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Highly recommend everything Allison Russell touches, but this song & album were a frequent 2024 listen

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An empowering message inspired by a beloved quote from Madeleine L’Engle’s enduring classic A Wrinkle in Time. “Stay angry, little Meg,” Mrs. Whatsit…

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Moody, but sometimes just what you need. Discovered them this year.

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When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

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When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

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This young adult novel was recommended on a podcast hosted by one of my former childhood babysitters on an episode about Jewish comfort literature. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-the-angels-left-the-old-country-sacha-lamb/1141006327

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Notes From Your Bookseller

Historical fiction and fantasy collide in When the Angels Left the Old Country, a queer Jewish adventure as unique as it is captivating. Readers of all ages will root for Ash, Uriel, and Rose on their tumultuous journey of friendship and self-discovery at the turn of the century.

NOW ON PAPERBACK!

Stonewall Book Award Winner
Sydney Taylor Award Winner
Michael L. Printz Honor Book
National Jewish Book Award Finalist
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner

BEST OF THE YEAR
NPR · New York Public Library · Kirkus
For fans of "Good Omens" - a queer immigrant fairytale about individual purpose, the fluid nature of identity, and the power of love to change and endure.
Uriel the angel and Little Ash (short for Ashmedai) are the only two supernatural creatures in their shtetl (which is so tiny, it doesn't have a name other than Shtetl). The angel and the demon have been studying together for centuries, but pogroms and the search for a new life have drawn all the young people from their village to America. When one of those young emigrants goes missing, Uriel and Little Ash set off to find her.

Along the way the angel and demon encounter humans in need of their help, including Rose Cohen, whose best friend (and the love of her life) has abandoned her to marry a man, and Malke Shulman, whose father died mysteriously on his way to America. But there are obstacles ahead of them as difficult as what they've left behind. Medical exams (and demons) at Ellis Island. Corrupt officials, cruel mob bosses, murderers, poverty. The streets are far from paved with gold.

Product Details

ISBN-13:

9781646144556

Publisher:

Levine Querido

Publication date:

10/01/2024

Pages:

416

Sales rank:

484,003

Product dimensions:

5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

Age Range:

12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/17/2022

An angel and a demon have studied the Talmud together for centuries in a village "so small and out of the way it was only called Shtetl." Pogroms have caused fellow villagers to make the trek to America, which "had all kinds of wonderful things." Looking for entertainment, Ashmedai the demon, known as Little Ash, persuades the angel, whose name changes depending on the situation, into making a voyage to N.Y.C., where the labor movement has just begun. Traveling from Shtetl to Ellis Island, they befriend heartbroken Rose Cohen, 16, who fled her own shtetl following the love of her life and best friend Dinah's marriage to a man. Simultaneously an exploration of personal identity and the relationship between good and evil, this expansive tale, interpreted through both the Talmud and Jewish folklore, follows Little Ash and the angel's experiences leaving behind everything they've ever known. Broad in scope, the strong queer relationships at its core, particularly between Little Ash and the angel, provide an unfaltering anchor. Via a literary third-person point of view, Lamb admirably utilizes a familiar arc of early 20th-century emigration as the foundation of this powerfully moving tale. A Yiddish and Hebrew glossary concludes. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

[STAR] "Steeped in Ashkenazi lore, custom, and faith, this beautifully written story deftly tackles questions of identity, good and evil, obligation, and the many forms love can take. Queerness and gender fluidity thread through both the human and supernatural characters, clearly depicted without feeling anachronistic. Gorgeous, fascinating, and fun." -Kirkus (starred)

[STAR] "Extraordinary details flesh out this absorbing world... And love emerges in places where angels, demons, and defiant girls did not at first think to look. When the Angels Left the Old Country is a sublime novel about the fantastical, freeing nature of love. - Foreword Reviews (starred)

[STAR] "Richly imagined and plotted, this inspired book has the timeless feeling of Jewish folklore, which is further enhanced by the presence of two magical protagonists, and not one but two dybbuks! In the end, of course, it's the author who has performed the mitzvah by giving their readers this terrific debut novel." -Booklist (starred)

[STAR] "Powerfully moving. Broad in scope, the strong queer relationships at its core provide an unfaltering anchor."-Publishers Weekly (starred)

[STAR] "Immersive...Propulsive. A mashup of historical fiction and magical realism, this will find a satisfied audience in fans of both."-BCCB (starred)

"When the Angels Left the Old Country is a phenomenal story that explores gender identity and sexual orientation while showcasing the power of community and the journey one must take to truly know themself." - Jewish Book Council

2022 Recommended Reading - Locus Magazine

[STAR] " Expansive queer tale that marries historical fiction with inventive world-building. Witty, cerebral storytelling." -Horn Book (starred)
From the Publisher

"Marries historical fiction with inventive world-building. Witty, cerebral storytelling."

Horn Book (starred review)

"A phenomenal story that explores gender identity and sexual orientation while showcasing the power of community and the journey one must take to truly know oneself."

