How the red tent invented a new kind of fiction the times of israel. First and foremost, the red tent 1997 is a novel by anita diamant that retells the biblical rape story of dinah. Like the conversations and mysteries held within this feminine tent, this sweeping piece of fiction offers an insiders look at the daily life of a biblical sorority of mothers and wives and their one and only daughter, dinah. Download and read online for free the red tent by anita diamant. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read inside the red tent.
If you like the red tent you might like similar books the poisonwood bible, snow flower and the secret fan, the memory keepers daughter, little bee, sarahs key. The rape of dinah genesis, chapter 34 was recounted not by dinah, but by her brothers. I need to read a book for school and i thought of this book. Buy a cheap copy of the red tent book by anita diamant. This began to change when the author herself initiated a wordofmouth campaign by giving copies away to.
Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. The red tent, anita diamant dinah opens the story by recounting for readers the union of her mother leah and father jacob, as well as the expansion of the family to include leahs sister rachel, and the handmaids zilpah and bilhah. Told in dinahs voice, this novel reveals the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhoodthe world of the red tent. In the red tent, women are strong and intelligent and hardworking. The red tent is a novel by anita diamant, published in 1997 by wyatt books for st. The red tent novel originally did not have a great impact on womens lives. Deeply affecting, the red tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable contribution in modern fiction. The red tent is the place where women gathered during their cycles of birthing, menses, and even illness. The red tent is a 1997 novel by anita diamant that builds a fictional exploration of a minor character in the judeochristian torahbible, dinah, a daughter of jacob and sister of. Raised like sisters, mariamne and salome are indulged with riches, position, and. A lot of the womens practices from ancient times werent necessarily written down in the way the malebased rabbinic practices were, said sarai shapiro, the youth programs director for wilderness torah who conceived of the traveling tent. Inside the red tent ebook written by sandra hack polaski.
Also bedded are zilpah, a goddess worshipper who has little use for men, and tiny, dark, and silent bilhah. A novel and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In the bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the book of genesis that are about her father, jacob, and his dozen sons. It took me a bit to like it but i can say that i did like it. In many ways the red tent is a very female very feminist novel, the red tent itself being the place the women retreated to from the general family camp whilst they bled at the new moon. Join our community of taste explorers to save your discoveries, create inspiring lists, get personalized recommendations, and. The dovekeepers is a book that, like the red tent, reimagines historical judeo christian events from a womans perspective. Stepping into the red tent the lifetime adaptation of anita diamants novel about dinah departs radically from the bible and that may be a good thing. How the red tent invented a new kind of fiction the. The red tent by anita diamant 1997 her name is dinah. If you love historical fiction, then npr would like to recommend the book of madness. The red tent cafe in dousman to specialize in fish fries. The red tent of the title is the separate tent set aside for the women where they go while menstruating to keep apart from the men. The book follows four very different women whose lives become interconnected as they struggle to survive on masada.
Essentially, dinah is pretty much a footnote in the bible, so diamant really fleshes out the story of dinah. How the red tent invented a new kind of fiction 20 years ago, anita diamants novel about the biblical dinah was just a weird idea. The pile of books to read probably numbers around and that doesnt include the 400 or so on the kindle i like to get outside to garden, or. Historical fiction books to read if you love the red tent amazing. The second half of the book, which takes place in egypt, is somewhat more convincing and less oppressiveperhaps because there is no more red tent. It begins with the story of her mothersleah, rachel, zilpah, and.
If you liked memoirs of a geisha, youll love this book. Guided visualisation is a meditation technique which is simple but powerful. This is a timeless tradition observed by ancient cultures which serves as a regular forum for empowering womens sense of selfhood. She is the author of six books about contemporary jewish practice, including. How the red tent invented a new kind of fiction jewish. If you like the red tent central rappahannock regional. The novel in question is the red tent, and its modest but highly delighted author is anita diamant, an experienced american journalist who. In the ruddy shade of the red tent, the menstrual tent, they ran their fingers through my curls, repeating the escapades of their youths, the sagas of their childbirths. I only wish i could read more books like the red tent that took religious text and mythology and made it. The red tent book hillsborough county public library. Moving panoramically from mesopotamia to canaan to egypt, the red tent is. Its inanna, the sumerian goddess of love and fertility.
