May 13, 2013
Bloodlines, an apartheid era novel, raises universal questions about the bond between mother and child, regardless of distance or age, and the limits of tolerance and forgiveness. Inspired by the author’s childhood in South Africa, the harrowing narrative exposes readers to a part of history largely overlooked — that the vanguard of the white South African anti-apartheid movement was heavily Jewish. Many of the most visible players were second generation Eastern European Jews. Michaela Davidson Green, the courageous, defiant and confounding female protagonist of Bloodlines, comes from such a background. Believed dead by her estranged son Steven, who only learns the truth at age 48 from across the Atlantic, Michaela risks her life not only for the cause of justice and equality for all South Africans, but also for the love of one black man. Following her principles and her passion, Michaela suffers terrible consequences and faces agonizing choices, especially the decision to stay in South Africa, as a fugitive, and forfeit her relationship with her son.
