Beyond the Ghetto Gates - Paperback

by Michelle Cameron (Author)

When French troops occupy the Italian port city of Ancona, freeing the city's Jews from their repressive ghetto, it unleashes a whirlwind of progressivism and brutal backlash as two very different cultures collide. Mirelle, a young Jewish maiden, must choose between her duty--an arranged marriage to a wealthy Jewish merchant--and her love for a dashing French Catholic soldier. Meanwhile, Francesca, a devout Catholic, must decide if she will honor her marriage vows to an abusive and murderous husband when he enmeshes their family in the theft of a miracle portrait of the Madonna.

Set during the turbulent days of Napoleon Bonaparte's Italian campaign (1796-97), Beyond the Ghetto Gates is both a cautionary tale for our present moment, with its rising tide of anti-Semitism, and a story of hope--a reminder of a time in history when men and women of conflicting faiths were able to reconcile their prejudices in the face of a rapidly changing world.

Author Biography

Michelle Cameron is the author of Napoleon's Mirage (She Writes Press 2024), a sequel to the award-winning Beyond the Ghetto Gates (She Writes Press 2020). Other books include Babylon: A Novel of Jewish Captivity, a finalist in religious fiction in the 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Award (Wicked Son, 2023); The Fruit of Her Hands: The Story of Shira of Ashkenaz (Simon & Schuster's Pocket Books, 2009); and In the Shadow of the Globe (Lit Pot Press, 2003), named Shakespeare Theatre of NJ's 2003-04 Winter Book Selection and performed at the Stella Adler Studio's Shakespeare Benefit. A director of The Writers Circle, Michelle teaches creative writing to children, teens, and adults in New Jersey and virtually.