Learning about one's ancestors can be fulfilling and enlightening. It can also be the beginning of an engrossing novel that combines truth and fiction to create a compelling story.
John Bartel's Jew traces his Jewish family from biblical times to the end of World War II. You will cry in despair as you visit Soviet slave camps. Reading the story of his family will catapult your consciousness into a region of the mind that lies somewhere between darkness and light. Your teeth will click with cold as icy winds blow across Siberia's tundra. The desert's hot breath scorches your nostrils. Turn back the clock! Meet biblical patriarchs. Partake of medieval life with fictional ancestors. And finally, shed tears of joy as a real life family finds redemption in America. The author includes interviews, documents, and photographs to bring his family's past to life.
Through the stories of the author's family, Jew teaches many lessons about tolerance while the author takes you on a funny, thrilling, and sometimes heart-stopping adventure. Best of all, much of it is true.