Today I have a review of Concealed by Esther Amini. A big thank you to Wunderkind PR for the gifted copy. Concealed publishes next week!
My Thoughts:
You all know I love a good emotional memoir, and Concealed fits right into that category. Esther grows up in Queens, New York during the 1960s. She is of Persian Jewish descent. Her parents were considered “Underground Jews” and fled Iran seeking freedom.
Esther seeks her own taste of freedom. Her family is tight on customs, and her father prohibits her from reading and an education. Instead, he tries to force her into marriage at a young age. She knows she stands to lose her close bond with her siblings and the rest of her family if she challenges this role for herself.
Ultimately, Esther has to decide what she’s going to keep from her native culture and what she will let go.
Concealed is a thoughtful memoir. It was filled with emotion, even wit that had me laughing at times. It’s smoothly told and engaging. I feel like Esther welcomed me into her family with open arms.
Overall, I enjoyed this thought-provoking book and and am grateful Esther allowed us in.
I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
About the Book:
Esther Amini grew up in Queens, New York, during the freewheeling 1960s. She also grew up in a Persian-Jewish household, the American-born daughter of parents who had fled Mashhad, Iran. In Concealed, she tells the story of being caught between these two worlds: the dutiful daughter of tradition-bound parents who hungers for more self-determination than tradition allows.
Exploring the roots of her father’s deep silences and explosive temper, her mother’s flamboyance and flights from home, and her own sense of indebtedness to her Iranian-born brothers, Amini uncovers the story of her parents’ early years in Mashhad, Iran’s holiest Muslim city; the little-known history of Mashhad’s underground Jews; the incident that steeled her mother’s resolve to leave; and her parents’ arduous journey to the U.S., where they faced a new threat to their traditions: the threat of freedom. Determined to protect his daughter from corruption, Amini’s father prohibits talk, books, education, and pushes an early Persian marriage instead. Can she resist? Should she? Focused intently on what she stands to gain, Amini comes to see what she also stands to lose: a family and community bound by food, celebrations, sibling escapades, and unexpected acts of devotion by parents to whom she feels invisible.
In this poignant, funny, entertaining, and uplifting memoir, Amini documents with keen eye, quick wit, and warm heart how family members build, buoy, wound, and save one another across generations; how lives are shaped by the demands and burdens of loyalty and legacy; and how she rose to the challenge of deciding what to keep and what to discard.
Praise for Concealed
“In this beautifully crafted memoir, Esther Amini weaves a riveting portrait of her family life as the daughter of Iranian-Jewish immigrants in New York City…. It is a deeply personal tale, painfully honest and brilliantly told.”–Susan Mailer, psychoanalyst and author of In Another Place
“Concealed is a heart-wrenching…memoir by the daughter of…Iranian Jews who…never escape the emotional prison of their previous existence. You will cheer for her as you ponder the eternal question: how do we survive our families?”–Sally Koslow, author of Another Side of Paradise
“Concealed is Esther Amini’s remarkable account of growing up in a house where books and education are for boys and prearranged marriage is supposed to be her destiny….Lucky for us she grew up to be a writer…who has produced a wonderful memoir.” –Patty Dann, author of Mermaids
“A moving, honest and compelling memoir that unveils the little-known world of Persian-Jewish
immigrants in America…. Amini’s characters leap off the page right into your heart.” –Ronda Spinak, Artistic Director, Jewish Women’s TheatreEsther Amini is a writer, painter, and psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice. Her short stories have appeared in Elle, Lilith, Tablet, The Jewish Week, and Proximity. She was awarded Aspen Words’ Emerging Writer Fellowship in 2016 based on an early draft of this memoir. Her pieces have been performed by Jewish Women’s Theatre, which name her Artist-in-Residence in 2019. Esther Amini lives in New York City with her husband. Concealed is her debut memoir.
Have you read Concealed, or is it on your TBR? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR
Wonderful review, Jennifer💜 This sounds so very interesting, especially that cultural mix.
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Thanks so much, Jonetta! It was definitely an intriguing, insightful story!
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I love the sound of this book, and it seems like there are plenty of emotional moments😁 Thanks for sharing!
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My pleasure, Tammy! It was definitely an emotional story!
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Hi Jennifer,
I wanted to thank you for the book, The Girl in White Gloves! I am the one who was in Fort Worth visiting my daughter and asked that you send it there. We had to leave TX early because of the virus and it hadn’t yet gotten there, but it did get get there soon after we left. I really appreciate your generosity. I’m really looking forward to reading the book!
All the best, Linda Meehan
Sent from my iPhone
>
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Aww, yay, Linda! Thanks for letting me know it arrived safely and I hope you enjoy it! Stay safe and well and thanks again.
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Ohh – I need to read this one. I love that this is a memoir and that its touching on Persian Jewish culture and an upbringing. This book seems like its so full of emotion!
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It has so much emotion and insight, LP! I really enjoyed it and learned a lot!
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Sounds as though young Esther has some tough decisions to make. Wonderful review!
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Thanks, Jacquie! She definitely did!
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This one sounds insightful and educational as well. I’ve always been fascinated by memoirs from people moving from one culture to another and getting stuck between two worlds. Lovely review!
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Thanks so much, Stargazer. Me, too. I never tire of these types of stories!
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Sounds interesting!
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It was an enthralling book, Jules!
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sounds intriguing.
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It was definitely intriguing, Denise!
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Great review, Jennifer. 🙂 I love the premise of the book and would love to read it. Thanks for the recommendation.
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Thank you, Debjani! I hope you get a chance to check it out. I loved this special book.
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Oh… this sounds good.
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It was a great read!
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Great review, Jennifer! I added this memoir to my tbr. Happy reading! ❤️📚🌹😘💕
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Thank you, Virginia! I hope you get a chance to read it! ♥️
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Sounds like quite an interesting memoir. Don’t know if you had the chance to read Unorthodox. It was another wonderful telling of the rigors of being in a tight Jewish community. It also was turned into a movie on Netflix. I do recommend both. Wonderful review!
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Thanks so much, Marialyce, and thanks for the rec. I have not read or watched that and would love to do both!
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