Historical Fiction for Secondary Readers

Blood Secret, by Kathryn Lasky [US]
Harper, 2004. ISBN: 978-0-06-000063-9 282 pages
Jerry is a teenaged girl who has spent most of her life in the care of social services, and is mute. Moving to stay with a charismatic elderly great-aunt in New Mexico, Jerry is exposed to long-standing and mysterious family secrets. Understanding her family history -- that of Jewish conversos fleeing the Spanish Inquisition -- Jerry finds herself unlocking the enigma of her own story.
I picked up this book to share it with a close friend, who is Jewish, and found myself immersed in the mosaic of stories Lasky weaves together. Many generations of the family are introduced, and the "flashback" style may overwhelm some readers. However, Lasky vividly invokes emotional and traumatic past times, creating a sense of eyewitness. The trauma of the Spanish Inquisition is undenied here, but not over-stated, and readers are compelled as the separate stories of the generations of characters move irrevocably forward to Jerry's present. A strong evocation of personal identity and cultural journey.