Author Naomi Ragen

Platinum Member Joined: Jan 17 2005 Posts: 5505

nope - I cant remember who did...and I cant remember where I put the copy I wanted 2 read but cant find either Sad

..ah I think the author is anita diamant? not sure tho....

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Platinum Member Joined: Jan 17 2005 Posts: 5505

I promise I didnt peek - we posted at exactly the same time Laughing

Posted: Thu, Nov 17 2005, 10:30 pm Post subject: re: Author Naomi Ragen

When I was first converting, many of my non-religious Jewish friends used Naomi Ragens books as 'proof' why I should not become frum.
'Sacrifice of Tamar' hit me the most.

In the Catholic neighborhhod I was raised, there were 'problem priests'. Many boys were abused and then shunned if any allegations came forward. 1 of my old classmates committed suicide at the age of 20 or 21 and I always attributed it to that.

Naomi Ragen certainly has an ax to grind. I wish she could get her point across in a slightly smoother manner.

Platinum Member Joined: May 22 2005 Posts: 13795

I was trying to find an interview that I had read a long time ago and found this in stead. It gives you a picture of her outlook. And this about a play that she has written. Definately an axe to grind.

Posted: Fri, Nov 18 2005, 12:09 am Post subject: re: Author Naomi Ragen

Perhaps if these situations Naomi Ragen based her books on never happened or were dealt with properly in the first place, she would not have the fuel for her fire.

Platinum Member Joined: May 22 2005 Posts: 13795

I think there is a difference between acknowledging that things happen (like that abuse does exist in the frum community) and making things seem 'normative'.

Gold Member Joined: Oct 19 2004 Posts: 1109

http://naomiragen.com/

This site gives a lot of information

Posted: Sat, Nov 19 2005, 3:40 pm Post subject: re: Author Naomi Ragen

It's lovely to say that one writes such books as a cri de coeur about the horrible things that go on in the chareidi community, but a bit strange to do so in a forum (I.e. secular romances) which will not be seen by anyone who could do something about them, isn't it? As far as I can tell, NR writes her books in order to give chareidim a bad image amongst the secular/non-Jews.

I have never read any of her books, Motek, but I saw a couple of them in the library, read the blurb and decided that I don't need to enrage myself by reading biased books written by someone who hates me. I also read a couple of Ragen's columns in the Jerusalem Post, so I have a pretty good idea of what she's about.

I recommend a column written not long ago by Wendy Shalit about how the charedi world is portrayed in fiction and why (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F01E0DA1038F933A05752C0A9639C8B63) and Shalit's response to her critics: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0205/shalit_replies.php3

Gold Member Joined: Oct 29 2005 Posts: 1016 Location: ny

I havn't read the books, so I can't comment, but maybe try reading some books by Rochelle Krich. She does adress real issues but doesn't have a negative attitude towards religious Jews. I really enjoy her books- "Blues in the Night" is the first in her Molly Blume series. Has anyone else read her books? What did you think? (She has a website- RochelleKrich.com)

Posted: Sat, Nov 19 2005, 8:01 pm Post subject: re: Author Naomi Ragen

I happened to read a Naomi Raegan book coz I found it in sem along with another book that was really innapropriate and I read the sacrifice of Tamar.
This is what I have to say about Naomi Raegan.
All her books seem to have the same theme (the similarity with Danielle Steele) I would say she probably had a bad childhood or something to do with Charedi Judaism, otherwise why would it sound so venomous when you read it.

There is one thing to write about certain things, but she seemed to talk about mikvah like it was something dirty and embarassing. I don't doubt that some frum people are very narrowminded, but all of them to be like that???

