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Blue Thread

by Ruth Tenzer Feldman (Goodreads Author)

3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 · rating details · 52 ratings · 17 reviews

The women’s suffrage movement is in full swing in 1912 Portland, Oregon—the last holdout state on the West Coast. Miriam desperately wants to work at her father’s printing shop, but when he refuses she decides to dedicate herself to the suffrage movement, demanding rights for women and a different life for herself. Amidst the uncertainty of her future, Miriam’s attention i

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Paperback, 296 pages

Published February 1st 2012 by Ooligan Press

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Feb 03, 2013 Maraskywalkeriii rated it 5 of 5 stars

Blue Thread is an inspirational YA adult novel to girls of all ages. I loved the main character Miriam; a strong female that made me wish I could have been a suffragette back in the early twentieth century. The book is an interweaving of two separate stories on different time lines; The 1912 women's struggle for the right to vote in Oregon, and women's struggle to acquire the rightful inheritance to their land in the time of Moses. Through the power of her grandmother's prayer shawl, she travels...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Hylary Locsin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Originally posted on my blog: http://libraryladyhylary.blogspot.com ! Check it out for more reviews!

Being a well-to-do girl in 1912 Portland, Oregon doesn’t give sixteen-year-old Miriam Josefsohn the freedom to choose what kind of life she leads. Her strict German-born father insists that Miriam be a proper young lady, which means that she will never be able to work a job, cannot get involved in politics like the women’s suffrage movement, and needs to focus on what’s important: getting married...more Originally posted on my blog: http://libraryladyhylary.blogspot.com ! Check it out for more reviews!

Being a well-to-do girl in 1912 Portland, Oregon doesn’t give sixteen-year-old Miriam Josefsohn the freedom to choose what kind of life she leads. Her strict German-born father insists that Miriam be a proper young lady, which means that she will never be able to work a job, cannot get involved in politics like the women’s suffrage movement, and needs to focus on what’s important: getting married to a wealthy Jewish man. The problem is that Miriam wants nothing to do with marriage, and wishes she could become a businesswoman and suffragette. Everything changes, however, when Miriam meets Serakh, a girl her age with bronze skin and a long white braid who asks her about a prayer shawl with a single blue thread. Miriam has never seen such a prayer shawl, but is shocked a few days later when her uncle gives her a family heirloom he has been keeping for her: her great-grandmother’s prayer shawl with a single blue thread. When Serakh returns, she informs Miriam that the shawl has the power to transport Miriam thousands of years in the past to the time of the Daughters of Zelophehad: five sisters in biblical times who sought the right to inherit their father’s lands. Miriam learns that the daughters need her help in their struggle for justice, and that their plight might influence her own generations later.

History author Ruth Tenzer Feldman demonstrates her prowess at creating enjoyable, thoughtful works of fiction with Blue Thread. Combining historical fiction, fantasy, and Jewish fiction, Feldman weaves a tale that both educates and entertains readers who are interested in experiencing something less fluffy and melodramatic as other novels for teens. The most successful part of Blue Thread is, without-a-doubt, the protagonist, Miriam. The character is well-written to the point that by the end of the novel, the reader feels like she is a long-lost friend. Although she lives 100 years ago, modern teens will find much to identify with in Miriam’s struggle to prove to her parents that she is capable and independent. Miriam evolves throughout the story, learning from her travels to the past, and ending her journey on a very exciting note. The time travel aspect of the novel is interesting and adds a level of fantasy to the book, but more important is Miriam’s efforts to champion women’s rights in general. The author does an excellent job of intertwining the fantasy and historical fiction components of the story, but the novel is primarily a coming-of-age story about a really likable and admirable young woman.

I hadn’t heard much of anything about this novel prior to picking it up, but as a Portland, Oregon native I wanted to give it a try. Fortunately it is one of those gems that somehow always seem to get lost in the sea of young adult literature. Obviously, I really liked this novel pretty much from start to finish. It is well-written and not overly wordy or dramatic. Miriam is really likable and I found myself cheering her on as she struggled to stand up for herself against her misogynistic father. I also loved reading about turn-of-the-century Portland and learned a lot about the women’s suffrage movement and the Daughters of Zelophehad. I think that Blue Thread could easily have a place in the classroom, especially as a novel that enhances education about a certain time in history, or simply as a good book for both teens and adults to enjoy. (less)

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Feb 09, 2012 Lisa Ard rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ruth Tenzer Feldman makes the jump from non-fiction to fiction with Blue Thread, the coming of age story of Miriam Josefsohn, a sixteen-year old Jewish girl living in Portland, Oregon in 1912. This is the height of the women's suffrage movement in Oregon and Miriam is swept into it, after meeting two women running a millinery shop.

