Anita Diamant Books In Order

The Red Tent

Deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable contribution in modern fiction: a new perspective of female life in biblical society. It is a vast and stirring work described as what the Bible might have been had it been written by God’s daughters instead of sons. Far beyond the traditional women of the Bible sagas in both impact and vigor, The Red Tent is based upon a mention in Genesis of Jacob s only female offspring his daughter, Dinah. Author Anita Diamant, in the voice of Dinah, gives an insider s look at the details of women s lives in biblical times and a chronicle of their earthy stories and long ignored histories. The Red Tent of the title is the place where women were sequestered during their cycles of birthing, menses, and illness. It is here that Dinah hears the whispered stories of her four mothers Jacob s wives Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah and tells their tales to us in remarkable and thought provoking oratories. Familiar passages from the Bible take on new life as Dinah fills in what the Bible has left out the lives of women. Dinah tells us of her initiation into the religious and sexual practices of the tribe; Jacob s courtship with Rachel and Leah; the ancient world of caravans, farmers, midwives, and slaves; her ill fated sojourn in the city of Sechem; her years in Canaan; and her half brother Joseph s rise in Egypt. Skillfully interweaving biblical tales with characters of her own invention, the author re creates the life of Dinah providing an illuminating portrait of a courageous woman and the life she might have lived. A new view of the panorama of life in biblical times emerges from the female perspective, and The Red Tent itself becomes a symbol of womanly strength, love, and wisdom. The Red Tent is one of those extremely rare publishing phenomenons a little promoted, but dynamically successful book over 250,000 copies sold that owes its success to enthusiastic word of mouth endorseme*nts. Now, for the first time, this sweeping saga, which has struck a chord with so many modern day women, comes to life as a much anticipated audiobook.

Good Harbor

Anita Diamant’s international bestseller The Red Tent brilliantly re created the ancient world of womanhood, exploring the passions, traditions, and turmoil of a family of mothers and daughters from the Book of Genesis. In Good Harbor, she brings her remarkable storytelling skills and emotional insight to the lives of modern women, considering the precarious balance of marriage and career, motherhood and friendship. The seaside town of Gloucester, on Cape Ann, Massachusetts, is a place where the smell of the ocean lingers in the air. Fifty nine year old Kathleen Levine, a longtime resident, is graceful, maternal, and steady, a devoted children’s librarian, a convert to Judaism, the mother of two grown sons. But when she is diagnosed with breast cancer which killed her sister fifteen years earlier her life is thrown into turmoil. Frightened, lonesome for a woman to talk to, burdened by secrets, she meets Joyce Tabachnik and a once in a lifetime friendship is born. Forty two year old Joyce, restless and funny, a freelance writer with literary aspirations, has just bought a small house in Gloucester, where she hopes to write as well as vacation with her family. Like Kathleen, Joyce is at a fragile place in her life: with her twelve year old daughter becoming increasingly testy and distant, she’s also feeling a distinct lack of connection to her husband. A mutual appreciation of books, humor, and the beauty of the natural world brings the two women together for long walks along Good Harbor beach. Slowly, they begin to share their personal histories and to realize how much they can learn from each other. Ultimately they wrestle with some startling secrets, and help each other to confront scars left by old emotional wounds. With her own trademark wisdom and humor, Diamant considers the nature, strength, and necessity of adult female friendship. Good Harbor is a rich and moving book about the tragedy of loss, the insidious nature of family secrets, and, ultimately, the redemptive power of friendship.

The Last Days of Dogtown

The tiny rural backwater of Dogtown, nestled on Cape Ann and hugging the Massachusetts coast line, is a place that is reputedly dying, but its few remaining inhabitants show an enduring spirit that keeps a small flame of life alight. For here, in this forgotten hamlet, lives a cast of dignified, yet utterly eccentric characters. Black Ruth is one of only two Africans still living in the area; she dresses as a man, speaks to no one, and continues her craft as the local stonemason, casting love and care over the stones she hews. Mrs Stanley is blousey, blonde and the local madam; a woman of total self absorption, who cares nothing for her young grandson, coming of age amid the sights and sounds of a wretched rural brothel. Oliver Younger, a man with ambition, overcomes a cruel and miserable childhood to marry the woman of his dreams and create a family infused with love. At the centre of it all is Judy Rhines, a fiercely independent woman, generous and wise, but also heartbroken and lonely, whose taboo love for Cornelius, a former slave, burns at the core of her soul. Loosely based on the true story of a community, ‘The Last Days of Dogtown‘ is a rich, compassionate and compelling novel which illuminates a small, but vivid, chapter of nineteenth century America.

