Distant Sisters: The Women I Left Behind

by Judith Rotem, Nessa Rapoport (Foreword), Shira Atik (Translator)

One who left Ultra-Orthodox Jewish life gives an insider look at the women she left behind in this book that is more relevant today than ever. Rotem interviews dozens of haredi women about such topics as marriage and divorce, children, "superwomanism, " the rejection of books, mothers and daughters, menopause, mikveh (ritual bath) laws, the gap between men and women, and new attitudes regarding materialism.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction

219 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Foxglove · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but superficial read into the lives of Orthodox women. She seems to have found the most extreme people to write about, and it's more about why she rejected the life, than why they accept it.

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started this book a few weeks ago and only got about 80 pages into it before I put it down. I felt that the author spent too much time justifying why women from insular communities could not help her write the book. It was boring and I felt angry that women cannot speak out in our advanced times!