The Girl with the Secret Name

‘It is the eve of Beatriz de Luna’s 12th birthday and her mind is filled with fashionable clothes, party entertainers and presents. But church-going Beatriz’s biggest birthday surprise is the revelation that she is Jewish. And in 16th-century Portugal, that means danger. Beatriz’s struggle to come to terms with her new identity is well portrayed, and will speak to 21st-century readers. But the story soon moves on to her adulthood, when Beatriz (concealing her Jewish name, Gracia Nasi), is married to a wealthy merchant, who is also a converso (hidden Jew) – and part of a network helping captured conversos escape the Inquisition. The Girl with the Secret Name by Yael Zoldan (Green Bean Books, £12.99), with its tapestried backdrop of 16th-century Europe, has the historical and emotional heft of Maggie O’Farrell’s The Marriage Portrait and the immediacy of contemporary YA, and will bring the (fictionalised) story of a real-life Jewish feminist heroine to a wider teen and YA readership.’  — Angela Kiverstein, The Jewish Chronicle newspaper.

‘Yael Zoldan’s biographical portrait of the incredible Dona Gracia Nasi is a masterpiece. The story begins in Lisbon in 1522. There is much excitement in the air with the anticipation of an elaborate bash celebrating Beatriz de Luna’s 12th birthday. Beatriz comes from a very wealthy Christian family and no expense is to be spared for her special party. During the merriment of the party, Beatriz receives her first birthday gift. When her grandmother gives her a beautiful gold-linked bracelet, she explains to Beatriz that she brought this piece of jewelry from Spain and now Beatriz is old enough to be part of the chain. While Beatriz is trying to figure out what her grandmother means, she is also confused about the unfriendly looks the priest has been giving her lately. These questions are answered when her parents come into her room the night before the party and tell her that they want to show her something in the cellar. It is there that Beatriz is gently informed that her family is not Christian but are living double lives as secret Jews. Beatriz’s immediate reactions are anger, shame, and confusion. For every hard question Beatriz has, her parents lovingly assure her of the beauty of Judaism and how their family became conversos. Years after this shocking news, Beatriz (now known as Gracia) embraces her new Jewish identity… This well-researched book includes a map of the route Gracia took, a family tree, and a helpful timeline. Zoldan’s writing is delightful and is a welcome addition to any Jewish and secular middle school collection.’ — Esther Schnaidman, Association of Jewish Libraries newsletter.

‘Although The Girl with the Secret Name refers to a girl in the title, this inspiring book is about the life of Dona Gracia Nasi well beyond her youth. It is the year 1522 in Lisbon, Portugal and the night before Beatriz (Gracia) de Luna’s twelfth birthday. Like most girls her age, she is excited about her party the next day, as well as the new dress she has been waiting to wear. Her whole world shifts, however, when her parents reveal to her that their family are secret Jews. This is shocking and terrifying news to Beatriz who is told that the punishment will be death if the truth is discovered. Drawing on the strength of her parents and grandmother, however, she bravely faces her new reality. By age 18, Gracia has married and soon suspects that her husband’s business is not all that it seems. When confronted, he reveals he is using his fortune to save fellow conversos from the inquisition. She readily joins forces with him in these dangerous and secret dealings but when she becomes a widow at the age of only 28, she forges on with the rescue missions, determined to not let anything or anyone stand in her way.

Both Jewish and non-Jewish students familiar with this era will have their understanding enhanced by learning about a true heroine of the times, while this story will especially resonate with young girls who wish to read about an enterprising and intelligent woman from centuries ago. Extra matter includes an author’s note, a map outlining Dona Gracia Nasi’s travels, a family tree and a timeline beginning with the announcement of the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 and ending with Gracia’s death in 1569.

Besides the main plot during the years of the Spanish Inquisition, the book contains Jewish references, both direct and subtle. For instance, being brave like Queen Esther who kept her identity a secret and saved her people from death, or being as “welcoming as our Mother Sara in her tent, as brave as Miriam in the desert” are woven in naturally into the story. As well, while in Istanbul, which would turn out to be her final home, she proclaims, “Let all who are hungry come here to eat,” echoing the declaration stated in the Passover Haggadah. Readers who are familiar with Megillat Ruth, which is read on Shavuot, will find Gracia’s daughter’s statement “Wherever you go, I will follow” reminiscent of Ruth’s declaration to her mother-in-law Naomi.

‘The Girl With the Secret Name: The Incredible Life of Doña Gracia Mendes Nasi, is an inspiring and uplifting story of Jewish female perseverance and courage. The novel, written by Yael Zoldan, is Zoldan’s first middle-grade novel and first novel marketed toward a secular audience.’ — Eliana Birman, The Jewish Link.

‘The Girl with the Secret Name tells the inspiring true story of Beatriz de Luna or ‘Doña Gracia’ Mendes Nasi, the 16th-century Jewish Portuguese philanthropist who saved the lives of hundreds of conversos across Europe during the Inquisition by establishing an escape network for them.

The book recounts almost all of Doña Gracia’s remarkable life, beginning in 1522 on the eve of her 12th birthday when she learns that her family are secretly Jewish. It then follows her journey throughout the 1500s as she and her family move from Portugal to the Netherlands, and on to Italy and Turkey, trying to escape danger, while saving the lives of conversos as they went, up to her death in Istanbul in 1569.

Highly informative and moving, Yael Zoldan’s retelling of Doña Gracia’s story will teach young readers about the importance of family, community and standing up for yourself and others when you know something is not right.’ — JewishBookWorld.org