New Book About Us

A new and promising writer has emerged on the literary scene. Her name is Tamar Manasseh and her first book is a very engaging memoir entitled Chai-Me: My Exploration of Race, Religion, and Spirituality in America.  The book invites comparison to such classics as Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and Richard Wright’s  Black Boy in that it casts a light on the joys and challenges of being a person of color in a world that views life primarily through the monochromatic lens of white Christian society. What distinguishes this book within the genre of African American literature and from the canon of Jewish autobiography in general—both  of which draw frequently on themes of marginalization and estrangement—is that Manasseh tells her story from the perspective of a woman who is both black and Jewish.
(Read Book Review)