Russian Jews | Children's Books Heal

Rachel’s Promise (The Rachel Trilogy)

Shelly Sanders, Author

Second Story Press, Historical Fiction, Sept. 23, 2013

Suitable for Ages: 12 and up

Themes: Persecution, Russian Jews, Family, Love, Loss, Separation

Synopsis: Rachel’s Promise is set in pre-revolutionary Russia, where tensions run high between the Jewish and Christian populations. Vicious riots break out in Kishinev in 1903. Rachel’s father is killed and her home and Jewish community destroyed. Her Christian friend Sergei turns against his police chief father, to help 15-year-old Rachel. (Read my review of Rachel’s Secret here.) Rachel, her mother, sister Nucia, and an adopted brother, Menahem, flee Russia and the brutal riots. They travel on the Trans-Siberian Railway to the coast where they board a ship to Shanghai, China. The journey is hard on her mother and she dies in a Shanghai medical facility. Now it is up to Rachel and her siblings to earn enough money to travel to America. Although her life becomes one of daily survival, she never gives up her dream of going to school and becoming a journalist. She discovers a Jewish newspaper in Shanghai and submits articles, earning extra money for the voyage.

Meanwhile, as Rachel flees Russia, Sergei leaves home for a factory job in St. Petersburg to help support his family and earn money to attend the university. Work in the Russian factories is deplorable and dangerous. Sergei is injured. His dream of becoming an architect fades as he realizes the harsh reality of his life. He joins the growing number of factory workers who are rebelling against the government. Although separated, Sergei and Rachael continue to communicate through letters and hang on to hope they will be together again.

Why I like this book: This is the second book in the Rachel Trilogy written by Shelly Sanders. The trilogy is inspired by the lives of her maternal grandmother, Rachel Talan Geary, and her sister Anna “Nucia” Rodkin, who lived in Kishinev and survived the massacres in 1903. Sanders has once again written a gripping story set against real historical events. She tells the story of the Russian Jews who managed to escape Russia under incredible odds to new lives filled with hardship in Shanghai. Many of the characters in this story did exist. I learned so much about a period of Russian history I knew little about. Sanders beautifully balances the alternating stories of Sergei and Rachel, who are mere teenagers caught in the cross-fire of persecution during extreme political upheaval. Her main characters are authentic, with each having a very distinct voice. The book is a page-turner.

Visit Shelly Sander’s at her website. I look forward to her third upcoming novel in the trilogy, Rachel’s Hope. After two years in Shanghai, Rachael and her family save enough money to pay for passage on a ship sailing to San Francisco. Follow her journey and new life in America.

Rachel’s Secret

Shelly Sanders, Author

Second Story Press, Historical Fiction, 2012

Suitable for Ages: 13-18

Themes: Tensions between pre-revolutionary Russian Jews and Christians, Hatred, Rumors, Riots

Synopsis: Rachael is a 14-year-old Jew living in Kishinev, Russia, in 1903. Unlike most girls her age, she has dreams of being a writer. Her life is turned inside out when her Christian friend, Mikhail, is murdered after a day of ice skating on a river with friends. Rachael is the only witness to the murder, but realizes the great danger she faces going to the police. She knows her family will be at great risk. She shares her secret with her sister and her Christian friend, Sergei.

In keeping her silence, tensions begin to mount between the Jewish and Christian communities. The Jews of Kishinev are blamed for the murder of Mikhail. The entire community turns on the Jews and the local newspaper spreads rumors and propaganda daily. Even the police fail to protect and support the Jews. A riot breaks out and the community is destroyed and blood is shed. Sergei tells his police-chief father the truth, but Sergei is dismissed and his father does nothing. Rachael and Sergei feel hope dwindling, but know they must stop the violence.

Why I like this book: This is a debut novel for Shelly Sanders and she is a very skilled writer. She has done a superb job of taking history and fiction and combining them in this unforgettable story. The events in the story are true. Sander’s story is inspired by her grandmother who lived in Kishinev in 1903 and survived the riots. Many of her vividly developed characters in the story, including Mikhail, Sergei, and Sergei’s father, are based on real people. The story Sanders weaves is compelling and gives her readers a very realistic view of life in Kishinev in 1903. I did not know about this piece of history. I highly recommend this book for middle and high school students.

Visit Shelly Sander’s at her website. She has written a sequel, Rachel’s Promise, to be published September 15, 2013. Rachel and her family escape Kishinev on the Trans-Siberian Railway across Russia and board a boat to Shanghai. Follow her journey and new life in an unexpected country.