Many novels dont seem so good the second time you read them, but this one is worth rereading over and over. I usually read or listen to a couple books a week, but im finding that my standard book choices are really making me super stressed out right now, like my anxiety from being sick is high enough that even a. And similar again to the red tent it examines all the major phases of womens lives birth, childhood, menstruation. It is a vast and stirring work described as what the bible might have been had it been written by gods daughters instead of sons. And similar again to the red tent it examines all the major phases of womens lives birth, childhood, menstruation, sexuality, pregnancy, motherhood, and.
We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. Or explore the best books of the past decade to see what was popular throughout the years. It is a firstperson narrative that tells the story of dinah, daughter of jacob and leah, sister of joseph. Like the conversations and mysteries held within this feminine tent, this sweeping piece of fiction offers an insiders look at the daily life of a biblical sorority of. We hope that this guide will provide you a starting place for discussion, and suggest a variety of perspectives from which you might approach the red tent. The red tent retells the biblical story of dinah, jacobs daughter. There is a huge focus on sexual awakening, menstruation, womanhood and the entry into womanhood, and fertility in general. The red tent of the title refers to the tent the women of the tribe remain in while experiencing their. In the bible her fate is merely hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the verses of the book of genesis that deal with jacob and his dozen sons. If you like the red tent you might like similar books the poisonwood bible, snow flower and the secret fan, the memory keepers daughter, little bee. So we look to books like the red tent to paint a picture of what womens culture in. The red tent cafe, a restaurant specializing in fish fries and soul food, will soon open in dousman. In many cases, these novels, like diamants, give voices to lesserknown and. Shani robinson always had a dream of opening her own restaurant.
The red tent then is a very appropriate title as the book focused almost exclusively on feminine concerns. In many cases, these novels, like diamants, give voices to lesserknown and often. It is tempting to say that the red tent is what the bible would be like if it had been written by women, but only diamant could have given it such sweep and grace. The novel in question is the red tent, and its modest but highly. I would recommend the red tent to anyone who wants more than read a footnote, or anyone, who, like me, had trouble even starting reading the bible, specifically for the reason that the stories told are missing half the people.
Like the conversations and mysteries held within this. Menstration is not seen as disgusting in this book, but something to celebrate. What other books are a must read for beginners like me. The red tent are intended as resources to aid individual readers and book groups who would like to learn more about the author and this book. She is a minor character in the bible, but the author has broadened her story. Inside the red tent by sandra hack polaski books on. Welcome to our roundup of the best books of the year. I liked it a bit more once we got through the events prior to dinahs birth but i was entranced just as much as dinah herself was with the red tent and how the women were with each other in relation to the men. The red tent is very loosely based on the story of dinah in genesis, and it is a book that is very easy to read. In the bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the book of genesis that are about her. The author does succeed in giving the reader some feel for life in an ancient culture, and for the experiences that are the same for all women at all times. Their stories were like offerings of hope and strength poured out before the queen of heaven, only these gifts were not for any god or goddessbut for me.
The red tent by anita diamant at the best online ebook storage. Handpicked recommendations to other books that have a similar writing style or theme to the red tent. The dovekeepers is a book that, like the red tent, reimagines historical judeochristian events from a womans perspective. If you like the red tent by crrlstaff october 9, 2018 based on the book of genesis, dinah, jacobs only daughter, shares her perspectives on the origins of many of our modern religious practices and sexual politics, imparting the lessons she has learned from her fathers wives. Deeply affecting, the red tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable achievement in. The red tent inspired a generation of jewish feminists j. The red tent by anita diamant goodreads share book. The red tent is a novel of biblical times and of the customs of those times, detailing the imagined lives of rachel and leah, two wives of jacob both true biblical figures and, subsequently, the imagined story of dinah, the daughter of leah, also a true biblical figure. I like the way diamant gives jacob a realistic lifespan. Goodreads members who liked the red tent also liked. The book it is important to define what the red tent is. A straightforward fictional narrative the red tent can also be read as midrash, the imaginative retelling of torah, which rabbi lawrence kushner author of honey from the rock and other books on jewish mysticism and spirituality and diamants teacher calls the literature that sprouts up in the blank spaces between the words and letters of.
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