THE THIRD DAUGHTER, a new novel
In my new novel I dared enter an arena never explored
before....
It took enormous courage for me to write THE THIRD DAUGHTER
and to expose a buried, tragic chapter in history in which estimated 200,000 women were deceptively lured from Eastern Europe into prostitution in South
America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The whispers of millions of girls and women ensnared into
sexual slavery grew into loud cries in my head until I had to give them a voice.
It took research, but also maturity, compassion and skill to follow the thread
that turned THE THIRD DAUGHTER into a story of courage in the face of danger
and hope in the face of despair.
The novel will be released on September 3rd by
HarperCollins. (It is available for pre-order wherever books are sold.)
Summary of THE THIRD DAUGHTER:
The turn of the 20th century finds fourteen-year-old Batya
in the Russian countryside, fleeing with her family from endless Jewish
massacres. Desperate, her father leaps at the opportunity to marry Batya to a
worldly, wealthy stranger who can guarantee his daughter an easy life and
passage to America. Feeling like a princess in a fairy tale, Batya leaves her
old life behind as she is whisked away to a new world. But soon she discovers
that she’s entered a waking nightmare. Her new “husband” does indeed bring her
to America: Buenos Aires, a vibrant, growing city in which prostitution is not
only legal but deeply embedded in the culture. And now Batya is one of thousands
of women tricked and sold into a brothel.
As the years pass,
Batya forms deep bonds with her “sisters” in the house as well as some men who
are both kind and cruel. Through it all, she holds onto one dream: to bring her
family to America where they will be safe from the anti-Semitism that plagues
Russia. Just as Batya is becoming a known tango dancer, she gets an unexpected
but dangerous opportunity—to help bring down the criminal network that has
enslaved so many young women yet has been instrumental in developing Buenos
Aires into a major metropolis.
This shameful chapter in history is true!
Protected by the Argentine government's laws (as the state
budget relied on taxing the brothels,) Zwi Migdal reported at the turn of the
20th century profits of $50 million a year. In some years they employed up to
30,000 women all across South America, (and reaching New York's Lower East
Side.)
The inspiration....
While there is plenty of English-language material about Zwi Migdal (and a lot more in Spanish,) there is hardly any work of fiction since, in 1909, the Yiddish storyteller
Sholem Aleichem published a short story, THE MAN FROM BUENOS AIRES. (You may
read its translation on my website.)
Interestingly, this story about a shady businessman who
brags about his riches but never reveals the nature of his affairs, appeared in
the same story collection as the stories about Tevye the dairyman and his
daughters, most known in its theatrical adaptation to FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.
My imagination was fired at the question of what would have
happened if, after fleeing a pogrom, Tevye’s unmarried daughter met that shady
man from Buenos Aires?
Activism
In the coming months, before the novel's release, I will
team up with anti-trafficking organizations, local, domestic and international.
As I had done with my previous social-issue-centered novels, I will use THE
THIRD DAUGHTER as a platform for speaking opportunities and calls for action.
In my book tour, I will inform audiences what they can do
about the evil of human slavery in their own backyard. If your organization
sponsors a fund-raiser, a literary event, or any form of public stage from
which to educate and inspire, I would welcome your invitation. Please contact
my event coordinator, Lisa Bernard, at MecoxHudson@gmail.com, or call her
at (203)293-4741 .
I am looking forward to visiting your community.
Read more on my website....
My website has been updated to include material about THE
THIRD DAUGHTER:
* And the above mentioned Sholem Aleichem's story
And finally....
I can't end this blog without mentioning one more
inspiration for THE THIRD DAUGHTER--my late mother's painting. My mother,
Reviva Yoffe, was a renowned Israeli artist, and this painting, which she had
named "The Tango Dancers," revealed to me something profound about
these two characters' relationship. When I struggled with doubts as to whether
even tackle the subject of bondage, I found encouragement from my late
mother....
Thank you for your interest and support. I am looking
forward to reconnecting with you in the coming months. Please email me your
questions and thoughts.
Talia Carner
P.S. Please pre-order THE THIRD DAUGHTER now--in print,
digital or audio--and help get the buzz going.
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