women isn't very fulfilling. They grow up knowing nothing of the outside world, not even watching television or movies and marriage is strictly for having children. Gittel is disappointed that she doesn't get pregnant the first month of her marriage and compares herself to her various friends who are married a few weeks more or less than she is, but have managed to get pregnant. I felt sorry for her that her husband seems to want love and tenderness with her and she is freaked out to where she calls the rebbe to report him for it. I felt sorry for him as well.
Gittel's voice is both heartbreaking at times and also can be so funny. Her descriptions of her friend, Devory and the things Devory does to try to get help although no one realizes that's what she's doing, will have you hoping someone will pay attention and put the clues together.
There is a glossary of terms and pronunciation in the back of the book which helped a great deal in enjoying the book.
The author writes under an assumed name and I think this allowed her to say what she really needed to say without ostrcizing herself from her community. Truly I hope she has left this place and is raising her children in a more balanced environment. Again, no offense meant, I'd feel the same about anyone being raised in an ultra-religious community that restricts all normal human interactions.

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just finished reading "Hush". Twice. Written as a YA book, it should be required reading for every leader of such a religious community who is charged with the well-being of children,. The author's pseudonym, Eishes Chayal, is well chosen. It means "woman of valor", and she is. She has risked the wrath of the Powers That Be of her community to knock a huge hole in the wall of silence that they use to protect themselves against the evils that are not supposed to happen in a holy community. The story is placed in a fictitious Chassidic enclave in Borough Park in New York City, but it could happen anywhere that people believe that their faith keeps them safe from the evil human beings are capable of.

Without spoilers, the story shows what happens when abuse is denied, when the victim is told they are crazy, are inventing lies to break apart the community, when witnesses are terrified to speak because they will receive the same treatment. They are denied even the words with which to talk about what happened to them, as if denying the existence of the words - rape, sexual abuse - will mean that they don't exist within the community. There is warmth and love and safety, but the safety, at least, is an illusion. The modern world is dangerous, and so they will stop time in the 19th century, will not speak the name "Jesus" or the word "Christmas". And when the victim of abuse commits suicide, her name is never spoken again, photographs of her are destroyed and no one visits her grave....and her best friend is only told she must forget about it all.

It was a punch in the gut for me, personally, because those communities are familiar to me, because while I do not live that life it remains part of the fabric of my family. I have a young cousin currently studying at an Ultra-Orthodox yeshiva. His father is my father's younger brother; my aunt and uncle live in a Chassidic community near Pittsburgh. I was visiting friends in another such community when the rebbetzin (rabbi's wife) quietly checked herself into an alcohol rehabilitation program. When word got out, as it does in small closed communities, her husband was summarily dismissed from his position at the demand of, as a friend of mine put it, a small-souled man more concerned with reputation than her well being who had a rabbinical degree to give him authority. "If you have to make a decision, you ask your rebbe" she told me, "and then do what he says even if it breaks your heart." Neither Gittel nor the author keep silence when they are told to. This book is a tribute to such courage.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

After remembering the cause of her best friend Devory's suicide at age nine, Gittel is determined to raise awareness of sexual abuse in her Borough Park, New York, community, despite the rules of Chassidim that require her to be silent.

I found this story to be utterly compelling and I was so fascinated by the descriptions of Chassidic culture and by the appalling and very emotional story of sexual abuse.

The book uses time shifts to simultaneously tell the story of Devory and to explore the narrator, Gittel’s, unresolved grief at what has happened to her. I felt so emotionally connected to Devory and her desperate attempts at acting out to try to bring her terrifying abuse to light. The author, who is Chassidic, really condemns the Chassidim leadership for trying to cover up what has happened and pretend that all is well in their community, when, in fact, this abuse has happened before. This is reminiscent of the Catholic Church and the similar cover ups that took place. I am always fascinated by books about closed societies, such as the fundamentalist Mormons, the Amish, etc. So that fascination, plus the movingly described tragedy, really hooked me.