Jewish Book Council

★ 01/27/2023

Gr 9 Up-In a tiny village so small it's only known as Shtetl (the word for town), an angel and a demon have been studying the Torah together for a very long time. Little Ash, the demon, however, wants to know why all the young people are moving to America. He manages to convince the angel, who agrees partly to help Samuel the Baker's daughter, who hasn't been heard from since she traveled across the sea, and partly to watch over Little Ash and prevent him from causing any mischief. The angel is immediately unsuccessful at stopping Little Ash's mischief, but finds that perhaps the baker's daughter is in some trouble after all. When the angel gets a name and matching papers to board a ship, he starts to change, and his feelings towards Little Ash change as well. There, they meet another immigrant who needs their help, but can an angel and a demon really protect Jewish immigrants from anti-Semitic sentiment, greedy factory owners, and a dybbuk? Getting to America is only half the battle, and the angel, now known as Uriel, must protect the people he's come to care for, while Little Ash does it in his own fashion. VERDICT A must-buy for any collection, Lamb's historical fiction novel brings soft queer joy to a compelling tale of immigrants and unions and Jewish folklore.-Stacey Shapiro

School Library Journal

Actor Donald Corren brings his vocal skills to this tale of an angel and a demon who leave the shtetl for America to do a mitzvah and to seek excitement. Their fortunes become entangled with a human girl's in an adventure that balances laugh-out-loud humor, Jewish tradition, and gentle affirmation of queer identities. Corren expertly manages it all with his Yiddish-inflected tones bringing forth indelible characters: the tough, yearning Rose; the deliciously wicked Little Ash; and the endearingly holy Uriel. Uriel and Little Ash's friendship anchors the story, which is evoked with not even a schmear of schmaltz. Goyish listeners intrigued by the Yiddish and Hebrew that deepen the story's texture may seek out the print edition's glossary after listening. A thorough delight. V.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2023 - AudioFile

★ 2022-08-17
An angel and a demon immigrate to the goldene medina.

Little Ash, a lesser son of the famed demon king Ashmedai, studies Talmud all day with his counterpart, a forgetful angel, in the synagogue of a tiny Jewish town in the Pale of Settlement. But Little Ash wants to see more than their unnamed shtetl: He convinces the angel to go to America, ostensibly to find out what happened to Essie, the baker's daughter who hasn't written since she left Warsaw. Steeped in Ashkenazi lore, custom, and faith, this beautifully written story deftly tackles questions of identity, good and evil, obligation, and the many forms love can take. Queerness and gender fluidity thread through both the human and supernatural characters, clearly depicted without feeling anachronistic. A generous peppering of nonitalicized Yiddish and Hebrew (with a glossary in the back) combined with culturally specific dialogue and turns of phrase make this read like a classic while still feeling fresh and contemporary. The immigrants, human and B'nei Elohim, deal with medical gatekeepers at Ellis Island, assimilationist American Jews eager to denounce their greenhorn landsmen, exploitative factory owners, and religious obligations toward the beloved dead. Despite its length, this novel clips quickly along, crafting a world that proves hard to leave behind.

Gorgeous, fascinating, and fun. (Fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews

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When the Angels Left the Old Country|Paperback

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NOW ON PAPERBACK! Stonewall Book Award Winner Sydney Taylor Award Winner Michael L. Printz Honor Book National Jewish Book Award FinalistAudioFile Earphones Award Winner BEST OF THE YEAR NPR · New York Public...

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This book emotionally wrecked me, but it was so beautiful and powerful - definitely recommend so you can cry with me

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Listen at earhustlesq.com

Ear Hustle brings you the daily realities of life inside prison, shared by those living it, and stories from the outside, post-incarceration. The podcast is a partnership between Nigel Poor, a Bay Area visual artist, and Earlonne Woods, formerly incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, and was co-founded with San Quentin resident Antwan Williams. The Ear Hustle team works in the San Francisco Bay Area, both in San Quentin State Prison's media lab and from offices on the outside, to produce stories that are sometimes difficult, often funny and always honest. Episodes offer a nuanced view of people involved with the American prison system and those reintegrating into society after serving time.

listen to the trailer

Earlonne Woods was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. In 1997, he was sentenced to 31-years-to-life for attempted second degree robbery. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College and completed many vocational trade programs. In November 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown commuted Earlonne's sentence after 21 years of incarceration. Upon his release, Earlonne was hired by PRX as a full-time producer for Ear Hustle, and he continues to work with Nigel, contributing stories about re-entry.

Nigel Poor is a visual artist whose work explores the various ways people make a mark and leave behind evidence of their existence. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and can be found in various museum collections including the SFMOMA, the M.H. deYoung Museum, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. She is also a professor of photography at California State University, Sacramento. In 2011, Nigel got involved with San Quentin State Prison as a volunteer teacher for the Prison University Project.

Rahsaan "New York" Thomas has been incarcerated since 2000. While inside, he discovered a love of writing and became a contributor to The Marshall Project, Wall City Magazine and the San Quentin News, among other publications. New York is the chairman of the Society of Professional Journalists San Quentin satellite chapter, and, in 2015, he co-founded Prison Renaissance. When he's not ear hustling, he works with Initiate Justice and the Ella Baker Center on social justice issues. New York also counsels youth that visit the prison through the San Quentin SQUIRES program.

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Ear Hustle brings you the daily realities of life inside prison, shared by those living it, and stories from the outside, post-incarceration.

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In March 2016, 22-year-old Courtney Copeland wound up with a bullet in his back outside a Chicago Police station and died.

A year later, his mother, Shapearl Wells reached out to the Invisible Institute for help investigating his murder. During our first meeting, she brought a large stack of notes and records she had collected and asked us to assist her in finding out the truth about Courtney's final moments.

Over three years, our investigations team sought answers in Courtney's death, uncovering new evidence and a compelling list of suspects, and calling the police to account for their actions.

In March 2020, we released the podcast, a seven-part co-production with The Intercept and Topic Studios, in partnership with iHeartMedia and Tenderfoot TV.

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"The dead can no longer speak," says Shapearl, "so it's up to the living to speak for them. Especially in the face of an abysmally low murder clearance rate for Black people in Chicago like my son."

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In March 2016, 22-year-old Courtney Copeland wound up with a bullet in his back outside a Chicago Police station and died. A year later, his mother, Shapearl Wells reached out to the Invisible Institute for help investigating his murder.

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