Miriam finds herself stuck between two worlds. The first is a new daring arena where women make their own decisions, they work and they seek equal treatment under the...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Anne Osterlund rated it 4 of 5 stars

Miriam Josefsohn is many things: a daughter, a jew, a suffragette. She hopes one day a printer. But the year is 1912 and that day may never come if Miriam’s parents have their way arranging her future.

The future, though, is a flowing concept for the women of the Josefsohn family. As is time itself.

When Miriam learns of her unique inheritance—a special shawl woven with a blue thread—a gateway to the past opens. And perhaps an even more powerful gateway to the future.

Like Miriam herself, The Blue...more

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Apr 24, 2012 TheBookSmugglers rated it 3 of 5 stars

1912, Portland. Miriam is a young woman who desperately wants to work at her father’s printing shop and has been mustering up the courage to ask him for a chance to prove herself. For the past months, she has been reading about printing, practicing on her own and is full of innovative ideas. Unfortunately, her parents have other plans for Miriam and she finds herself having to enter the marriage market against her will. Meanwhile, the women’s suffrage movement is spreading and although her paren...more 1912, Portland. Miriam is a young woman who desperately wants to work at her father’s printing shop and has been mustering up the courage to ask him for a chance to prove herself. For the past months, she has been reading about printing, practicing on her own and is full of innovative ideas. Unfortunately, her parents have other plans for Miriam and she finds herself having to enter the marriage market against her will. Meanwhile, the women’s suffrage movement is spreading and although her parents try to keep Miriam away from it all, she becomes increasingly interested to hear what these women have to say and ends up involved in the movement alongside new friends.

Amidst all of this, Miriam is also visited by a mysterious woman called Serakh. Serakh’s sudden, unexplained appearances are followed by a persistent demand that Miriam must help her – her first mission is to find her family’s praying shawl. This shawl has been passed down generations and contains a (Magical) blue thread that allows Miriam and Serakh to travel back to the time of Moses to meet with the five Daughters of Zelophehad – the first women in Biblical history to own land. Or at least, they will be, once Miriam inspires them to talk to Moses which is Miriam’s main mission – as proposed by Serakh.

There were many things I loved about Blue Thread and one side of the story that didn’t work as well. I will start with the bad as I want to finish the review on a high note.

According to the author’s note (or check out this article) , the premise of the book (or at least the connection to the Biblical story of the Daughters of Zelophehad) took root when she saw a real photograph of a 1908 suffrage banner which mentions those characters.

The banner reads: LIKE THE DAUGHTERS OF ZELOPHEHAD, WE ASK FOR OUR INHERITANCE

Like the author, I found this to be fascinating. Unfortunately I don’t think this was well incorporated in the story. My main concern when approaching the book was how the religious side of the story would play out in this context. The main character is Jewish and her travel back in time to meet the Daughters of Zelophehad alludes to a factual side of the Bible. My fear – as is my fear with any story that involves religion – was that her personal connection with her religion as well the story’s historical background would be proposed as universal truths which could potentially exclude both other religious and non-religious people’s perspectives from the equation. Thankfully that wasn’t a problem at all. Instead, I had a huge problem with the Fantasy elements of the story and the very time travel aspect of it, in terms of what it MEANT.

The Fantasy elements are sloppy at best. Serakh is a time traveller with the gift of languages who keeps bringing people from Miriam’s family line back and forth in time to….inspire other people? How she does it (beyond the Magical Blue Thread), why exactly must she do this, why Miriam’s family in particular are never truly explored. There were several WAIT A MINUTE- moments when I caught myself trying to understand the why exactly were these women doing this. I love time travel stories but I am not even sure if these Fantasy elements were essential to this story. This is even more glaring when these Fantasy elements basically disappear from the story halfway through it and the way I see it, don’t really matter to Miriam’s main arc at all. Her accomplishments in the end are hers, helped by her own timeline’s inspirations (her friends and the suffrage movement).

Which brings me to my main problem with the story which stems from how Miriam’s downright interferes with the Daughters’ story. Her “help” went far beyond mere inspiration. In fact, she basically TELLS them what to do, how and why – and even helps things along by speaking on their behalf. This means that Miriam effectively undermines those women’s victory and erases their pioneer status. I think this is unforgivable considering the very topic of this book and well, it pissed me off.

But like I said, thankfully this is just one sides of the novel and in terms of Miriam’s character arc in her own timeline as well as the historical aspects of the women’s suffrage movement, Blue Thread is a success.

