Beyond the Ghetto Gates - A Novel by Michelle Cameron

Beyond the Ghetto Gates: A Novel. Michelle Cameron. She Writes Press. April 7, 2020. pb, 456 pp.; ISBN #: 9781631528507

The ghetto isn’t any nicer in the late 19^th century than it was later on.  This is the time when Napoleon’s French troops have invaded the Italian city of Ancona.  They’ve taken down the wall that separates Jews from Christian, but that’s about it.  Mirelle is the heroine of this novel and she’s got to make a decision that will have life changing ramifications. She’s a talented woman who is gifted in her father’s business.  But now she is told that she should not be working there because she’s a woman. Should she marry the older man who can give her everything or marry the Christian soldier who has made such a dashing appearance. 

There’s a picture of Mary that’s become everything to Italians.  It has been seen to be weeping, smiling, and when its gazing at Napoleon scowling.  Francesco, the wife of a man who is murdered for his hatred of Jews, is determined to steal the statue and blame them. What does it mean, vowing to stand by the theft of this picture?

Mirelle is a normal human being who loves being outside, who is happy being outside where she can smell the sea nearby.  But all of that changes when her father dies.  Her home is no longer hers but her aunt who hates her and her work.  How will she move past this barrier and both marry for love and keep her passion for business?

Beyond The Ghetto Gates is a book for women.  It raises this problem about woman in an age when things were mired in tradition.  Read it and celebrate! 

This is historical fiction that is memorable and life-changing!  It’s about the love that goes beyond words to bring change that is meaningful!