#amwriting – a look inside the author process

I am a very secular Jew, though I was raised going to an Orthodox synagogue where the men and women were segregated, and where we always fasted on the High Holidays. We lit the candles on Shabbat and made our own menorahs one year for Hanukkah. I was even chapter president of my local Jewish youth group.

I was always proud to be Jewish (and always will be) and I loved the sense of community it brought. However, were things I struggled with as well. One of them was how patriarchal it is. 

When Nava and the Rabbi finally meet, he won’t shake her hand because she might be “unclean.” This happened to me as a child with an older Hassidic Jew, as well as with the Rabbi presiding over my father’s funeral. That dude didn’t even acknowledge me at all. He just spoke to my brother the entire time. 

In exploring more of my religion and its mythology in this series, I worked through a lot of gender politics. Luckily, that too tied into the stories, with Nava being the only female in this all male Brotherhood. 

We’re often told to write what we know, but the many different way that manifests, fascinates me.

Even if you aren’t Jewish, do any of these issues resonant for you?

If you want to find out if Nava came out stronger for all her struggles or misogyny got the best of her, check out The Unlikeable Demon Hunter. https://geni.us/g1BHdhttps://geni.us/g1BHd

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