I didn't like the book, interesting story line, but it was written all wrong and she puts too much of her own emotion in it and it seems it is spiteful and angry and maybe if she learnt how to control her emotions and maybe seek counselling, I am sure her stories would be slightly better and maybe have a broader spectrum.
_________________
He who laughs last didn't get the joke the first time [chinese proverb - NOT]

Platinum Member Joined: May 22 2005 Posts: 13795

Gold Member Joined: Mar 23 2005 Posts: 1737

I agree that she definitely has an axe to grind in her first 3 books, though I'll admit they do make interesting reading and have parts that are thought provoking. *spoiler here* don't read further if you don't want to know too much...they all had a similar theme in that the main character ended up (don't like it, but for lack of a better term) "more modern orthodox" probably not unlike her own experience.

Her last 3 books do not really deal with the abusive charedi theme. I didn't get into 2 of them, but her most recent, "The Covenant" was a (sad, but) good read and dealt with the subject of terrorists in Israel.

Silver Member Joined: Aug 08 2004 Posts: 671

Im in the middle of reading The Covenant by Naomi Ragan and Im enjoying it.. I loved her other books too... I take them with a pinch of salt.. Theyre good reads!!

Gold Member Joined: Apr 06 2006 Posts: 1492

I'm a Naomi Ragen fan - although, as with anything else, details need to be taken with a pinch of salt (as with any work of fiction).

I don't think there's anything objectionable about "The Covenant". It attacks the moral hyprocricy in the liberal world concerning terrorism in Israel. She lives in Israel and was actually having her family's Passover seder in the hotel in Netanya that was attacked by a suicide bomber. She and her family escaped with only a cut, but she writes about witnessing the horror in an article on her website.

The Ghost of Hannah Mendes is a historical novel based upon the life of Dona Gracia Nasi, a Marrano who became an extremely wealthy young widow and used her riches to save Jews. Interesting, but not controversial at all.

The books which get more attention and controversy are Jephte's Daughter, The Sacrific of Tamar and Sotah.

I don't think that any of the reviews posted so far really give a totally accurate flavor of these books. You pretty much have to read them for yourself to decide. The best way to describe them would be to imagine a merger between modern paperback fiction and a Modern Orthodox/Dati Leumi/Orthodox feminist political lecture.

There is criticism of aspects of the Charedi world - but it's a nuanced criticism, focusing largely extremism, abuse, corruption, and hypocricy. The typical villian would be someone who presents to the world as being charedi, while having distain for Hashem in his heart and secretly doing all sorts of nasty stuff. By contrast, she writes positively of Charedi characters who have true yiras shamayim and ahavas yisrael. There is a Chassidic rebbe in The Sacrifice of Tamar who is portrayed in a very positive light. She also writes with real affection for simple, religious families with love for each other and Hashem. So, it's not a blanket distain for Orthodoxy, but more of an attempt to critisize problemic elements. One of her general themes as well, in both the novels and the website, is her objection to "silence" and the "what's not nice, we don't show" mentality. [At the same time, though, she shows some real sympathy for how trauma like the Holocaust may have fostered this attitude in some.] Some of the things that she criticizes in her books have also been repeatedly criticized on this site - she just makes the criticism in a more public way (although it bears mentioning that there is a lot on this site, even on the publically-accessible boards, that could be seen by others). She's not a huge fan of conformity for its own sake. If you read her website, it says that she grew up poor and often felt ostracized. She became a BT and at one point did live among the Charedi community. That wasn't a perfect fit either, and she's basically in the MO/dati leumi category now, but she largely defines herself without fitting easily into categories.

She's also a very staunch Zionist and strongly rejects any attempts to demonize settlers. Some of her most sympathic characters are settlers. This puts her at odds with the left in the secular world.

By the same token, she also criticizes many elements in the secular world. It's presented as initially tempting but often empty. Frum characters who try to simply escape to the secular world ultimately encounter problems and don't find real satisfaction. For example, there is one scene in Sotah where Dina is horrified to see the children in the secular Jewish house watching Batman on TV. The mother initially thinks that Dina is a fanatic and wonders what the big deal is, and then sits down by herself to watch it and realizes, for a new perspective, just how utterly violent it is.

Take a look at the website, start with the first two books I mentioned, and then, if you are ready, consider the last three.

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