The writing is matter of fact, but full of emotion. I loved the description of Gittel’s wedding to a virtual stranger and how she begins to adapt to this person of whom she knows nothing. She is so haunted by Devory and her guilt that she must violate all norms of conduct for a Chassidic woman to bring this tragedy to light. She risks everything to do so…her marriage and her status in Chassidic society. This is also a marvelous coming of age story, shaped by Gittel’s struggle to repress her forbidden memories of Devory and her consequent overwhelming desire to confess and receive absolution from her friend.

This is a powerful book that has the veritas of the author’s own experience as a Chassidic woman and as one who has actually seen this (sexual abuse) happen and is determined to bring it to light, just as Gittel does. The fact that she must write under a pseudonym underscores the restrictions of her society.

Themes in the book: freedom, women’s rights in a rigidly patriarchal and religious society, ability to choose your own destiny, guilt and redemption.

[Shruthi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hush was not what I thought it was going to be.
This book is about a very very religious Jewish community called the Chassidim. I was very confused at first. The author uses many terminology and words that aren't in English. I hate using the glossary so often so I inferred many words. This book did not feel realistic, especially when I realized it was taking place in 2008. How can any society be so archaic in this day and age. So until I read the authors note at the end I was skeptical. But seeing as she's writing from her own experience I am inclined to believe her.

In 2000, Gittel (the main character), is friends with Devory, a seemingly troubled girl. As the book goes on we learn that Devory was abused, how so is revealed later on. Skip to 2008, Gittel is finally telling people about what happened to Devory.

The story alternates for the first half between 2000 and 2008, a childlike perspective and a more mature one. The second half of the story was her from where we left off in 2008, but now she is getting married.

This was an interesting account of a quite frankly terrifying society. It is like the world 2 centuries ago.

Reasons I didn't like it:
1. Vocab was to hard to understand
2. It was very slow- a lot of the book is unnecessary and the author tells, she doesn't show.
3. Boring- after a while it got repetitive
4. It was difficult to believe in the idea of an ultra religious community. Why wouldn't the government stop something like this, if it's clearly dangerous (not telling kids basic biology, sexism, segregated community, hero worship of religious figures). Also the whole Us vs. Them mentality going on was weird. And the sexism. While I understand the author is trying to talk about her experiences and why this is 'bad', it didn't carry out in the book.

[Susan Sherwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is written by an ultra-orthodox Chassidic women from Brooklyn, New York who uses the pseudonym Eishes Chayil, which translates as "Woman of Valor." As a young girl she saw a friend being molested, and she bases this heart-breaking novel on that. The topic of sexual abuse is especially timely in light of the recent display of allegations against certain politicians, a Hollywood mogul, directors, actors and others in all walks of society. However, the author's glimpse into the conscripted rules of living in the Borough Park community is an eye-opener.

Young Gittel sees her best friend being sexually abused by her brother, and the adults around her try to persuade Gittel, and themselves, that nothing happened. However, being forced to remain silent takes a huge toll on Gittel and she begins to question everything she was raised to believe. There's much to discuss here.

[Dichotomy Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good, if painful book, that brought out a myriad of emotions; Frustration, anxiety, sadness, as it explored themes of abuse, guilt, anger and fear in a strict religious environment.

It was a bit difficult in the beginning as their are alot of Jewish terms, but it is definitely worth sticking with.

[Ines · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 for me , review to come.

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, there was absolutely no way I wasn't going to read this, a YA novel about the social issues of sexual abuse denial in the Hasidic community in Borough Park, Brooklyn. While I read it, it reminded me of another book, The Bermudez Triangle , simply in that I was not deeply enjoying it as a novel, but the subject was so damn good I wasn't going to quit til I knew everything it had to say.

I've enjoyed reading novels about Orthodox Judaism (and religion generally) since I was a kid, which is probably originally the fault of Chaim Potok. I've always been curious about the details of maintaining a culturally-specific lifestyle in this very time and place. In recent years I lived near (some maps said in) Borough Park, so the environment of this novel felt both like a foreign country and like one I knew. I lived halfway between the Jewish enclave and the Chinese enclave of Brooklyn, both enormous, and both so fully-saturated that you can go for blocks without seeing any printed English, other than street signage. In my exact area, though, I was mostly surrounded by the previous generation of Italians, who used to run the place and grew somewhat displaced by these insular communities. I'd walk a few avenues, get my hair cut in Chinatown; go the other way, get my sewing supplies in Borough Park. Good pizza was everywhere, though.