Day After Night

Just as she gave voice to the silent women of the Old Testament in The Red Tent, Anita Diamant creates a cast of breathtakingly vivid characters young women who escaped to Israel from Na*zi Europe in this intensely dramatic novel. Day After Night is based on the extraordinary true story of the October 1945 rescue of more than two hundred prisoners from the Atlit internment camp, a prison for ‘illegal’ immigrants run by the British military near the Mediterranean coast south of Haifa. The story is told through the eyes of four young women at the camp with profoundly different stories. All of them survived the Holocaust: Shayndel, a Polish Zionist; Leonie, a Parisian beauty; Tedi, a hidden Dutch Jew; and Zorah, a concentration camp survivor. Haunted by unspeakable memories and losses, afraid to begin to hope, Shayndel, Leonie, Tedi, and Zorah find salvation in the bonds of friendship and shared experience even as they confront the challenge of re creating themselves in a strange new country. This is an unforgettable story of tragedy and redemption, a novel that reimagines a moment in history with such stunning eloquence that we are haunted and moved by every devastating detail. Day After Night is a triumphant work of fiction.

New Jewish Wedding

Everything You Need to Know to Make Your Own Jewish Wedding ‘There is no such thing as a generic Jewish wedding,’ writes Anita Diamant, ‘no matter what the rabbi tells you, no matter what the caterer tells you, no matter what your mother tells you.’ Complete, authoritative, and indispensable, The New Jewish Wedding provides you with options some new, some old to create a wedding combining spiritual meaning and joyous celebration. With enthusiasm and flair, Anita Diamant prepares you to become your own architect. Gently providing options, she shows how you can mark every stage of a wedding before, during, and after the ‘main event’ with your own blend of traditional texts and customs. First, she introduces you to the richness of the Jewish tradition of love and marriage with delightful references drawn from Biblical, Talmudic, and mystical texts and stories. Then, she guides you step by step through planning the ceremony and the party that follows from finding a rabbi and wording the invitation to organizing a processional and hiring a caterer. Samples of both traditional and artistically designed, creatively worded invitations and ketubot marriage contracts are provided to help you devise your own. There are examples of poems that can be incorporated into the wedding ceremony or party, and names and addresses of artists who specialize in weaving, ceramics, sculpture, and calligraphy.

Living a Jewish Life

Living a Jewish Life describes Judaism as not just a contemplative or abstract system of thought but as a blueprint for living fully and honorably. This new edition builds on the classic guide, which has been a favorite among Jewish educators and students for years. Enriched with additional resources, including online resources, this updated guide also references recent changes in the modern Jewish community, and has served as a resource and guide for non Jews as well as Jews.

Addressing the choices posed by the modern world, Living a Jewish Life explains the traditions and beliefs of Judaism in the context of real life. It explores the spectrum of liberal Jewish thought, from Conservative to Reconstructionist to Reform, as well as unaffiliated, new age, and secular. Celebrating the diversity of Jewish beliefs, this guide provides information in ways that readers can choose how to incorporate Judaism into their lives.

Readers will learn how to choose the right synagogue, and discover the meaning and significance of lighting Sabbath candles. ‘Shabbat,’ ‘Torah,’ ‘kosher,’ ‘mitzvah’ and other key words are all defined in all of their complex and potent meanings.

On the most basic level, this book explains the essential Jewish vocabulary, but more importantly, Living a Jewish Life is a sensitive and comprehensive introduction that reveals the timeless nature of Jewish tradition, rich with history and relevant in the modern world.

The New Jewish Baby Book

A complete guide to the customs and rituals for welcoming a new child to the world and into the Jewish community, and for commemorating the joyous event in family life whatever your family constellation. The only book of its kind. Expanded, completely updated and revised. Includes: Ceremonies to copy for handouts. Special section for interfaith families helps make the celebrations inclusive and joyous for all. New ceremonies for girls, as well as for boys.

Bible Baby Names

A complete resource for parents to be searching for a perfect name for their baby. The Bible provides some of today’s most popular names. But, as Bible Baby Names shows, there are many names beyond Adam and Eve! The book offers nearly 1,000 boys and girls names from the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible, each with a: Translation from the original language Citation of where the name appears in the Bible Description of its meaning For all who want their child s name to be special, spiritual, and full of meaning, Bible Baby Names offers a treasure trove of choices. A great shower gift! A Son! Adin Beautiful, pleasant, gentle. Hebrew An Israelite leader whose sons return from the exile in Babylonia. Ezra 2:15 Timothy Who honors God. Greek A disciple and companion of Paul. I and II Timothy A Daughter! Atara Crown. Hebrew One of the wives of Jerahmeel, mother of Onam. 1 Chronicles 2:26 Martha From the Aramaic meaning mistress or sorrowful. Jesus visited Martha in her home. Luke 10:38 42

