In 2009, at the age of twenty-three, Deborah Feldman packed
up her young son and their few possessions and walked away from her insular
Hasidic roots. She was determined to forge a better life for herself, away from
the rampant oppression, abuse, and isolation of her Satmar upbringing in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Out of her experience came the incendiary, bestselling
memoir Unorthodox, and now, just a
few years later, Feldman has embarked on a triumphant journey of
self-discovery—a journey in which she begins life anew as a single mother, an
independent woman, and a religious refugee.
Taking her cues from favorite childhood books read in secret
and the modern classics only recently introduced to her, Feldman explores the
United States, from San Francisco to Chicago, New Orleans, and the Southwest.
In her travels, and at home, Feldman redefines her sense of identity—no longer
Orthodox, she comes to terms with her Jewishness by discovering a world of
like-minded outcasts and misfits committed to self-acceptance and healing.
Inwardly, Feldman has navigated remarkable experiences: raising her son in the
“real” world, finding solace and solitude in a writing career, and searching
for love. Culminating in an unforgettable trip across Europe to retrace her grandmother’s
life during the Holocaust, Exodus is
a deeply moving exploration of the mysterious bonds that tie us to family and
religion, the bonds we must sometimes break to find our true selves. Feldman
proves herself again to be a captivating storyteller, and her singular life has
been an inspiration to countless others and for readers everywhere.
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