So there's two ways to talk about this book: reading-wise and issue-wise. The issues are pretty interesting to start with. The Orthodox community, of course, adheres carefully to values based on history and tradition and gender. The community portrayed here (its accuracy being in the eye of the beholder, I expect) focuses almost exclusively on the purity of reputation, and thus deliberately overlooks dangerous problems in its midst. As communities, sometimes, do. For the one in this book, it is actually a panic over one's family's lasting viability in the marriage market that preoccupies them with reputation at the exclusion of most else. "How will your children ever get married?!"

In the book — this is more or less all spelled out in the description but just in case — Gittel witnesses her best friend's brother raping her, and is bewildered by her fear of the problem as it worsens, until her friend commits suicide (horribly, right in Gittel's home) at age nine. The girls do not have a name or a context for the assault; it "isn't something that happens here," and so there is near-universal victim-blaming when any part of the problem is confronted by the adults. For the rest of the time, it is just "hushed" up, and Gittel spends a lot of pain and effort trying to deal with her neighbors' ultimately pretending that her best friend never existed, because it is the easiest way for them to move on. Gittel herself also deals with a bit of what seems like PTSD, haunted by her friend, and traumatized by her thin grasp of sex based on what she witnessed.

The author published the book under a pseudonym, a Hebrew proverb describing a "Woman of Valor." She came out a bit later as Judy Brown, the daughter of a newspaper owner. Similarly to that in the novel, attention to the real-life issue was sparked by a newspaper editorial, and Brooklyn's scandal then focused primarily on the corruption of the D.A., who dealt dishonestly with prosecution of influential rabbinic officials (not dissimilar to cover-ups related to the Catholic church scandal). Last year it blew up further during election season. Most stories that have come out are of young male victims, which is different than the story in the novel, but the resulting intimidation and worry is real, and familiar here.

This is all pretty engrossing. But, I didn't feel the book really nailed it as might be done. This is quite forgivable, for a debut novelist sending out a manifesto raw with feeling, but of course I'd wished for the best. In a way, its point is ready-made at the outset — the situation being fictionalized is obviously an unjust one — and so the book itself sort of meanders around with its weighty burden. For instance, half of the book has a back-and-forth timeline structure, divided between what happened when the girls were nine, and present-day when Gittel is a teenager. Teenaged Gittel is apparently coming to terms with what she knows happened, but backs down from taking it too seriously. Then the book's second half abandons this structure (and some of the unresolved plot threads, such as her police report) entirely for the present, most of which focuses on Gittel's marriage.

Although there are merits to all of this being included, it feels as though it drifts away from the real topic, and starts to feel really overlong. It is interesting culturally (although I have read other books about it before), and in some ways is significant since marriage is the culmination of everything their childhood was structured around. (Marriage and pregnancy are also a pretty surprising topic to cover in a YA novel, but of course, Gittel and her husband are just 18 and 19.) After she is married, Gittel suffers more and more from her repressed anguish until she finally must take action, and that is the direction the story takes in its ending.

But, there were plenty of things I was still concerned about, that I took pretty seriously — Gittel's PTSD symptoms, for instance — that don't get specifically concluded in the end. It may be up for interpretation whether we are getting a complex, unresolved ending, or whether the author is expecting that all resolutions will be folded up in one tempered victory. I'm afraid it's the latter, but that if you're aiming for tough realism, it's not enough.

However, I'm happy for this book to be what it is, and the response is good and interesting. The community knows that it's out there, and has been responding. Voices are good, and in my opinion, just open the way for others to tell their stories more and more perfectly.

[Book Sp(l)ot · Rating 5 out of 5]

As part of Bloombury's Blog Tours, I was able to review Eishes Chayil's Hush, I also have a contest on my blog (book-splot.blogspot.com) -ends Sept 30, '10.

Synopsis: Meaning women of valor in Hebrew, Eishes Chayil is the pen name of a young Chassidic New York woman. Growing up in Borough Park, Brooklyn, Gittel and her whole family, really her whole life is part of the very insular Chassidic Jewish community in which she lives.

