Overview

Rosa and Esther march through downtown Detroit in August 1968 to protest the war in Vietnam. When a bloodied teenager reports that mounted police are beating protestors a few blocks away, the young women hurry to offer assistance. They try to stop the violence, but an officer is injured and the sisters are arrested. Rosa sees an opportunity to protest the war in court. Esther has an infant daughter and wants to avoid prison, which means accepting a plea bargain and testifying against her sister. Told from multiple points of view and through the sisters' never-mailed letters, Her Sister's Tattoo explores the thorny intersection of family loyalty and clashing political decisions

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9781597098441

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Her Sister's Tattoo is a story not just of two sisters but of our country, where politics have so often torn apart families, loved ones, and communities. This tenderly told novel brings humanity to all sides of struggle, lifting us with its grace, compassion, and hope for the future. I highly recommend. --Rene Denfeld, author of The Child Finder The elegant restraint of Ellen Meeropol's prose and the painstaking precision of her vision offer us discerning glimpses over decades and generations into the complexities of political engagement--its big questions and especially its intimacies. At a time when radical movements are on the rise, we find in Her Sister's Tattoo exactly what we now need: both caution and hope. --Angela Y. Davis, Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of California, Santa Cruz Rarely has the political been more heartrendingly personal than it is in Her Sister's Tattoo. Within the story of these incandescent sisters, Meeropol contains a lifetime's worth of devastating choices and the remorse that inescapably follows. At a time when politics are again threatening to rip the American family apart, this might just be the novel we need. --Andrew Foster Altschul, author of Lady Lazarus When their involvement at a Vietnam War protest escalates an already-violent situation, activist sisters Rosa and Esther must decide what lengths they will go to in support of their political convictions. Blood may be thicker than water, but in this family, politics may be thicker than blood. Her Sister's Tattoo explores the shades of gray in a world that demands black-and-white perceptions, demonstrating that the lines we draw in the sand between what we are and are not capable of doing are ever-shifting under the weight of our complicated humanity. --Emily Crowe, bookseller at An Unlikely Story Her Sister's Tattoo is an honest and riveting portrait of anti-war activists and the price individuals and families pay for their actions, no matter how just. It is also a portrait of how lies and secrets can eat away again at both individuals and everyone in their families, particularly children. Meeropol evokes both the fear and exhilaration of protest. --Marge Piercy, author of Woman on the Edge of Time A sensitive exploration of the excruciating dilemmas of seeking to end horrendous crimes while keeping to the principle 'First, do no harm.' --Noam Chomsky, Professor, University of Arizona, Emeritus Professor, MIT Her Sister's Tattoo is an honest and riveting portrait of anti-war activists and the price individuals and families pay for their actions, no matter how just. It is also a portrait of how lies and secrets can eat away again at both individuals and everyone in their families, particularly children. Meeropol evokes both the fear and exhilaration of protest. --Marge Piercy, author of Woman on the Edge of Time

Her Sister's Tattoo is a story not just of two sisters but of our country, where politics have so often torn apart families, loved ones, and communities. This tenderly told novel brings humanity to all sides of struggle, lifting us with its grace, compassion, and hope for the future. I highly recommend. --Rene Denfeld, author of The Child Finder The elegant restraint of Ellen Meeropol's prose and the painstaking precision of her vision offer us discerning glimpses over decades and generations into the complexities of political engagement--its big questions and especially its intimacies. At a time when radical movements are on the rise, we find in Her Sister's Tattoo exactly what we now need: both caution and hope. --Angela Y. Davis, Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of California, Santa Cruz Rarely has the political been more heartrendingly personal than it is in Her Sister's Tattoo. Within the story of these incandescent sisters, Meeropol contains a lifetime's worth of devastating choices and the remorse that inescapably follows. At a time when politics are again threatening to rip the American family apart, this might just be the novel we need. --Andrew Foster Altschul, author of Lady Lazarus When their involvement at a Vietnam War protest escalates an already-violent situation, activist sisters Rosa and Esther must decide what lengths they will go to in support of their political convictions. Blood may be thicker than water, but in this family, politics may be thicker than blood. Her Sister's Tattoo explores the shades of gray in a world that demands black-and-white perceptions, demonstrating that the lines we draw in the sand between what we are and are not capable of doing are ever-shifting under the weight of our complicated humanity. --Emily Crowe, bookseller at An Unlikely Story Her Sister's Tattoo is an honest and riveting portrait of anti-war activists and the price individuals and families pay for their actions, no matter how just. It is also a portrait of how lies and secrets can eat away again at both individuals and everyone in their families, particularly children. Meeropol evokes both the fear and exhilaration of protest. --Marge Piercy, author of Woman on the Edge of Time A sensitive exploration of the excruciating dilemmas of seeking to end horrendous crimes while keeping to the principle 'First, do no harm.' --Noam Chomsky, Professor, University of Arizona, Emeritus Professor, MIT Her Sister's Tattoo is an honest and riveting portrait of anti-war activists and the price individuals and families pay for their actions, no matter how just. It is also a portrait of how lies and secrets can eat away again at both individuals and everyone in their families, particularly children. Meeropol evokes both the fear and exhilaration of protest. --Marge Piercy, author of Woman on the Edge of Time The themes explored in the book -- loyalty, conflicting decisions, right vs wrong, social justice, family relationships -- all speak to me. These are some of the most challenging interpersonal issues we humans grapple with. The success of 'Her Sister's Tattoo' is that Meeropol has managed to approach difficult issues with a keen sensitivity. --Tracey Barnes Priestley, The Times Standard Interviews and Features Featured in the Daily Hampshire Gazette Featured on Lithub Excerpt on Crime Reads Interviewed in the Amherst Bulletin Interviewed in BookTrib, who says This gem of a book about political activism, betrayal, family and forgiveness is incredibly appropriate for today. It is a quick read perfect for book club discussions. Interviewed in the Port Charlotte Sun Featured on The Bill Newman Show Featured on the Howard Zinn Book Fair: Books to the Barricades podcast. Participant in the Page 69 Test Featured in Book Riot

The elegant restraint of Ellen Meeropol's prose and the painstaking precision of her vision offer us discerning glimpses over decades and generations into the complexities of political engagement--its big questions and especially its intimacies. At a time when radical movements are on the rise, we find in Her Sister's Tattoo exactly what we now need: both caution and hope. --Angela Y. Davis, Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of California, Santa Cruz Her Sister's Tattoo is an honest and riveting portrait of anti-war activists and the price individuals and families pay for their actions, no matter how just. It is also a portrait of how lies and secrets can eat away again at both individuals and everyone in their families, particularly children. Meeropol evokes both the fear and exhilaration of protest. --Marge Piercy, author of Woman on the Edge of Time

Author Information

Ellen Meeropol is the author of three previous novels: Kinship of Clover (Women’s National Book Association Great Group Read, and literary fiction finalist for the Best Book Award), On Hurricane Island (semifinalist for the Massachusetts Book Award), and House Arrest. Recent essay publications include the Boston Globe, The Writer, and Guernica. Ellen’s dramatic script telling the story of the Rosenberg Fund for Children was produced most recently in Manhattan featuring Eve Ensler, Angela Davis, and Cotter Smith. A founding member of Straw Dog Writers Guild, Ellen leads their Social Justice Writing project. She lives in Northampton, MA.

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