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Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed5/22/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() In the midst of it all, a handful of girls have the wherewithal to question it all, and those who don’t suddenly disappear for speaking out band together to find answers… The “ancestors” brought their people here as an escape, away from the laws and customs of the mainland, and built their own commandments (the Shalt-Nots) and customs for the people to abide by – customs which include no access to outside books or knowledge, a social hierarchy where men reign supreme and women are subservient in every possible way, and a land where fathers have a special relationship with their daughters… ![]() Cut off from the mainland (which they’ve been told has burned to the ground, riddled with disease, sin and destruction, never to be habitable again) they live in a dystopian world without realizing that they really don’t. In Gather the Daughters, this island is no ordinary island, and these girls live no ordinary lifestyle. This was a novel with something to say, and Melamed’s voice carried far, loudly and still resonates in my head as I write this. It pressed up against the boundaries of my personal comfort levels - and then pushed passed them. It was haunting, arresting, thought-provoking and confrontational in all the best ways possible. ![]() Jennie Melamed’s Gather the Daughters bowled me over in more ways than one. “When a daughter submits to her father’s will, when a wife submits to her husband, when a woman is a helper to a man, we are worshiping the ancestors and their vision.” ![]()
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