Their community, where most Chassidim live is governed by very set rules written centuries ago; rules that determine everything from what they can eat to pet ownership to what they can wear. Holiness, humility and being humble are everything to the Chassidim.

Gittel isn't even supposed to tell her friends about the goy (non-Jew) upstairs neighbor Kathy--or the sort-of Kosher candy Kathy gives her.

One person who does know about Kathy is Gittel's best friend Devory. The first half of Hush is interludes of Gittel--and Devory's young lives. Everything from Purim (a holiday they celebrate) to school to some of the things they aren't supposed to exactly do. Each chapter of their young selves in alternated with a chapter of Gittel as she's finishing high school and looking back on the events six years earlier (There's, later, another period that finishes things up.). Events that include Devory's death.

It's not made clear right away how or why Devory died, but it is made clear that no one's talking about it or dealing with it. It's something that's been swept under the rug.

Hush, is Gittel's story of learning how to live with what happened when Devory died even though no one else seems to need to do so--or care to. It's a tale of Gittel bringing more openness and, maybe, someday, understanding to a very closed community.


Review: Hush is a truly gripping and heart wrenching book. It starts off a little slow, but all of the beginning storyline ends up being important later on because it connects the reader with the characters and leads to more understanding of the world in which they live (and how it's different from average US culture) which matters.

Part of why it was slower reading for me was there was a lot of terminology about the Chassidic lifestyle and in the ARC the glossary was 'to come' so I couldn't really look things up (without the internet). Since I believe that is in the print book (I haven't been able to see one to check), I think it will be faster reading for everyone else.

It's made known on page one that Devory is dead--and on the back of the book that she's being abused by a family member. Neither of those things makes reading about her any easier. Sometimes knowing (to an extent) what's to come makes reading about someone's pain less, well, painful, but that wasn't true in this case. Reading about the hurt Devory was experiencing, the true agony you could sometimes tell she must have been in--and at such a tender age--while no one seemed to notice or know enough to do anything, actually caused me some pain. I wanted to be able to do something for her.

Some of the other reviews, on Amazon and blogs, have said more about what happens to Devory, but I'm glad I didn't read them (not that I'm even sure they were up when I read Hush) because I feel it would have taken something away from the real, raw emotion that Hush can evoke in its reader.

A book that looks at abuse and its aftermath both on the victim and those around her (or him) is not necessarily new, but because Hush is set in the Chassidic community and written by someone raised there, it takes on a whole new element. If you don't have a word for something, can that thought, that deed, still exist? And if it can, how do you handle something so ugly happening when all that you are is designed to be pure?

The community doesn't talk about abuse--that it happens or could happen or anything, really. Denial and making it go away is how things are done. Until that's no longer an option. (And this is when the early part of the book involving the community, the rules, the structure, the history really is important.)

The actions and reactions of the characters as their forced to confront something they never even dreamed of having to deal with really adds a lot to the relationships between the characters. Seeing how they interact and deal with each other when they're living a life that instead of being ordered and constructed is shaken, unwound, and no longer governed by the rules they know so well, was really magnificent to read. Not to quote the Real World, but they kind of did stop being polite and started being real and it was written so well.

I don't (and can't) know how much of this is the author drawing on personal experience (in the back she notes that through a friend and acquaintance she experience both the happenings that are major in the book--not to her, but to them). Whether it's autobiographical, fictional or a fusion, the interactions the characters have as they struggle with what abuse and acknowledging that abuse would mean to their faith, is really gripping.

It's hard to call a book on such a painful storyline beautiful, but Hush really is.

It's hard for me to review it without telling you everything that happens (you could read the Amazon synopsis or I think most other reviews--they're giving away more than I'm choosing to) but I think books are more enjoyable when I hold back certain things.

I don't know if Eishes Chayil will publish anything else, but I can safely say I would not at all be disappointed if she chose to, she has a beautiful writing style and really captures a wide array of characters very well. The Chassidic Jewish community was almost completely foreign to me but the characters & their thinking didn't feel entirely that way. Rather than mock the Chasidim, Hush and Chayil explained--not everything was positive, no, but it was honest.