Starting with Miriam’s difficult relationship with her parents – and in different ways depending on each parental unit. Her frustration with the fact that she can’t inherit her father’s business and how she knows she can be a good typesetter but no one will listen to her. Or how her mother is adamant that all she needs is a man to take care of her and she will be settled for life. There is also an element of family history and personal tragedy that plays really well overall.

I loved the development of Miriam’s feminist ideas in terms of universal ideas applicable to all women and how she started to read up on the suffrage movement and take part on it and to make friends with other women and even men, because of it. But also in the context of her life – it should be after all, her RIGHT to be the heir of her father’s business, like it would have been if she were a man. There is a lot of growth for Miriam here and one of my favourite things about the book is that it doesn’t demonises her traditionalist parents and the ending of the book is perfect – full of growth and hope but also some heartbreaking moments.

Blue Thread has a lot going for it and I am glad I read it. If you are interested in a good story about a young woman finding her footing in the historical context of the suffrage movement, look no further. But if you are looking for that as a well as a well-developed Fantasy novel involving time travel – I am sorry to say, but you should probably look elsewhere. (less)

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Jun 04, 2012 Whitney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction

This is a clever YA novel based in Oregon in 1912. Telling the story of sixteen year old Miriam Josefsohn who wants to grow up to work in her father's print shop in a time women were still struggling to get the vote.While suffragette narratives are not normally my thing, Blue Thread also contains a surprising twist tied up in time travel and a little known story in the Bible. Through this bizarre contact, Miriam finds herself the inspiration behind these ancient figures, and finds the strength w...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Deena Anreise rated it 4 of 5 stars

First and foremost, this is a YA novel about the strength, resilience, and courage of women and girls. There are Jewish undertones, but they seem to serve the historical fiction aspects of the novel more than any overall religious bent. What I enjoyed most was the tie-in to Oregon's suffrage movement in 1912 (which celebrates its centennial this year), and the headstrong protagonist's very contemporary desire to be more than what men and greater society think females should be. This is an extrem...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Gayle Francis Moffet rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, january-2012, fiction, ya-lit

"Blue Thread" is a historical YA novel with a smattering of science fiction. Miriam is a 16-year-old Jewish girl in Portland, OR on the eve of the 1912 state vote for women's suffrage. Her parents are old-fashioned in their ideas and their goals for their daughter, and their continued attempts to make her conform to their way of thinking is weakened not only by the suffragettes Miriam meets, but also by a time-traveler who comes and asks for her assistance. You see, Miriam comes from a long line...more "Blue Thread" is a historical YA novel with a smattering of science fiction. Miriam is a 16-year-old Jewish girl in Portland, OR on the eve of the 1912 state vote for women's suffrage. Her parents are old-fashioned in their ideas and their goals for their daughter, and their continued attempts to make her conform to their way of thinking is weakened not only by the suffragettes Miriam meets, but also by a time-traveler who comes and asks for her assistance. You see, Miriam comes from a long line of Miriams who have traveled back and forth over the "olam" and helped ancient women fight for justice.

It sounds like an odd combination of storylines--young woman trying to be modern mixed with the 1912 vote and some Biblical events--but Feldman knows what she's doing. She keeps the focus on Miriam, and Miriam is exactly where the focus should be. She's a smart young woman who knows what she wants. She's skeptical and hard-working, and she wants to do what's right. She also makes mistakes, overstepping the boundaries she knows are in place and spending some time just trying to keep her head above water. She is, in essence, a teenager who is trying to find her place, and that makes her very engaging. You want Miriam to win; not just because she's fighting a fight that makes sense (for women to have equal rights), but because she's doing it while also trying to love her parents and get them to understand her.

Miriam's parents, it should be noted, are a very interesting couple. There's a dark cloud over the family due to a tragedy, and it helps readers understand why Miriam's parents are as worried and strict as they are. They obviously love their daughter, but they're scared at the same time. They are also behind the times in their thinking, and they will resonate for a lot of teenagers as parents who are trying hard but just don't understand.

