“And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.” Genesis, 34: 1-2. As Dinah, the narrator of this story, says, she is not much more of a footnote in history -- excepting the revenge by her brothers on the city of Shalem, brutal even by the standards of the day. But that is not the whole story. It is certainly not the story of the women – of Leah and Rachel, their handmaids Bilhah and Zilpah, of Adah and Rebecca. Anita Diamant takes on the history that is so often left behind – that of those who brought forth the generations of men. She does so with grace and majesty. Of all the books I read this summer, this one was the tale that wrapped me into its folds. This is the narrative I felt a part of, the one that made me laugh and cry and gape with wonder. Of course, I am a “bit” of a feminist (LOL), and the details of the red tent, details that make up women’s lives, were hugely appealing. Mothers and daughters, sisters and aunts share in the unique joys and sorrows of womanhood within the sanctuary of the red tent. They are born, mature into adulthood, experience sex and pregnancy, and then the circle starts again. It struck a powerful note. The writing is evocative and moving, in many ways Ms. Diamont’s style is like the prose version of Naomi Shihab Nye. She takes the huge palette of the bible lands and humanizes each person within this epic. I waited a long time to read this bestseller, now I cannot wait to recommend it to others. Find the time to experience this true treasure.
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