I do hope you'll give this book a read because it really is a story that came from deep within someone, a story that was told because it needed to be told. At times painful, at times funny and at times sweet, this glorious book is one I loved if you couldn't tell already. (And I recommend it for young adult readers and adult readers both.)

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really got lucky on this. I was going to ask someone at my former employer to send me their ARC when they were done. Apparently, my order for this (placed months ago) wasn't canceled so it showed up at my house yesterday.

I got through the first 50 last night and covered another 15 this morning - it's that hard to put down.

I have always thought the plot device of jumping between the past and present can be very useful when done well and the author uses it beautifully to unfold her story.

I have a feeling that this will be one that really sticks with me (the way Sarah's Key, This Gorgeous Game and similar books where the author creates a sort of feeling even when writing about a pleasant moment where you think "this simply cannot end well").

Finished it this afternoon:

My introduction to Jewish families in literature was when my mom read me the All of a Kind Family books when I was little. I LOVED the stories of Ella, Hennie, Sarah, Charlotte, Gertie (and Charlie!) and their lives in turn-of-the-century New York. And I suppose I have read my share of Holocaust types of stories over the years too. And I remember a Seder at our church when I little. So I would say I had at least enough knowledge of Jewish practice to understand the basics, even though I didn't know the details of how Chassid families practiced their faith. This story lifts the veil on the inner workings of modern families in this very conservative/orthodox branch of Judaism.

I can't say enough about how well the author did in not losing her way in keeping her story lines distinct and yet interwoven as she jumped back and forth in her time line. She didn't lose sight of the story she needed to tell about about the stigma of sexual abuse within her community by going into too much detail about how the faith is practiced in the community. And she didn't spend so much time on the details of the lifestyle that she lost site of sexual abuse issue.

I think it can't be easy to write an "issue" book and still tell a beautiful "coming of age" sort of story. It was funny when it needed to be. It was absolutely heartbreaking at times. And all of it beautifully and respectfully written.

I really admired how the author didn't make fun of the beliefs or practices she knew growing up. Any "sect" is, I think, easy to reduce to cliches and certainly her frustration with secrecy and denial could have influenced her to present her characters in a negative light. Instead, I felt I truly understood why the characters made the choices they made, even if they wouldn't have been my choices.

Ah, I think I should have waited a day to write this! I feel a little scattered in my thoughts. This is not an easy book to read, but also not an easy book to put down. I am looking forward to seeing it released later this year and I hope it reaches those who need to hear its story.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Paperback: 368 pages
* Publisher:Walker Childrens; Reprint edition (February 28, 2012)
* ISBN-10: 0802723322
* Author: Eishes Chayil
* Cover art: I really like it, I love the words across the face.
* Obtained: My personal library
* Overall rating: **** out of 5 stars


Hush by Eishes Chayil
Reviewed by Moirae the fates book reviews

nside the closed community of Borough Park, where most Chassidim live, the rules of life are very clear, determined by an ancient script written thousands of years before down to the last detail—and abuse has never been a part of it. But when thirteen-year-old Gittel learns of the abuse her best friend has suffered at the hands of her own family member, the adults in her community try to persuade Gittel, and themselves, that nothing happened. Forced to remain silent, Gittel begins to question everything she was raised to believe.

A richly detailed and nuanced book, one of both humor and depth, understanding and horror, this story explains a complex world that remains an echo of its past, and illuminates the conflict between yesterday's traditions and today's reality. (Synopsis provided by goodreads)

I went into this book not knowing what to expect. There are a lot of Yiddish words in the book, if you are unfamiliar with Yiddish, there is a glossary in the back. I live in an Orthodox community, but like a character in the book, I am not Jewish. I have helped some of the people in the community on Shabbos when they are not able to do certain things, such as reset clocks, turn off the oven, turn lights on and off. So I am familiar with a lot of the customs in the book but not all. I have heard a lot of the Yiddish terms in this book just living around those in the community that use them.
I do believe that the author is an Orthodox Jewish woman.

A lot of people are shocked with how the community views outsiders, being around it, I thought that the book seemed to dramatize it, I have felt unwelcome at times when I help the community when some of the members find out I am not Jewish they distance themselves, but I understand that, as I do not hold the same views and customs as they do. It could be that each community is a bit different I don't know.