Choosing a Jewish Life

‘As a rabbi and a convert, I appreciate this book deeply for its sensitivity to the complex feelings of those who are exploring paths to becoming Jewish, and for the deep love of Judaism it conveys. I will give it to every interfaith couple, and recommend that they give it to their parents. It is wonderful! ‘ Rachel Cowan, co author of Mixed BlessingsIn the same knowledgeable, reassuring, and respectful style that has made her one of the most admired writers of guides to Jewish practices and rituals, Anita Diamant provides advice and information that can transform the act of conversion into an extraordinary journey of self discovery and spiritual growth. Married to a convert herself, Diamant anticipates all the questions, doubts, and concerns, provides a comprehensive explanation of the rules and rituals of conversion, and offers practical guidance toward creating a Jewish identity. Here you will learn how to choose a rabbi, a synagogue, a denomination, a Hebrew name; how to handle the difficulty of putting aside Christmas; what happens at the mikvah the ritual bath or at a hatafat dam brit circumcision ritual for those already circumcised; how to find your footing in a new spiritual family that is not always well prepared to receive you; and how not to lose your bonds to your family of origin. Sensitive, sympathetic, and insightful, Choosing a Jewish Life provides everything necessary to make conversion a joyful and spiritually meaningful experience.

Saying Kaddish

Anita Diamant’s knowledge, sensitivity, and clarity have made her one of the most respected writers of guides to Jewish life. In Saying Kaddish, she shows how to make Judaism’s time honored rituals into personal, meaningful sources of comfort. Diamant guides the reader through Jewish practices that attend the end of life, from the sickroom to the funeral to the week, month, and year that follow. There are chapters describing the traditional Jewish funeral and the customs of Shiva, the first week after death when mourners are comforted and cared for by community, friends, and family. She also explains the protected status of Jewish mourners, who are exempt from responsibilities of social, business, and religious life during Shloshim, the first thirty days. And she provides detailed instructions for the rituals of Yizkor and Yahrzeit, as well as chapters about caring for grieving children, mourning the death of a child, neonatal loss, suicide, and the death of non Jewish loved ones. From the Trade Paperback edition.

How to Be a Jewish Parent

How can I make the holidays interesting and meaningful to my child? Should I send my child to a Jewish day school? A Jewish summer camp? What kind of synagogue is best for my family? How do I plan a family trip to Israel or add Jewish heritage sites when traveling around the country or around the world?If you are, or hope to be, a Jewish parent in more than name, you have a lot of decisions to make. So many choices! But you can have no better guide to this wealth of opportunity than Anita Diamant. The author of popular books on Jewish weddings and baby rituals, Diamant now joins with family therapist Karen Kushner to help you through the next steps. They give creative, practical answers to these and many other questions, provide guidance on how to foster Jewish decision making for children of all ages, describe how to make your home a ‘Jewish space,’ and explain the importance of synagogue membership, holiday celebrations, community service, and other family activities. Diamant and Kushner draw from many sources to describe the practices, customs, and values that go into creating a Jewish home. They combine insights from Jewish tradition with contemporary developmental thinking about how children learn and grow. They provide addresses including Web sites where you can find specific information and other resources. And since experience may be the best of all teachers, they share their own and other parents’ stories and observations. For Diamant and Kushner, the number one goal of How to Be a Jewish Parent is to give parents and grandparents guideposts to raising joyful children within the rich tradition of the Jewish faith and culture. No Jewish family should be without it.

Pitching My Tent

Following the enormous success of her two bestselling novels, The Red Tent and Good Harbor, award winning author Anita Diamant delivers a book of intimate reflections on the milestones, revelations, and balancing acts of life as a wife, mother, friend, and member of a religious community. Before The Red Tent, before Good Harbor, before and during six books on contemporary Jewish life, Anita Diamant was a columnist. Over the course of two decades, she wrote essays about friendship and family, work and religion, ultimately creating something of a public diary reflecting the shape and evolution of her life as well as the trends of her generation. Pitching My Tent collects the finest of these essays, all freshly revised, updated, and enriched with new material, forming a cohesive and compelling narrative. Organized into six parts, the shape of the book reflects the general shape of adult life, chronicling its emotional and practical milestones. There are sections on marriage and the nature of family ‘Love, Marriage, Baby Carriage’; on the ties that bind mother and child ‘My One and Only’; on the demands and rewards of friendship ‘The Good Ship’; on the challenges of balancing Jewish and secular calendars ‘Time Wise’; on midlife ‘In the Middle’; and on what it means to embrace Judaism in today’s culture ‘Home for the Soul’.

How to Raise a Jewish Child

This updated edition of the classic parenting book combines insights from Jewish tradition with contemporary thinking about how children learn and grow. And it describes the practices, customs, and values that go into creating a Jewish home and raising joyful children within the rich traditions of Judaism.