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A Jewish woman confronts a lifetime of painful family secrets and makes peace with her mother's choices.
About the author
Michelle Brafman grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and now lives in Glen Echo, Maryland with her husband and two children. She is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego and Johns Hopkins University, where she now teaches fiction writing. Her award-winning short stories and essays have appeared in the Washington Post, Slate, Tablet, Lilith Magazine, Bethesda Magazine, Superstition Review, Potomac Review, minnesota review, Fifth Wednesday Journal, Gargoyle and elsewhere. A regular contributor to the Lilith Magazine blog, she has led its salon discussions at theaters and arts centers throughout the Washington, DC area. Brafman is also a former documentary filmmaker whose film American Lives: Jewish Stories, like her debut novel Washing the Dead, illuminates seldom told stories of the Jewish experience.
Summary
“Intimate, big-hearted, compassionate and clear-eyed, Brafman’s novel turns secrets into truths and the truth into the heart of fiction.” AMY BLOOM, author of Lucky Us and Away
“From roots in one religious tradition, comes a tale of emotional redemption for all of us. Michelle Brafman’s astonishing compassion for all human frailty infuses this story about the need for truth and the promise of forgiveness.” HELEN SIMONSON, author of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand
“Heartfelt and genuine, Washing the Dead never betrays the complicated truths of family and tradition.”
DAVID BEZMOZGIS, author of Natasha and Other Stories and The Betrayers
“Like a Jewish Anne Lamott, Brafman reels you in with warmth, depth and heart.” SUSAN COLL, author of The Stager and Acceptance
Three generations of women confront family secrets in this exquisitely wrought debut novel that examines the experience of religious community, the perilous emotional path to adulthood, and the power of sacred rituals to repair damaged bonds between mothers and daughters.
Foreword
National print, broadcast, podcast and blog publicity campaign with emphasis on Jewish media outlets
Co-op available
Galleys available, national mailings, and SCIBA/NAIBA events
Bookseller and library promotions: LibraryThing and Goodreads
Author promotion on website and social media
Synagogue and university speaking tour with participation at author-affiliated institutions including American University, George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC Jewish Community Center Writing Group and others
Jewish Book Council participation and advertising
Book festival participation including George Mason University's Fall for the Book, Gaithersburg Book Festival, and Johns Hopkins/Barrelhouse's Conversations and Connections
Cross-promotion with Prospect Park title, After Abel by Michal Lemberger
eBook available at the same time as print book; eBook ISBN to be included on all press materials and wherever print ISBN is listed. Both mediums will be promoted, and publisher will seek eBook promotional opportunities via Nook and Kindle