The story it's self was a hard one. The topic of abuse and the type of abuse in this book is very difficult to handle.

The style of the story can throw some people off I believe. It goes back and forth with Gittel being 8 years old and Gittle being 18 and her going through the process of finding a husband. In her community it seems to be a type of arranged marriage.

My one big issue with the book is how it ends. I felt that it was too neat. Without giving anything away it felt like the issue the book dealt with was fix too easily.

If you want to "look into another world" this book may be for you.

[Sonia Gomes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two little girls Gittel and Devory, are born on the same day at the same hospital and have been best friends ever since.
Their lives are entwined forever... they are in each other’s houses most of the times.

But when Devory insists on spending a night at Gittel’s house, why did Gittel’s Mother insist she go home?
Why were the families not suspicious about Devory’s insistence on not spending the night at her own home?
Why is Devory acting wilder and wilder and does strange stuff?
Why doesn’t Devory’s Mother ask her daughter why she is so distraught and throws huge tantrums when her older brother returns home?

There were a couple of times when Devory has run away from home, only to be brought back by policemen.
Why did Devory’s Mother not ask her why she had run away? The reason?
Why did the Mother not listen even when Devory tried and tried to explain to her....that her older brother was doing things to her...
Why did Devory plead with Gittel to sleep with her, in her bed, when her brother was home?
Why was Gittel overwrought when from her bed, she sees the brother get under Devory’s quilt and the quilt starts moving vigorously?
They were two nine-year olds who were absolutely clueless; they only knew the brother was hurting Devory.
Did Devory’s Mother know that something was afoot and did not have the courage to open such a huge can of worms?
And then Devory hangs herself with Gittel’s purple skipping rope and without waiting any longer Devory’s entire family moves to Israel.
Yes, it was a terrible occurrence that had to be erased from their minds.
‘Such terrible acts are not committed by good people...What will everyone say?’
If there was an inquiry the family was in a huge mess. No marriage proposals...Family would be ostracised...

After I have excoriated Devory’s Mother, fought with her, asked her many times, ‘what type of heartless Mother are you?’
After I have asked the family and the community, ‘Is your daughter less important than Society?’
And I realise the answer is, ‘Our daughter is not as important as our standing in Society.’

Then I ask myself, what would have my Family done in a similar situation...? Would they have confronted the perpetrator?
And with a tremendous shock I realise my family would have behaved much the same as Devory’s family had...

Being ostracised by the clan... being ostracised by the entire Community is just not that easy, besides even Devory’s nine year old character would have been put in question...questions asked... family members denigrated...simply harrowing.

Yes Society can be terribly harsh...Very, very harsh.

[elissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a few weeks to get through this, because of the difficult subject matter. I stayed up too late the last night that I read it, fascinated by the details of the Chassidic way of life and marriage. I found their idea that your soul is once again whole the day you get married very touching. I had about 20 more pages to finish when I finally made myself go to sleep, and at that point I would have given it 5 stars. The ending was slightly more pedestrian, though, and I ended up slightly less amazed. In the middle of the night (or early in the morning), not quite at the end, I wrote a note to myself (so I'd remember in the morning how I had felt) that the book was brilliant and unexpectedly stunning, because it managed to give me an appreciation for Chassidic Jews that I have never before had. I could even see expanding this understanding to all Fundamentalist groups, but maybe my new understanding isn't quite that broad yet in the light of day. Even a hint more, though, is better than where I was before. The basics of my new understanding have to do with the fact that for this particular religious group, the life that they live is all that they know, and all that their parents have known, for many generations, and it's so insular and complete in itself that they don't need anything else to be happy and fullfilled in their way. They survive and just try to cope with the world as they see it until the day that the Messiah (there's a different word in Yiddish/Hebrew) comes.

