Incantation by Alice Hoffman

This was a book that has been one of many just sitting on my bookshelf just waiting to be read!  I'm glad I picked this one up, it wasn't adventurous or funny or a lighthearted book by no means.  This was a historical story about the Jews being persecuted in Spain.  It is very somber and is a book full of the truths of evil and cruelty placed on people just for their ways of life and their beliefs.  It's also full of love, life and family, and what is most important in life.  It has strong undercurrents of how you should treat the other human beings around yourself.  It will drag you into the story and won't let you go until the end.  Although the other leaves the ending open, she leaves you with hope.  I think any book about the persecution of Jews needs that hope, it is all that cruelty left them with during those horrible and evil times.  I strongly recommend this book.  It would be a great book to do a report or project on for school.  It is not your typical Jew from Germany story either.  It is a different culture and time and family whose point of view I have never read before and it was very eye opening.  A must read.