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

About the Author
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.

Reviews

"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

"Meeropol succeeds in creating and sustaining the kind of tension we expect to find in a mystery novel...Her Sister's Tattoo is all about a family with a multigenerational passion for political activism, but the narrator's voice is always clear and calm. Meeropol writes with precision, insight and compassion about the most tumultuous moments in human life, whether they happen in public or in private." -Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal

"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." -Jennifer Blankfein, BookTrib

"Ellen Meeropol's gorgeous novel is a must read-even if I'm still skeptical that the 1960s qualify as historical fiction! A story of sibling love and tensions set against a backdrop of protests of the Vietnam war." -It's Just Historical

"This is a powerful story of political activism, family betrayal, allegiance and love." -Port Charlotte Sun

"Her Sister's Tattoo navigates the delicate, thorny balance between family loyalty and political ideology. Even 52 years after the book's events take place, fiction writer Ellen Meeropol has found a way to speak to everyone who has ever fought with family in the name of personal or political beliefs." -OOLA

Book Information
ISBN 9781597098441
Author Ellen Meeropol
Format Paperback
Page Count 296
Imprint Red Hen Press
Publisher Red Hen Press
Weight(grams) 340g
Dimensions(mm) 215mm * 139mm * 19mm