I realized when I was done that the dates were slightly off from the actual dates (because Eishes Chayil--the author's pen name--was 23 when she started writing the book, rather than 19), but if the dates given in the book had been the real dates, I would have lived very close to Gittel and Devory (although their names were changed) when they were born and I was first living in NYC. In 1991 I lived on the edge of Borough Park, in Brooklyn, which is the neighborhood where the story is set. The girls must have been 4-5 when I lived within walking distance of them. Chassidic Jews never came as far over as where I lived (on the edges of Borough Park, Windsor Terrace, and Kensington, right below Greenwood Cemetery) because they didn't need to. My last apartment in NYC was in Williamsburg, not too far from another group of Chassidic Jews (who I saw more often), after my 5 year stint in Manhattan. I wish this book had been around when I lived in NYC, but I'm glad that the dialogue about this difficult topic has at least begun.

[Eli Mandel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished rereading this book, like five minutes ago, and I'm shaken, shaken and shaking.
The book is very well constructed; in the first half it runs smoothly back and forth between 1999 and 2008. We see the young friends Gittel and Devory playing together, discovering the world allowed to them, that is the world inside the invisible walls of Borough Park, together. We also see the slow revealing of the tragedy that shapes Gittel's life. At the same time we're getting to know Gittel as a teen graduating high school, trying to follow everyone's advice to forget her friend and the tragedy she witnessed. And she does try too, but she can't, and neither can the adults in her life, although they try quite hard.
Everyone knows they must put it behind them and pretend it never happened, because it cannot happen, it doesn't happen, for if it does then what's the use in all the walls they'd built? They might as well be goyim.

In the second part of the book we see Gittel, who cannot move on and put the trauma behind herself, even though all traces of Devory have been eradicated, Devory still lives in her heart, and in her dreams. Devory will not go away.
The list of the guilty is long:
The rabbi who aided and abetted the coverup of other cases of child molestation, the school administrators who threatened to report parents for neglect if they reported the abuse their children suffered in school, the grand rabbis who said some things had to be dealt with in silence, and the community organs who refused to publish these stories because they were afraid of the repercussions. Every one of these bears the guilt for every victim who came after them; and they have to carry their guilt with them, and the only way they can assuage it is by comforting themselves with their victory over Hitler.


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Original review July 6 2012
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Loved it!
There have been millions of reviews written, I have nothing to add on the positive side, ok I did cry a little bit.
I would just say, and this too has been said already but I feel like saying it, there were times throughout the book when I wondered if the main purpose of the book wasn't to comment of the ridiculous insularity of the chasidic world, with lip service paid to the litvish world, while the stated mission of the book was put on a back burner.

Otherwise like I said; I loved it.

[Maggie Anton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently finished reading Hush, another book about women in the Hasidic world, this one for teen audiences. Dealing with sexual abuse in the ultra-Orthodox community, Hush is written under the pseudonym Eishes Chayil [Hebrew for “Woman of Valor,” the prayer from Proverb 31 that a Jewish husband traditionally addresses to his wife just before Shabbat dinner].

A hybrid novel-memoir [the author admits changing details to protect people’s privacy], this is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. The author, who has since come out as Judy Brown [another pseudonym? – doesn’t some very Hasidic], manages to expertly balance her horrific subject matter with sweet, and sometimes amusing, vignettes from the heroine Gittel’s childhood and family life.

Here’s an example of the delightful tumult that surrounds shopping as Gittel prepares to marry: “We combed through Macy’s, cleared out Lord & Taylor, and began exploring Bloomingdale’s. We made long lists of items needed, stores to check out, and hints to convey to the in-laws. There was the Wedding Night Itself, The Day After, and Life in General, which require an exhaustive investigative committee of experienced wedding people that included my aunt – who married of five, my second cousin – seven; and my mother’s former classmate Mrs. Frish and her eleven daughters. Shoes, clothes, lingerie, head coverings, linen – all this needed expert advice on what to buy where, and for how much, and most important of all, how long it would last. Elegant’s linen lasted until at least the third child’s bed-wetting. We weren’t to bother with cheaper brands; they could barely absorb one child’s vomit.” I have 4 small grandchildren and I couldn’t help but chuckle over the last two sentences. Some things are universal.

Nearly all female protagonists in novels are called heroines, but this one really is. After ten years of agony haunted by having found her best friend hanged in her bathroom at age nine after being regularly raped by her older brother [which our heroine witnessed after spending the night there], Gittel challenges her community by publically telling her story and demanding change. Astonishingly, her husband supports her, giving us a hero too – and a hopeful ending to this tragic tale.