One of the great things about "Blue Thread" is that it's a very good YA book. There's conflict and strife and some nerve-wracking parts, but there's not a lot of darkness. There are a lot of YA novels out right now that are exceptionally dark for the genre ("Hunger Games") and other long-standing YA novels that have always caused controversy because of their themes and tone ("The Chocolate War"). "Blue Thread" is a YA novel that I think most any parent can hand to their child. Miriam is smart and capable, and while what she does is shocking for her time, there's nothing truly awful in Miriam's world. The injustices around her were injustices that existed and ones that can be easily discussed between parents and children and teachers and students. "Blue Thread" is a book that encourages young people to take a stand and work for what's right, and that's always a valuable lesson.(less)

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Feb 04, 2012 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Blue Thread is the story of Miriam Josefson. She lives in 1912 Portland, OR at the height of the women's suffrage movement. Her father owns a printing shop, which Miriam loves to visit and hopes one day to run. But her father is determined to have Miriam marry well and live life as a proper lady. It seems that no matter how hard Miriam tries, she will not sway her father. Then fate intervenes. One day a mysterious girl named Serakh appears to Miriam and tells her that her great-grandmother's pra...more Blue Thread is the story of Miriam Josefson. She lives in 1912 Portland, OR at the height of the women's suffrage movement. Her father owns a printing shop, which Miriam loves to visit and hopes one day to run. But her father is determined to have Miriam marry well and live life as a proper lady. It seems that no matter how hard Miriam tries, she will not sway her father. Then fate intervenes. One day a mysterious girl named Serakh appears to Miriam and tells her that her great-grandmother's prayer shawl is special: it has the power to transport Miriam through time. With the touch of the blue threads on the shawl Miriam finds herself in biblical times, in the midst of another struggle for women's rights, and her actions and decisions could change the lives of many. Alternating between journeys to the past and struggles in the present, Miriam's story is one of perseverance, dreams, and the power of one woman to change the world.

What I loved about Blue Thread was Miriam. She is headstrong and confident, but still learning what it means to be a woman in her world. She is sixteen, at the crux of becoming a woman, but still held in the thralls of childhood by her parents. Struggling to free herself from sexist prejudices and societal expectations, Miriam breaks all the rules in her effort to build a place for herself in what could be a new world. But amid all her bravery she is still afraid: afraid of her father and angering him (because despite his flaws she does love him), afraid that one wrong word will doom her friends in ancient times, afraid that the suffrage movement will fail, afraid that she will not get to live in the future that she wants to. Her strength and her flaws are what makes Miriam feel so alive. Even though she lived a hundred years ago, through her actions and dreams she is just like any teenager today, wishing for a better world.

The world and story that Feldman built is lush and detailed, from the eccentricities of 1912 Portland to the grand majesty of the ancient biblical lands. She certainly did her research and it paid off. Her world feels as real and alive as her protagonist, and the two match perfectly. The characters surrounding Miriam are also brave and flawed like she is. You are drawn into their lives and struggles, hoping that it will end on a good day for all.

Definitely an excellent read for any teenage girl, or any lover of history. This is a story that will echo with girls for years to come.(less)

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Jan 15, 2013 April rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-2013, amelia-bloomer-project, high-school, middle-school

I had some issues with the narrative structure..felt like the time-travel story line and the suffrage movement in Oregon storyline belonged in two different books. Definitely lots of feminist content here though..am guessing our discussion will focus on quality.

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Jun 03, 2012 Rosanne added it

Shelves: for-tender-hearted-teens, historical, oregon-authors, time-travel, western-settings-us

Ruth's debut book from Ooligan Press at PSU.
Women's suffrage and a time travel element to ancient Israel.

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Nov 24, 2012 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Fine and interesting concept, but a little meandering and overly long.

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Apr 11, 2012 Laurie marked it as to-read

Recommended to Laurie by: SLJ

Set in Portland, Oregon in 1912. !!!

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Apr 25, 2013 Toni Cooper marked it as to-read

Chris recommended

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Dec 30, 2011 Wendy Watts Scalfaro rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked it, once I got into it. You'll have to wait for my official review in a future issue of School Library Journal.

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Mar 30, 2012 Lobelia Toadfoot rated it 5 of 5 stars

Set in Portland in 1912, the year that Oregon women got the vote, Blue Thread is about Miriam, a teen girl who wants to become a typographer and who becomes a suffragist despite her patriarchal father's disapproval. Miriam travels back in time, makes friends with other young women, and comes to stand up for her beliefs.

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Mar 29, 2013 Karen Zacharias rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have a friend who is 97. Hard to conceive the world into which she was born, the one in which women had no voice, no vote. Ruth Tenzer Feldman does a terrific job of recreating that not-so-long-ago story.

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Sep 25, 2012 Tara Chevrestt marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2012-release, historical-fiction, wishlist

Intrigued by the suffragette stuff.. Wondering how religious this is though..

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About Ruth Tenzer Feldman

Ruth is an award-winning author of books and articles, mainly for children and young adults. She has been an attorney, editor, research analyst, ticket seller, and keypunch operator. Her 10 nonfiction books focus on history and biography, while her articles range from leeches to Einstein’s refrigerator. Blue Thread, her forthcoming historical fiction/fantasy for young adults, entwines the struggle...more

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