Ruth Tenzer Feldman
The Ninth Day
This companion novel to Blue Thread and Seven Stitches intertwines Berkeley, California, in December 1964, at the time of the free speech protests and Paris, France, in December 1099, at the end of the First Crusade. Miriam Hope Friis, a shy, stuttering young woman, suffers from injuries inflicted while tripping out on what she believes is an accidental dose of LSD. She is determined to enter a singing competition that could lead to a college scholarship. The prayer shawl she accepts from her ailing grandfather sends her back to the Middle Ages and embroils her in a struggle to prevent a distraught father from killing his newborn son. Hope must find her voice and navigate draconian choices within the eight days of Hanukkah. The choices she must make on her return to the free speech protests in Berkeley threaten her chances to sing in the competition.
For ages 12 and older ISBN13: 978-1-932010-65-7 Support your local, independent booksellers. My favorites in Portland, Oregon:Two bookstores in my Oakland, California neighborhoodFind other independent booksellers at Bookshop.org. Blue Thread is also available in electronic form through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. |
Read an Excerpt (PDF)
Discussion Questions (PDF)
A Few Reviews
"This is a lovely coming of age novel that takes place during two Hanukkah celebrations almost a thousand years apart. One thread takes place in Berkeley in 1964, during the Free Speech Movement. The other takes place in the Jewish quarter of Paris in the Middle Ages. Hope, is a shy teenager with a stutter who goes to Berkeley High, and is slowly recovering after her older sister gave her LSD, leaving her with both external and internal scars. She meets a Jewish woman from the past who leads her on a journey through time where she learns she has a heroic role to play, to save a child doomed as a result of a terrible vow. The story is riveting; the two periods intertwine seamlessly and, speaking as someone who was arrested in the Free Speech Movement, the Berkeley sections feel true and authentic. In this gripping tale, Hope must conquer her fears and make difficult decisions in both worlds."
–Margot Adler, journalist and author of Drawing Down the Moon and Heretic’s Heart
“Thank you, Ruth Tenzer Feldman for gracefully transporting me to both 1964 and 1099, for an equal part brave and tender heroine who rises up to meet unthinkable challenges and finds out she’s made of strong and beautiful stuff. Reading this book felt like looking at a night sky full of stars and having a wise someone connect the bright spots for me, revealing constellations rich with story, myth, and magic. Once I entered this world, I found it hard to leave. I had to find out what happened next. The Ninth Day took me a mere three days to devour."
–Jen Violi, author of Putting Makeup on Dead People
“In The Ninth Day, Oregon Book Award winner Ruth Tenzer Feldman offers fans of time-slip fantasies an intriguing journey through the olam, a Hebrew word meaning both “universe” and “forever.” Led by a spiritual being actually named in the Bible, sixteen-year-old Miriam Hope navigates a challenging nine days as Feldman cleverly links the student free speech uprisings of 1964 Berkeley and a horrifying incident during the 11th Century Crusades, managing this by connecting the chemistry of LSD and the rye-rotting fungus of ergot, prevalent in medieval times. Although technically a fantasy, The Ninth Day must surely qualify as historical fiction for the author’s meticulous research into both sets of fascinating events.”
–Linda Crew, author of A Heart for Any Fate
“As Miriam Hope discovers that the past and the present are intertwined, she also discovers her own voice and realizes she can choose her future. The Ninth Day is a historical coming of age story that reminds us all of the power of family, love and mystery.”
–Maureen McQuerry, the author of The Peculiars
“This fascinating story, filled with history and science, seems well researched and the author’s treatment of the characters’ interrelationships is ingenious and impressive. The characters are believable and the reader is moved to both tears and laughter. The book is ambitious…[t]his densely plotted, intriguing, well-written novel is a wonderful read.”
–The Jewish Book Council
Discussion Questions (PDF)
A Few Reviews
"This is a lovely coming of age novel that takes place during two Hanukkah celebrations almost a thousand years apart. One thread takes place in Berkeley in 1964, during the Free Speech Movement. The other takes place in the Jewish quarter of Paris in the Middle Ages. Hope, is a shy teenager with a stutter who goes to Berkeley High, and is slowly recovering after her older sister gave her LSD, leaving her with both external and internal scars. She meets a Jewish woman from the past who leads her on a journey through time where she learns she has a heroic role to play, to save a child doomed as a result of a terrible vow. The story is riveting; the two periods intertwine seamlessly and, speaking as someone who was arrested in the Free Speech Movement, the Berkeley sections feel true and authentic. In this gripping tale, Hope must conquer her fears and make difficult decisions in both worlds."
–Margot Adler, journalist and author of Drawing Down the Moon and Heretic’s Heart
“Thank you, Ruth Tenzer Feldman for gracefully transporting me to both 1964 and 1099, for an equal part brave and tender heroine who rises up to meet unthinkable challenges and finds out she’s made of strong and beautiful stuff. Reading this book felt like looking at a night sky full of stars and having a wise someone connect the bright spots for me, revealing constellations rich with story, myth, and magic. Once I entered this world, I found it hard to leave. I had to find out what happened next. The Ninth Day took me a mere three days to devour."
–Jen Violi, author of Putting Makeup on Dead People
“In The Ninth Day, Oregon Book Award winner Ruth Tenzer Feldman offers fans of time-slip fantasies an intriguing journey through the olam, a Hebrew word meaning both “universe” and “forever.” Led by a spiritual being actually named in the Bible, sixteen-year-old Miriam Hope navigates a challenging nine days as Feldman cleverly links the student free speech uprisings of 1964 Berkeley and a horrifying incident during the 11th Century Crusades, managing this by connecting the chemistry of LSD and the rye-rotting fungus of ergot, prevalent in medieval times. Although technically a fantasy, The Ninth Day must surely qualify as historical fiction for the author’s meticulous research into both sets of fascinating events.”
–Linda Crew, author of A Heart for Any Fate
“As Miriam Hope discovers that the past and the present are intertwined, she also discovers her own voice and realizes she can choose her future. The Ninth Day is a historical coming of age story that reminds us all of the power of family, love and mystery.”
–Maureen McQuerry, the author of The Peculiars
“This fascinating story, filled with history and science, seems well researched and the author’s treatment of the characters’ interrelationships is ingenious and impressive. The characters are believable and the reader is moved to both tears and laughter. The book is ambitious…[t]his densely plotted, intriguing, well-written novel is a wonderful read.”
–The Jewish Book Council
© 2023 Ruth Tenzer Feldman