People of the Book

....by Geraldine Brooks

Its 1996, and Dr. Hanna Heath, an Australian Book Conservator, is commissioned to conserve the recently found Sarajevo Haggadah, a rare Jewish Haggadah rescued from the Bosnian war. In studying the physical attributes of the book, Hanna discovers some unanswered questions about its history. An insect wing, a fine hair, and wine stains, among other things cause her to speculate its path and its survival, time and time again in times of war--times when other Jewish books didn’t survive. But this one survived, and we are shown, chapter at a time, its journey. I love the way this was written; sort of a collection of stories, all distinct in time and place; going as far back as 1480 Seville and as recently as 2002 Jerusalem; but common in that each story holds its place in the history of the making and the preservation of this sacred manuscript. Each story makes you go “Ohhhh, that’s what happened!” Hanna’s own story unfolds as well, as the missing pieces of her own history are revealed by the time we reach the final chapter in the book’s history. This is a beautiful story of the perseverance of the Jewish people to rescue a treasured record of their faith when it seems the entire world is out to destroy it--and them. The Sarajevo Haggadah is real; the stories of its past, from its incredible creation to the courageous people who kept it safe in this novel, are fictitious.

Read it, read it, read it.
(Note: Not for younger readers, as some scenes are very disturbing)