Redeeming A Woman’s Strength and Hope: Two Authors Pen Novel, Ahōti! A Story of Tamar
Israeli tour educator and bestselling author Miriam Feinberg Vamosh and bestselling author Eva Marie Everson met in 2002 during a journalists’ tour Vamosh led. The two have penned their second co-authored book, Ahōti! A Story of Tamar (Paraclete Press, May 14, 2024).
Their first co-authored book, Reflections of God’s Holy Land was a finalist for the 2009 Christian Book Award in Inspiration & Gift.
Their novel looks at the true events that Tamar, the daughter of King David lived through, and the culture that led to her rape by her half-brother Amnon, later avenged by her brother, Absalom. When David learned about the events of his daughter, he did nothing and his daughter was left feeling shamed.
Says Vamosh, “This book shows the story of coming out of the wilderness and into redemption by a central figure in Israel’s history. Culturally, many women are experiencing this type of betrayal in their lives and are looking for hope in the midst of it.”
The book, based on an ancient document purportedly written by Gad the Seer, chronicles Tamar leaving Jerusalem and living in survival mode, not wanting people to know her royal identity, while working through the inner turmoil with a glimpse of hope in the end.
Everson explains, “David was a leader and father but seemed to forget the importance of his children. The story speaks to both the tragic and triumph in life that people experience. We see Tamar feeling betrayed, but she didn’t want revenge – she wanted redemption.”
Ahōti: A Story of Tamar tells the story of one woman who defies customary actions. The authors portray her story through the characters and chronological events of the biblical story. “We see the impact this story has on women struggling to take their place, to feel seen and heard, and we hope this book gives them courage.”
BOOK SUMMARY
Ahōti (Heb: my sister) brings to life the Old Testament story of the biblical princess Tamar, the daughter of David, King of Israel. Tamar’s search to overcome humiliation and betrayal after being assaulted by her brother takes her away from her childhood home and forces her to navigate the machinations of royal courts. The familiar Bible story ends with Tamar living “desolate” (2 Samuel 13:20), but master storytellers Miriam Feinberg Vamosh and Eva Marie Everson take readers beyond this sorrowful ending to a horizon of hope with an adaptation of an ancient anonymous manuscript, purportedly written by Gad the Seer (1 Chronicles 29:29), which was discovered in India in the late 18th century. This manuscript provides a surprising conclusion, which has powerful modern-day significance. Rich with cultural, biblical, and historic detail, and spiritually compelling, Ahōti will inspire readers to overcome humiliation, betrayal, and pain to embrace a purposeful life.
“Vamosh and Everson put an empowering spin on the biblical story of Tamar, the daughter of King David…Vamosh and Everson’s characters are made three-dimensional through evocative descriptive language. The revisions to the original story—in the Bible, Tamar eventually dies “desolate” in Absalom’s household—uplift. It’s a welcome and often gripping portrait of the unsung courage of a biblical heroine.” – Publishers Weekly
“Over the course of Everson and Vamosh’s novel, Tamar realizes her own strength and self-worth, exploring her womanhood, spirituality, ambitions, and the realities of her world. She also learns to value the wisdom and care of others as she provides care of her own. Tamar’s growth over the course of her journey is compelling and insightful, and her story will resonate with readers who enjoy feminist historical fiction.” – Booklist
Visit the book trailer and to read more about Ahōti!, visit Goodreads.
AUTHORS
Miriam Feinberg Vamosh is an author of nearly a half million copies sold of her work. She’s an editor and translator specializing in heritage and culture and issues involving the presence of women in the archaeological record. Miriam holds an undergraduate degree in education and a master’s degree in archaeology and heritage, with distinction, from Leicester University. Her work includes a historical novel, The Scroll (Toby Press) and her nonfiction books are Teach it to Your Children: How Kids Lived in Bible Days (Avimedia 2014), Women at the Time of the Bible (Palphot 2007); Food in the Bible: from Adam’s Apple to the Last Supper (Palphot 2005); Daily Life at the Time of Jesus (Palphot 2000, translated into over 30 languages); Israel, Land of the Bible (Palphot 2005) and Pathways Through The Land of the Hart (Gefen). She is the author of numerous articles on Israel’s history and lore and a tour educator with a focus on sites connected to Christian heritage and culture in Israel. She has written three site guides to Israel national parks, translated several of the national park pamphlets distributed to visitors, and edits and translates the work of Israel Antiquities Authority scholars and others. Miriam’s master’s degree thesis entitled “Speaking of Women: Engendering Presentation at Megiddo,” examined more than a century of archaeological excavations at Megiddo (Armageddon) to discover what finds about women had been ignored, and whether and how the site museum could be redesigned to represent the presence of women in a place where warfare seems a paramount concern. Among the books on archaeological themes that Miriam has translated: Back to Masada (Amnon Ben-Tor), Biblical Lachish (David Ussishkin), and Solomon’s Temple and Palace (Yosef Garfinkel and Madaleine Mumcuolglu). A native of Trenton, New Jersey, Miriam has lived in Israel since 1970. https://miriamfeinbergvamosh.com/
Eva Marie Everson is a multiple award-winning author and speaker. She is one of the original five Orlando Word Weavers critique group members, an international and national group made up of critique chapters. She served as the original president from 2000 to 2007 and is now CEO of Word Weavers International, Inc. Eva Marie served as a mentor for Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild for several years and has taught at a number of writers conferences nationwide. Eva Marie has served as an adjunct professor at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. In 2002 she was chosen as one of six journalists to tour Israel and in 2009 she, along with Miriam Feinberg Vamosh, worked with Israel’s Ministry of Tourism to organize another journalistic tour. Eva Marie has spoken in churches and women’s groups in the U.S. and Canada. A common face among faculty at Christian writers conferences across the nation, Eva Marie also serves as the director of the Florida Christian Writers Conference (along with Taryn Souders). In 2022 she received the Yvonne Lehman Legacy Award (June) and the Lifetime Achievement Award from AWSA (August). Eva Marie is a member of AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Association), ChiLibris, and FHL (Faith, Hope, and Love). Eva Marie has received degrees and studied theology at Andersonville Baptist Seminary and The Tzemach Institute. She has been featured on numerous radio and television shows. Eva Marie and her husband live in Central Florida where they enjoy their children and grandchildren. They are owned by a cat named Vanessa. https://evamarieeversonauthor.com/
ENDORSEMENTS
As an author of biblical fiction, I know the amount of research and work that goes into crafting a story like this. Miriam Feinberg Vamosh and Eva Marie Everson comprise the perfect team.
– Jerry B. Jenkins, Writer of the Left Behind series and The Chosen novels
I was privileged to have the opportunity to discover, annotate, and publish the ancient text Words of Gad the Seer. Now I feel even more privileged, when Ms. Feinberg Vamosh and Mrs. Everson share part of the book with the whole world. This story of Tamar is for women by nature, and it is almost unbelievable that it was told thousands of years ago.
– Prof. Meir Bar-Ilan, Professor Emeritus Former chair, Talmud Department, Bar-Ilan University, Israel Author, among many other works, of Words of Gad the Seer (Scotts Valley, CA: CreateSpace Publishing, 2016), Some Jewish Women in Antiquity (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1998)
